When you think about it, darts is a very straightforward game because you simply throw the dart at the dartboard and get the corresponding points. Additionally, depending on which dart game you play, you only need to follow the rules to win. Because the rules for darts are relatively straightforward, have you ever wondered if dart players have coaches?
They can have coaches, although it’s not mandatory. Despite the simplicity of darts, professional dart players can still hire coaches if they need one. However, some professional players intentionally don’t hire coaches because of their pride. Still, they may be missing out on a lot of things in the long run.
Controversies of Having a Coach in Darts
As most people know, most sports have coaches to help them improve their performance. For example, Roger Federer in tennis, Manny Pacquiao in boxing, the LA Lakers in basketball— all of these players or teams have coaches to help point out the areas of their game that can be improved.
Coaches help their players analyze their opponents, improve their mental stability, and up their overall gameplay.
The same concept applies to darts coaches. When it comes to darts, a coach can help identify the patterns in the players’ play and help determine which aspect of the game the player needs improvement.
For example, Adrian Lewis, a professional darts player, has some parts of the game wherein his consistency drops, especially when it comes to throwing doubles. Therefore, having a coach can help determine how to stabilize his concentration in throwing doubles and improve his overall game.
In fact, this can be very useful in future games and tournaments. After all, while darts has straightforward rules and incredibly easy to learn, it’s tough to master.
For example, suppose you find yourself having inconsistent throws in different parts of the game or need further improvement.
In that case, having a coach can help improve your mentality, aid you through the tough times wherein your throws are not your best, and help you become a better player.
However, despite the various benefits of having a coach, not many professional darts players have coaches. Some of them even consider having a coach demeaning, unnecessary, or below them. Why is that? Some people attribute it to the lack of coaching culture. While other sports have hired coaches since very early on in their careers, darts players have not.
Take tennis players, for example. If a young ingénue appears at the club and starts to learn tennis, a coach or someone with experience will come over to teach him.
Then, when the young ingénue shows promise, he may be selected as a representative for the club in tournaments and may even be assigned a coach.
As his career takes off, coaches and other supporting staff are always there every step of the way. This is the culture of most of the other sports. However, in darts, this is not the case. This is because most dart players learn from a family member or a friend who has played darts.
For example, a person may visit some pub wherein he gambles a bit. Then, people start to notice the accuracy of their shots and recognize that they have potential. Are they assigned a coach then? No, they’re not.
In fact, the person will most likely try to figure out his weaknesses on their own and try to practice and practice until they get better. In the professional world, most experienced players take pride in having reached their positions without the assistance of a coach, which is why many believe that having one is beneath them.
As a result, it is only recently that some changes were made. Now, some players are more willing to hire coaches for support. Nevertheless, there is still a fair percentage of the community that’s not open to the idea of hiring a coach.
Common Reasons Most Dart Players Don’t Have Coaches
To be successful at being a professional player in any sport, you need to do well enough to win tournaments and attract sponsors. However, compared to other sports, there is not much money in becoming professional dart players, despite the recent increase in rewards.
Coupled with the lack of coaching culture and pride, many professional dart players think spending money on a coach is a waste of their funds.
Aside from that, it is no secret that many players are very skeptical about dart coaches. After all, there are not many reliable standards or statistics to measure the benefits and improved performance of a player who hired a coach.
In addition, a player’s ego and their supporters can affect their decision to hire a coach. For example, in tennis, the coach’s payment is usually fixed plus a percentage of the coach’s work.
Moreover, because tennis has several tours, the player will also have to pay for the other expenses of his coach. An alternative would be to try to find a way to work it in the coach’s contract.
Regardless, having a coach will require having a hefty amount of money. However, dart players are not ready for this financially.
In addition, if they perform well, then more money will be paid to the coach. Furthermore, coaches are the one who is in charge of their practices, decides various aspects, and identifies the issues, among others.
As a result, players will have little freedom in their schedules. Many professional dart players are not open to that kind of arrangement. Therefore, there is still much skepticism about the importance of a support team and a coach in the world of darts.
The Vague Role of Darts Coaches
Let’s use tennis again as an example. For tennis players, the role of the coach is clear. Junior tennis players have club coaches that explain and teach them the basics.
Then, when they start to improve, they may need to hire a performance coach to help them tweak the technical elements of the player.
For instance, tennis players also have a fitness coach who helps them in the gym and the workout sessions. This ensures that they grow the right muscle in the right amount and in the right places.
Then, as they enter the professional level, tennis players may opt for a mental coach to help them improve their concentration since tennis matches are very mentally draining. All of these roles are fully developed and specific.
In darts, however, there is really no specific role for the coach. Since darts don’t require much physical power to play, there’s really no need for a fitness coach or a gym coach. On the other hand, when it comes to technique, coaches can help to some degree, and it’s pretty similar to the mental aspect.
Moreover, sponsors also tend to withdraw funds or not give enough to the players, which means that players may settle to hire less qualified individuals as coaches, team members, etc.
Final Thoughts
Having a coach offers a lot of benefits, and professional dart players can hire coaches. However, there is a lot of skepticism and pride involved, which is why several professional dart players do not hire coaches. In addition, cultural and financial issues also come into place.
Regardless, future innovations in darts are coming as changes such as higher rewards and players hiring coaches are starting to become more commonplace.
The role of coaches, although still vague, may improve, and specific designations and duties may be set in place. Once the culture changes and players’ funds are enough, the number of professional dart players hiring coaches will undoubtedly increase in the following years.