Guides · Practice routine · 10 min read
A darts practice routine that works
A good darts practice routine splits each session into a warm-up, scoring, doubles and checkouts, and ends every block with a number to beat. Thirty focused minutes on five days a week will do more for your game than one long session at the weekend.
In short
- 30 minutes, five days a week beats one long weekend session.
- Four blocks: warm-up, scoring, doubles, checkouts.
- Every drill ends with a score you can beat next time.
- Compare weeks, not single evenings.
Daily session
The 30-minute daily darts practice routine
Thirty minutes is enough when every block has one job and ends with a number you can write down. Throw the blocks in this order: an easy warm-up, heavy scoring, then the doubles and finishes that win legs.
All four darts practice drills are training modes in Sridu, so the counting is done for you: Around the Clock, Darts at a Number, Bob’s 27 and 121. On checkout days you can swap 121 for ten finishes of Checkout King. Every drill and how the records work is on the darts practice app page.
- Keep the settings fixedSame drills, same settings for weeks. Only then does today’s number compare with last month’s.
- Doubles while you are freshThe finishing blocks come once your arm is loose, before you get tired.
- Short and oftenFive sessions of 30 minutes repeat your throw on five days. One long session ends with tired darts.
Practice volume
How long should you practise darts each day?
For most club and pub players, 30 focused minutes on five days a week is the sweet spot, and beginners do well with less. What counts is the number of darts you throw with full attention, not the hours you spend at the oche.
Minutes per session by level
Do
- Loosen your arm and shoulder before the first dart
- Add practice time over weeks, not overnight
- Work on one point of your throw, such as a full follow-through
Don’t
- Jump from two evenings a week to long daily sessions
- Throw on through an aching elbow, wrist or shoulder
- Pile on darts while your throw is still changing
Pain ends the session. If it lasts or keeps coming back, see a doctor or physiotherapist. The guide to darts pain covers warming up and the usual trouble spots.
Block 1 · 5 minutes
How to warm up for darts practice
A good darts warm-up takes you round the whole board at an easy pace. Around the Clock does exactly that, and its hit rate is the plainest measure of consistency you have.
- Settle on the bullA few easy visits find your stance and release, the basics of how to throw darts. Bull Shooting scores one minute of it.
- Go round the clock1 to 20, then the bull, with all fields counting. A perfect run takes 21 darts.
- Make it harderWhen it gets easy, switch to doubles only or trebles only, or turn on jumps.
- Or wake up your eyesZones lights up a new spot each round, including fields you never aim at.
Block 2 · 8 minutes
Scoring practice on the treble 20 and treble 19
Most of your points in 501 come from the 20 bed. Scoring practice means grouping on the treble 20, and moving to the treble 19 when the 20 is blocked.
Darts at a Number
Only the 20 scores: 1 for a single, 2 for a double, 3 for a treble. 100 darts give a maximum of 300, the 60 darts of the daily session 180.
Your hit rate shows how often you stay in the bed. Your points show how often you also find the treble.
- Whole-board scoringPowerscoring counts every dart wherever it lands. 99 darts are 33 visits, so 1650 points is an average of 50.
- The 19sOne block a week on the 19 makes the switch feel normal. Should it be your main bed? See T20 or T19.
- Visit minimumCount only visits of 60+ or 100+. It trains the third dart, the one that rescues a bad visit.
Darts, not minutes. A fixed number of darts is the same work every day, however fast you throw. That keeps your scores fair to compare from week to week.
Block 3 · 8 minutes
Doubles practice with Bob’s 27
Legs are won on the doubles, and Bob’s 27 is the drill most players use for them. Bob Anderson’s game gives you 21 rounds of three darts, one double per round, and punishes every blank round.
- Start on 27 pointsRound 1 is double 1, round 20 double 20. Round 21 is the bullseye, worth 50.
- Hits add, blank rounds costEach hit adds the double’s value, so double 7 is worth 14. Three misses take that value off once.
- Zero means outDrop to zero or below and the game is over. The maximum after 21 rounds is 1437.
Still learning? Set Bob’s 27 to play on below zero until you get through all 21 rounds.
- Stay on the double after a hit. One hit makes the round safe, and every extra hit adds points.
- Round the doubles. On days with more time, add Around the Clock on doubles only: the same targets you need to finish a leg of 501.
- Too easy? Switch the penalty from each blank round to every missed dart and try to stay above zero.
Block 4 · 9 minutes
Checkout practice with 121 and Checkout King
Checkout practice trains the setup visit as much as the double at the end. Climb a ladder with 121 on one day and chase a streak of random finishes on the next.
