Grand Slam of Darts Day 5
When I first thought about writing a blog covering events loosely connected with my interest in performance analysis in darts and
in sport generally I did wonder if there would be enough incidents to justify a write up each day. I didn`t need to worry did I?
Shouldn`t of gone to Specsavers
There were two areas of `stand out` interest for me last night but I am too bemused and baffled to go into too much detail. First of all Phil and his glasses. What was that all about? He starts the tournament with his newly procured goggles only to discover they are un-comfortable and that would you believe it the bright lights reflect off the glass. After a dismal and then average performance he then discovered he is cured! His eyesight is perfect again and normal service is resumed. Extraordinary!In? Out?
The Geordie Ozzie Paul Nicholson needed confirmation that his tournament was over at he end of the match against Beaton last night, strewth, bonnie lad, that confused me. He claimed he didn`t want to know to know what the permutations were so he could just focus on winning. I can`t agree with that as a strategy, knowledge is power.An Average player
The three dart average, don`t you just love it? Here are four things you never knew (well you may do) about this `barometer` of darting excellence:The 3 dart average was `invented` for the media by the BDO and players showed little or no interest in them according to my source former BDO and PDC referee Fred Williams.
The 3 dart average is no more than a `rough guide` to how many darts a player has checked out on. The major flaw though is when a player can win a match and still have a lower 3 dart average. How can this be? It is very simple, one reason is the winning player has had to decrease his average to close in and hit the double- the losing player hasn`t, well not quite so often anyway.
Will `The Power` hit a 122 three dart average as predicted on Sky Sports? No, probably not-For example if Taylor won a match without his opponent winning a leg he would have to win the vast majority of legs in 12 darts or fewer (125.25, 3 dart average) and this would also allow for the occasional slip and only winning in 13 darts (115.61). Also, as Taylor averages around 110 -115 for his first 9 darts he would need to be consistently taking out a finish of between 150 and 170 every leg! If his opponent did win some legs say in 12 darts even his best 9 dart average of 115 is still not going to get him up to the 122 he needs.
From a coaching perspective the 3 dart average can be compared to a golfers round score. It gives a vague indicator of performance but not enough information to give a player an idea of what went well and what didn`t. A golfer may have ended up in the bunker every hole but chipped into the hole to rescue the par. Only a more detailed analysis of every statistic available would the coach then be able to work out that bunker work could be set aside and maybe driving accuracy would be the focus of the next session. In darts is it the power scoring, doubles, counting or other factors that are detracting from a winning performance, the 3 dart average will not tell you.