Why You Can't Perform In Games (When Practice Goes Perfect)

You throw a 180 in practice. Your grouping is tight. Your mechanics feel dialed in. Everything works.

Then you play an actual game and suddenly you can't hit treble 20 to save your life.

This isn't mental weakness. This is your brain optimizing for the wrong thing.

The Practice Trap

Here's what most players do:

In practice:

Throw at treble 20
See where dart lands
Adjust next throw based on result
Repeat 100 times

What you're actually practicing: Compensating. Adjusting. Using visual feedback to correct each throw.

In a game:

Throw at treble 20
Dart lands (no time to process)
Immediately throw dart 2
Immediately throw dart 3
Opponent's turn (no time to analyze or adjust)

What you need: Consistent execution without feedback-based adjustment.

The problem: You practiced one skill (adjusting based on feedback) but the game requires a different skill (consistent execution without feedback).

Why The Dartboard Is Lying To You

Your brain uses dartboard feedback as a crutch.

What happens in practice:

Dart 1 lands left of target
Your brain: "Okay, adjust right"
Dart 2 lands right of target
Your brain: "Okay, adjust left"
Eventually you dial it in and hit treble 20
You think: "My throw is working great"

Reality: You're not throwing consistently. You're compensating inconsistently.

In a game:

Dart 1 lands left
No time to adjust (dart 2 already loaded)
Dart 2 lands left (same mechanical error)
Dart 3 lands left (still the same error)
Score: 26

Your throw didn't change between practice and game. The feedback loop did.

The Wall Drill: Learning To Execute Blind

Here's the fix: Practice without dartboard feedback.

The Drill

Step 1: Remove the dartboard from your setup or turn it around (face the wall)

Step 2: Set up your throw line

Step 3: Throw at the wall

Step 4: Don't look at where the darts landed. Pick them up and throw again.

Repeat for 100-200 throws.

What This Forces You To Do

Without dartboard feedback, you can only focus on:

Consistent setup position (same every time)
Consistent pause (same duration)
Consistent tempo (raise-pause-throw rhythm)
Consistent follow-through (hand pointing at target)

You can't use results to adjust. You have to trust your mechanics.

This is exactly what you need in a game.

Why It Works

Your brain stops optimizing for "hit the target" and starts optimizing for "execute consistently."

In practice with board:

Goal: Hit treble 20
Method: Adjust until dart lands there
Result: Good score, inconsistent mechanics

In practice without board:

Goal: Execute same throw every time
Method: Focus on process (setup, pause, tempo, follow-through)
Result: Consistent mechanics (scores will follow once mechanics are consistent)

Games reward consistent mechanics, not conscious adjustment.

The Progression

Phase 1: Wall Drill (No Feedback)

Duration: 100-200 throws

Focus: Process only

Same setup position
Same pause duration
Same tempo
Same follow-through

Don't think about: Where darts are landing (you can't see anyway)

What this builds: Consistent execution without feedback dependence

Phase 2: Board Practice (With Feedback)

Duration: 50 throws

Now: Throw at the board and see results

What you'll notice: Your grouping is tighter than before, even though you're not consciously adjusting

Why: You drilled consistent mechanics without the crutch of feedback. Now when you add the board back, you're executing consistently AND hitting the target.

Phase 3: Game Simulation

Set up pressure scenarios:

Play against someone
Set stakes (loser buys drinks, etc.)
Tournament simulation
Money games

Goal: Maintain your consistent execution under pressure

If you revert to old habits: You haven't drilled the new pattern enough. Back to wall drill for another 100 throws.

What Makes This Different From Regular Practice

Regular Practice:

Focus: Results Feedback: Immediate (see where dart landed) Adjustment: Constant (compensating based on previous throw) Brain learns: "Adjust based on feedback"

Wall Drill:

Focus: Process Feedback: None (can't see results) Adjustment: None (no feedback to adjust from) Brain learns: "Execute consistently"

Game:

Requires: Consistent execution (no time for feedback-based adjustment) Rewards: Process focus

Wall drill prepares you for games. Regular practice prepares you for more regular practice.

The Mental Shift

Stop asking: "Did that dart hit the target?"

Start asking: "Did I execute my process correctly?"

Process Checklist

After each throw, mentally check:

[ ] Setup in consistent position? (yes/no)
[ ] Paused briefly? (yes/no)
[ ] Consistent tempo? (yes/no)
[ ] Follow-through pointed at target? (yes/no)

If all 4 are yes: Good throw, regardless of result

If any are no: That's what you fix next throw

Results become irrelevant. Process is everything.

Why This Feels Wrong At First

Your brain hates removing feedback.

