Practice · 2 min read
How to improve your darts average
Practical ways to raise your three-dart average: what an average is, what good looks like, and the practice that actually moves the number.
Your three-dart average is the points you score divided by the darts you throw, multiplied by three. It is the simplest measure of how well you play, and the good news is that it responds to the right kind of practice faster than almost anything else in darts.
What is a good darts average?
Rough guides vary, but most players would recognise these bands:
- Under 35: casual or new player
- 35 to 50: regular pub or league player
- 50 to 65: strong league player
- 65 to 80: county standard
- 80 to 95: top amateur or lower-ranked professional
- 95 and above: elite professional
Work out where you are with the darts average calculator, then use the ideas below to move up a band.
1. Measure it properly
You can't improve what you don't record. Write down your average for every practice session and every match night. A month of numbers will tell you more than any amount of guessing.
2. Spend most of your time on scoring
Most of a 501 leg is scoring, not finishing. If you average 45, you need roughly 33 darts per leg, and only a few of those are at a double. Ten visits at treble 20 every session, using the scoring practice drill, is the single best habit for your average.
3. Fix your miss pattern before your hit rate
Look at where your darts land when they miss the treble. If they drift left into 5 and 1, or right into 1 and 18, your throw is moving sideways and no amount of extra throws will fix it. Grouping comes first. Read throwing technique for the most common causes.
4. Make your stance and grip the same every time
Consistency beats style. Put your front foot in the same place on the oche, grip the dart the same way and release at the same point. See stance and grip.
5. Learn when to go to treble 19
If your first dart blocks the treble 20, switching to treble 19 can save a visit. Knowing when to switch is worth a few points of average on its own. Here's how to decide.
6. Take fewer darts to finish
Your average counts every dart, including the ones you throw at doubles. Learning the standard checkouts and practising your favourite doubles cuts wasted darts at the end of a leg.
7. Practise little and often
Thirty focused minutes four times a week beats a three-hour session on Sunday. A short, structured practice routine keeps you sharp without tiring your arm.
8. Practise under pressure
Averages drop in matches because your arm tightens up. Games with something at stake, like Bob's 27 or the 121 challenge, train you to throw well when it matters.
9. Play better opponents
Players often throw up or down to the level of the person next to them. Join a stronger league team, or play against a tougher computer opponent in DartsPal's career mode, and your standard tends to rise with it.