Embrace The Slump: Why Getting Worse Means You're Getting Better

You made a form change. You committed to fixing that elbow drop, adjusting your grip, or cleaning up your release. You know it's the right move - you've seen the videos, you understand the mechanics, you're doing it correctly now.

And your darts have never been worse.

Welcome to the slump. Congratulations - you're on the verge of a breakthrough.

The Paradox: Good Form, Bad Results

Here's what nobody tells you about improving at darts: the moment you start doing things right is often when your scores get worse.

You're not imagining it. Your averages really did drop. You really are missing shots you used to hit. You really do feel like you've somehow gotten worse at throwing darts.

But you haven't gotten worse. You've gotten different.

And different always feels worse before it feels better.

Why Form Changes Make You Worse (Temporarily)

Think about what's actually happening when you change your form:

Your Old Form Was Comfortable

Even if it was mechanically wrong, you'd thrown thousands of darts that way. Your brain had built neural pathways for that motion. Your muscles knew exactly what to do. It was automatic.

Bad automatic beats good manual every time - at first.

Your New Form Requires Conscious Effort

Now you're thinking about every element:

Where's my elbow?
Is my release clean?
Am I following through?
Did I pause long enough?

You're using mental bandwidth on mechanics instead of just throwing.

Your Muscle Memory Is Fighting You

Your body wants to revert to the old pattern. It's like typing on a new keyboard layout - your fingers keep going to the wrong keys because that's what they've done for years.

Every throw is a battle between old habits and new intentions.

Your Timing Is Off

When you change one element of your throw, everything else has to adjust. Your tempo changes. Your aim point shifts. Your setup position varies.

It's not just fixing one thing - it's recalibrating an entire system.

The Three Phases of Form Change

Every meaningful form improvement follows the same pattern:

Phase 1: Conscious Incompetence (The Slump)

Duration: 2-4 weeks

What it feels like:

You know what to do but can't execute it consistently
Your scores drop
Practice feels frustrating
You question whether the change was worth it
You're tempted to revert to old habits

What's actually happening:

You're breaking old motor patterns
Your brain is building new neural pathways
You're forcing conscious execution of previously automatic movements
Your consistency suffers because nothing is automatic yet

The trap: Most players quit here. They see worse results and think "this isn't working" when actually it's working perfectly - it's just not done yet.

Phase 2: Conscious Competence (The Breakthrough)

Duration: 2-6 weeks

What it feels like:

When you focus, you can execute the new form
Your good throws feel really good
Your scores start matching your old baseline
You have "good days" when you maintain focus
But distractions still break your mechanics

What's actually happening:

The new motor pattern is forming but not automatic yet
You can execute correctly with conscious effort
Your brain is still choosing between old and new patterns
Focus determines which pattern wins

The milestone: When your "good days" with new form match your old average, you're halfway there.

Phase 3: Unconscious Competence (The Payoff)

Duration: 2-3 months to become fully automatic

What it feels like:

The new form just happens without thinking
Your baseline has improved
Your ceiling has raised
Consistency becomes easier
You can't remember how you used to throw

What's actually happening:

The new motor pattern is now automatic
Your brain defaults to the correct form
Mental bandwidth is free for strategy again
The improvement compounds with volume

The reward: You're now better than you were before the change, and it's permanent.

Why The Slump Is Actually Good News

If you're throwing worse after a form change, that's evidence you're doing it right:

It Proves You're Actually Changing Something

If nothing felt different and your results didn't dip, you probably didn't change enough. Real change is uncomfortable.

It Means The Old Pattern Is Breaking

You can't build new habits on top of old ones - you have to disrupt the old pattern first. The slump is the disruption.

It Filters Out The Uncommitted

Only players willing to get worse before getting better actually improve. Everyone else stays at their current level forever.

It Sets Up The Breakthrough

The bigger the slump, often the bigger the eventual improvement. You're not falling backward - you're winding up for a leap forward.

How To Survive The Slump (And Come Out Better)

1. Expect It And Embrace It

Mindset shift: "My scores dropped" → "My scores dropped exactly as expected because I'm rewiring my throw"

When you know the slump is coming, it doesn't shake your confidence. It confirms you're on track.

2. Stop Tracking Results Temporarily

During Phase 1, ignore:

Your average
Your finish percentage
Your tournament results
Anything results-based

Track only:

Did I execute my new form on this throw? Yes/No
How many throws felt correct today?
Am I maintaining the change under pressure?

Why: Results are a lagging indicator. They'll catch up in Phase 2. In Phase 1, they're just discouraging noise.

