Anthony Urmston-Toft and PDPA Chairman Alan Warriner Little  

Dart Player and Sport Scientist Seek the Winning Formula 

(Press Release)  

Dart players do not, in general, always conform to the expected profile of professional sportsmen, most notably in areas such as practice, sport science and fitness. However, the world of professional darts is changing.

Young Manchester based professional Anthony Urmston Toft who is on the professional darts playing circuit, and whose wife paid for his PDC tour card as a birthday present, is taking a different route to the majority of other pro`s. He has recruited Paul Gillings, a graduate from the University of Wales Institute in Cardiff where he studied a Master's degree in the Performance Analysis of Sport.

Gillings commented, "For the past 12 months I have been studying the potential impact sport science methods used in other sports, such as football and tennis could have in darts.  I have completed an extensive thesis on the subject; the plan now is to see if the ideas work in the real world."

Urmston-Toft, whose favourite pre-match tipple is a cup of tea, confesses to having always had an interest in the appliance of science in darts. He says "Paul and I chatted at a tournament in Derby and he gave me an idea of some of the areas he had looked into. He had a fixed idea of the type of player he wanted to work with, and I am totally focused on going as far as I can on the PDC professional circuit, we will make a great team."

Dr. Patrick Chaplin, Darts Researcher and Research Fellow, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, better known in the darts world as "Dr Darts" commented, "With an ever-increasing number of darts players joining the professional darts circuit in search of fame and fortune, individuals are always looking to gain that extra edge over their opponents. I believe this is the first time sports science has been directly employed to improve performance on the oche and I eagerly await the outcomes of this fascinating union of darts and academia." 

Although Rod gets the occasional  betting tip wrong most of the time Rod Harrington is absolutley right when it comes to darts analysis. Rod is forthright about the lack of fitness and the drinking culture he believes is a blight on the game. Issues that inthemadhouse.com feel strongly about too. His opinions are not always welcome by professional players;both current and former. Rod was criticised by Eric Bristow for claiming that one reason Taylor was so doninant was that The Powers opponents were not fit enough. "Nonsense" claimed Bristow. We weren`t having any of that from Mr Bristow and dropped WELOVEDARTS a line:

Printed Issue 8 WeLoveDarts

Regarding Rod`s comments and Eric`s comments on players fitness which were made in issue 6 of the magazine we wanted to say of course Rod is right! Eric Bristow dismissed one of Rod`s comments regarding players` not being fit enough to compete with Phil Taylor as nonsense. We believe Rod is spot on though. Being fit is of course not the only attribute a player needs to beat "The Power", but is one of a whole host of areas players could improve on, if they could be bothered. How often do we witness players lumbering onto stage, sweating profusely under the lights and then suffering all of the problems associated with dehydration, such as loss of concentration and fatigue? They are often architects of their own downfall, as they have downed a couple of pints to help their nerves or boost their confidence!

We suspect Rod was urging us to look a bit deeper into his comments rather than just dismissing fitness as an unnecessary attribute as Bristow did. Bristow`s solution is to hold your own throw. He is right as well in a way. But to do that you need to take a few steps back and listen to Rod. You have to be physically and mentally fit first, as well as fully prepared for any situation that may occur during a match against Taylor or any other player for that matter. We believe there are a few players on the circuit capable of consistently beating Taylor to the silverware and the big cheque, the hurdle for them is do they have the dedication and motivation to challenge him.

 Merv (The Editor) Great points well made Paul. Fitness is certainly becoming more of an issue and I`m sure in the future we`ll be seeing a new breed of fitter players.

Wayne Baker - Darts World Correspondent

Wayne wrote a piece in his regular article, Darts People , which is featured in Darts World speculating as to what technological advances may happen in darts. He was inspired to write this piece having read an article on how other sports have adapted to 21st century advances. Wayne is also  passionate about cycling and was aware of how much British cycling has embraced performance analysis techniques with fantastic results. 

Printed Issue 442 Darts World -  Under the Microscope

Darts is going under the sports science microscope in a study to help players get more out of their game. The research is being undertaken by darts enthusiast Paul Gillings, who is studying at the University of Wales in Cardiff. He noticed a story in the People column about the development of sportswear to improve performance, suggesting that it was an area that could be applied to darts.

Paul told me "I am attempting to complete my MSc in the Performance Analysis of Sport from UWIC. I have turned my attention to darts and looking into sports science in general and how what other sports do could be applied to darts. "I agree with your assessment in the People column. Players will (hopefully) look at their clothing as a way of getting an edge over their opponent. It was refreshing to see an article suggesting such advances. I have been amazed by the perceived lack of interest by professional players in trying ideas such as yours, as well as things such as mental skills that could help them perform better

Paul suggested the use of energy drinks, examining the physics of the dart and its performance, and study films of matches to help develop playing strategies, might be something players and their managers may wish to consider. Paul`s studies including results of his 2009 Darts Survey, in which he has interviewed more than 500 players, can be viewed on inthemadhouse.

Might prompt a re-think on how you approach your matches...