Can you improve your scoring
without hours of practice?
In this second article of the WinmauNieuwstadt series we take the research
into the practicality of improving your
darts scoring. In the previous article
it was explained that anyone’s dart
accuracy can be represented by a single
number called the DDV (Darts Deviation
Value). Each dart player has his own
DDV, and you can easily measure
yours with the Winmau-Nieuwstadt test
(available online at www.winmau.com).
Once you know your own DDV, you can
change your game tactics and score
higher without needing to improve your
accuracy! This edition focuses on the
best aiming location on the dartboard.
How to improve your
average score.
Should you follow the World Top dart
players, and go bravely for the Treble 20
but risk the dreaded 1 and 5, or should
you aim for the safer Treble 19 with the
higher scoring 3 and 7 as bedfellows?
This all depends on your accuracy, thus
your DDV! How the optimal section
depends on the DDV, you can see in
the diagram.
As you can see, a DDV of 1.6 proves to
be the magical boundary for choosing
between either the Treble 19 or the
Treble 20. If your DDV is lower than 1.6,
the best place to aim your darts at is
the Treble 20! If it is higher, you should
swallow your pride and go for one of the
other indicated sections, it will pay off in
the long run!
How was this calculated?
The DDV is a mathematical variable
which quantifies the spread in the
(random) distribution of the darts around
an aiming point. Beforehand, a few
assumptions have been made, one of
them is that the spread in the vertical
direction is the same as the spread in the
horizontal direction. Although this does
not directly apply to all dart players, the
outcome of this mathematical analysis
still proves to be applicable to practically
any dart player with any throwing style,
from pro to amateur.
For the calculations*, the darts
distribution was “fitted” over the center
of each of the dart board sections. For
instance, when aiming at the Treble
20, some percentage of the darts will
land in the (Treble) 5 and (Treble) 1,
which influences the total average
scoring. The percentage missing the
Treble 20 depends on the DDV. If the
DDV is too large, too many darts will
miss the main treble and land in the
neighboring sections. And at this point,
the surrounding sections start to greatly
influence the overall average score.
From the mathematical calculations, it
follows that for a DDV larger than 1.6
(but smaller than 3.0), the Treble 19 is
the better option. The score of a Treble
hit, 57, is a bit lower than the maximum
60, but because of the higher 3 and 7
sections, the darts missing the 19, will
increase the overall average score. And
that is what counts!
Is there more I can improve?
Yes, in the next edition, we will look at
the best way to throw your darts at a
double when finishing a leg! Keep an eye
out for the next edition of the WinmauNieuwstadt articles about this magical
DDV, and how it can improve your
dart game.
Optimal aiming location for a DDV of 2.9
* See H.A. Nieuwstadt, Analysis of the dartgame,
Mathematics Today, Vol 43, No. 4, August 2007
**More information about the
Winmau-Nieuwstadt articles can be found online at
WWW.WINMAU.COM
Highest average score section