121
- Nine darts in three visits to check out, last dart in a double or the bull
- Check it and you move up to 122
- Out within three darts: that number becomes your checkpoint
- Nine darts without a checkout send you back to it
- The classic game is 30 visits, 15 fit into the daily session
Checkout King
- A random finish each visit, 41 to 98 by default
- Three darts to take it out
- Every check adds to your streak, a miss or a bust resets it
- Start on 2 to 40 for pure doubles
- Move up to 61 to 120 or 99 to 170 as your streaks grow
- Say your route before you throw, then compare it with the app. The checkout chart lists the usual route for every finish up to 170.
- Leave a friendly double. 32 is the favourite, 40 (double 20) the other classic.
- Be brave in the first visit. In 121 only a checkout within three darts moves your checkpoint up.
For a score to beat, play Catch 40: every finish from 61 to 100 with six darts each.
Weekly plan
A weekly darts training plan
Five practice days, one match day and one day off. Each practice day starts with the 5-minute warm-up and gives the other 25 minutes to one part of your game.
- Mon · ScoringPowerscoring, 99 darts on the whole board, then one game of Bob’s 27.
- Tue · DoublesBob’s 27 twice, then Around the Clock on doubles only.
- Wed · Checkouts121 with 30 visits, then Checkout King on 41 to 98.
- Thu · AccuracyZones for 10 rounds, then Darts at a Number on the 19.
- Fri · All-roundThe 30-minute daily session from the top of this page.
- Sat · Match day501 in X01 against a friend or a bot at your level, first to 3 legs or more. For a change, pick one of the darts games for two.
- Sun · RestNo darts, or a relaxed game with friends.
- Your weak spotDoubles clearly worse than your scoring? Give them two days and take one from scoring.
Tracking
How to track your progress
Track one number per drill, keep the settings fixed and compare weeks, not single evenings. One session is noisy, but your last ten against everything before shows where you really stand.
- Pick one number per drillThe table below shows which one. Write it down or let the app keep it.
- Keep the settings for weeksDrills keep a separate record for every setting. A record on wide zones says nothing about classic zones.
- Compare the last 30 days with allIn your Sridu profile you switch between 30 days, 90 days and all time and see the trend.
- Read the heatmapIf you keep landing low under the treble 20 or drift towards the 5 and the 1, it shows up straight away.
| Drill | Number to track |
|---|---|
| X01 match | 3-dart average, first 9 (the first three visits of each leg), checkout rate |
| Bob’s 27 | Score and double rate, the share of darts at a double that hit it |
| Around the Clock | Hit rate and darts needed to get round |
| Other drills | Personal record, kept separately for every setting |
The JDC Challenge gives you the same 57 darts every time and a grade from white to black.
Avoid these
Common darts practice mistakes
Most wasted practice comes from drills without a score and from the treble 20 eating the time your doubles need.
- Only the treble 20Big scores feel like progress, but legs are won on the doubles.
- No score at the endWithout a number to beat, a drill turns into just throwing darts. The guide to solo darts games lists a record for every game.
- Throwing on when tiredOnce your grouping falls apart, you rehearse a bad throw. Stop and come back tomorrow.
- Changing the settingsNew settings every week make your records impossible to compare.
- Always the same doubleA match can leave you on any double. Bob’s 27 makes you throw at all of them.
- Never under pressureSudden death in Checkout King, 121 or Bull Shooting makes a single dart matter, and so does a bot at your level.
FAQ
Questions about darts practice
How long should I practise darts each day?
About 30 focused minutes on five days a week is a good target for most club and pub players. You can practise longer, but split the time into blocks with a short break in between, and stop when your grouping starts to fall apart.
How many darts do I throw in a 30-minute session?
Roughly 200. The session above has 60 darts at the 20, up to 63 in Bob’s 27, 45 in 15 visits of 121, plus the warm-up.
What is a good score in Bob’s 27?
The maximum is 1437. Your first goal is to get through all 21 rounds without dropping to zero. After that, the only score that matters is your own record, and the trend in your statistics shows whether your double rate is going up.
Should beginners practise doubles already?
Yes. Every leg of 501 ends on a double, so start early. Play Bob’s 27 with play on below zero, or Checkout King on 2 to 40, which is pure doubles practice.
Do I need cameras to track my practice?
No. In Sridu you can tap each dart on the board on screen, and every figure still works, heatmap included. With webcams at the board you just throw, which keeps your rhythm in a long drill.
My arm hurts after darts practice. What should I do?
Stop for the day and rest it. Most aches come from too many darts too soon, a tense grip or throwing without a warm-up, so shorten your sessions and build up again slowly. If the pain lasts or keeps coming back, see a doctor or physiotherapist.
Guides
Related guides
Start your darts practice routine today
Open Sridu in your browser, warm up with Around the Clock and work through the 30-minute session. Every drill counts for you and keeps your record. No account, nothing to install.