What you'll think during wall drill:

"This is stupid, I can't even see where they're landing"
"How do I know if I'm improving?"
"This feels like wasting darts"
"I should be practicing on the board"

Push through.

The discomfort you feel is your brain being forced to build actual consistent mechanics instead of compensating.

The Test

After 200 wall drill throws, do this:

Throw 3 darts at treble 20 with eyes closed.

Seriously. Close your eyes after setup, then throw.

If you've drilled consistent mechanics: Your grouping will be tight, even with eyes closed (maybe not in treble 20, but grouped together)

If you're still compensating: Darts will scatter because you're relying on visual feedback to adjust

Pros can throw blindfolded and still group darts. Not because they have magic aim. Because their mechanics are consistent without conscious adjustment.

Common Questions

"How do I know if my throw is working if I can't see results?"

You don't. That's the point.

You're not trying to validate results. You're trying to build consistent execution.

Trust the process: Consistent mechanics = consistent results (eventually)

"Should I never practice on the board?"

No. You need both.

Weekly practice plan:

200 throws wall drill (build consistency)
100 throws board practice (apply to target)
50 throws game simulation (test under pressure)

Wall drill builds the foundation. Board practice applies it.

"What if my mechanics are consistently wrong?"

Then you'll consistently hit the wrong place.

That's fine. Consistent mechanics + wrong aim = consistent miss = easy to diagnose and fix

Inconsistent mechanics + inconsistent compensating = sometimes hits, mostly misses = impossible to fix

Consistent mechanics are the prerequisite for improvement, even if they're not perfect yet.

"Isn't this just Stage 3 → Stage 4 from the four stages article?"

Yes, exactly.

Wall drill forces you to execute without conscious feedback loop. This builds Stage 4 unconscious competence.

Stage 3 players: Can execute with focus and feedback

Stage 4 players: Execute automatically without needing feedback

Wall drill is the bridge.

The Advanced Version

Once you've done 200+ wall drill throws, add difficulty:

Wall Drill With Distractions

Throw while:

Someone talks to you
Music playing
TV on
Standing on one foot (balance challenge)
Eyes closed (ultimate test)

Goal: Execute consistently regardless of external factors

This is game-level difficulty. In matches, there's crowd noise, opponent presence, pressure, etc. If you can execute consistently with distractions during wall drill, you can execute in games.

Wall Drill With Tempo Variations

Deliberately throw at different speeds:

Very slow raise (2 seconds)
Normal raise (1 second)
Fast raise (0.5 seconds)

Goal: Same setup position and follow-through regardless of tempo

This builds adaptability. Sometimes games force you to speed up or slow down. Consistent mechanics work at any tempo.

The Timeline

Week 1: 200 wall drill throws (feels weird, uncomfortable, pointless)

Week 2: 200 more wall drill throws (starting to feel more natural)

Week 3: 100 wall drill + 100 board practice (seeing tighter groups on board)

Week 4: 100 wall drill + 100 board + 50 game simulation (noticing less performance gap between practice and games)

Week 8: Your practice performance and game performance are similar (no more "I can do it in practice but not in games")

This takes time. But it's the only way to build game-ready mechanics.

Real Example

My breakthrough:

Before wall drill: Could hit 180s in practice regularly. In games: struggled to average above 60.

During wall drill (week 1-2): Felt like I was wasting time. Couldn't see if I was improving.

After wall drill (week 3): Went back to board practice. Grouping was noticeably tighter without conscious adjustment.

First game after (week 4): Averaged 72 (same as my practice average). No performance gap.

What changed: I stopped compensating and started executing consistently.

Wall drill forced me to build mechanics that work without feedback.

The Bottom Line

You can't perform in games because you practiced with constant feedback adjustment.

Games don't give you time for feedback loops. They require consistent execution.

The fix: Wall drill.

Process:

Remove/turn around dartboard
Throw 100-200 darts at wall
Focus on process only (setup, pause, tempo, follow-through)
Don't look at results (you can't anyway)
Repeat 2-3x per week

After 2-3 weeks: Your mechanics are consistent without feedback dependence

Result: Practice performance = Game performance

Stop practicing to hit the target. Start practicing to execute consistently.

The target-hitting comes automatically once execution is consistent.

Related Guides

Understanding the learning stages:

The Four Stages of Learning Darts - Stage 3 to Stage 4 is what the wall drill develops

What consistent execution looks like:

Your Setup Position Matters More Than You Think - Consistent setup for repeatable execution
Why The Pause Matters - Confirmation checkpoint, not aiming time
Follow-Through Fundamentals - Hand pointing at target

Managing the mental game:

Process Over Results - Focus on execution, not outcomes