3. Film Yourself Regularly

You need objective proof the change is happening:

Film once a week
Compare to previous weeks
Look for consistency in the new form, not accuracy

What you're looking for: "My elbow is staying up more consistently" not "My grouping improved"

4. Practice The New Form In Isolation

Don't try to change your form AND play competitively at the same time.

Phase 1 practice:

Bob's 27 or other non-scoring drills
Throw at single segments to remove scoring pressure
Focus on execution quality, not outcome

Save competitive play for Phase 2 when the form is starting to stabilize.

5. Give It A Minimum Timeline

Commit to 4 weeks minimum before evaluating.

Week 1: Everything feels wrong and forced
Week 2: Occasional throws feel right
Week 3: More throws feel right than wrong
Week 4: Starting to feel natural

If you're evaluating progress in Week 1, you're quitting before it could possibly work.

6. Journal The Slump

Track your feelings and frustrations:

"Week 1: Threw awful, feels awkward, questioning this"
"Week 2: Still bad but had a few perfect throws"
"Week 3: Starting to feel more natural in practice"
"Week 4: Scores coming back, form holding under pressure"

Why: When you hit Week 6 and you've broken through, you'll look back at Week 1 and realize how far you've come. It's motivating proof the slump was worth it.

7. Find An Accountability Partner

Tell someone (training partner, online forum, coach):

What you're changing
That you expect a slump
To ignore your scores for 4 weeks
To check in on process, not results

Having someone who knows you're in the slump prevents you from quitting when it gets hard.

Real Examples: Slump → Breakthrough

The Grip Change

The slump: "I changed my grip and my grouping went to shit for 3 weeks. I was hitting more wires than ever."

The breakthrough: "Week 4 something clicked. Now my release is cleaner, my darts land more consistently, and my treble percentage is up 8%."

The lesson: Grip changes affect release timing. It takes weeks to recalibrate.

The Elbow Lock

The slump: "I fixed my elbow drop and my darts started landing all over the place. I used to at least be consistently wrong, now I'm inconsistently wrong."

The breakthrough: "After a month, my elbow lock is automatic. My darts land with the same flight every time now. My ceiling raised by 15 points."

The lesson: Elbow position affects dart angle. When you fix it, you have to relearn your aim point.

The Release Point

The slump: "I delayed my release to fix my early release problem. For two weeks I was throwing 6 inches low on everything."

The breakthrough: "Once my brain adjusted to the new release point, my accuracy went from 40% trebles to 52%. Total game changer."

The lesson: Release timing affects trajectory. Your aim has to recalibrate to the new release point.

When The Slump Is Actually A Problem

Not every slump is productive. Here's when to worry:

Red Flags:

Week 4 and it still feels completely unnatural → Might be the wrong change
You're trying to change 3 things at once → Too much, focus on one
You can't execute the new form even in slow practice → Might need coaching to understand it correctly
The new form causes pain or strain → Stop immediately, it's wrong

Green Flags (Keep Going):

It feels awkward but you can execute it slowly
Some throws feel perfect, most don't yet
You see improvement week-over-week in form consistency (even if scores suck)
You understand WHY the change is right mechanically

The Bottom Line

If you're in a slump after a form change, you're exactly where you should be.

The slump is not evidence of failure - it's evidence of disruption. You're breaking old patterns to build better ones.

Most players never improve because they quit in Phase 1.

They see worse results, panic, and revert to old habits. They stay at their current level forever because they're unwilling to get temporarily worse.

But you're not most players.

You understand that conscious incompetence (Stage 2) is the necessary bridge between ignorance (Stage 1) and mastery (Stage 4).

You understand that the slump isn't a setback - it's a setup for the breakthrough.

So embrace it. Trust it. Push through it.

Because on the other side of the slump is a version of you that throws better, more consistently, with a higher ceiling than before.

The slump is temporary. The improvement is permanent.

Your old form got you this far. Your new form will take you further.

But you have to be willing to get worse before you get better.

Week 1 you'll question it. Week 2 you'll doubt it. Week 3 you'll see glimpses. Week 4 you'll believe it. Week 8 you'll wonder why you didn't do this sooner.

Welcome to the slump. You're right on schedule.

Now get back to throwing.

Related Guides

Understanding the learning process:

The Four Stages of Learning Darts - Where you are in the journey
Process Over Results - Focus on execution, not outcomes

Making the change stick:

How To Actually Break Bad Dart Habits - Route-arounds for stubborn patterns
Why You Can't Perform In Games - Wall drill for automatic execution

Common form fixes:

Follow-Through Fundamentals - Most common form fix
How To Find Your Dart Grip - Grip changes cause major slumps