A Practical Emotion Regulation Checklist for Darts Matches

Emotion regulation in darts does not mean forcing yourself to feel calm. It means noticing your current state, choosing a response and returning attention to the next controllable action.

A tense player may need to reduce physical urgency; a flat player may need more energy. The target is not one ideal emotion but a usable state for your throw.

Practise the checklist until it is short enough to use without delaying play. Research supports the general idea of a repeatable pre-performance routine: a meta-analysis found positive effects on sports performance in low-pressure and pressured conditions, although it did not identify one universally best routine (University of Vienna).

The in-match checklist

Run these checks while your opponent throws or as you prepare to step to the oche:

• [ ] Name it: Am I rushed, tense, angry, doubtful, overexcited or flat?
• [ ] Rate it: How strong is the feeling from 0 to 10?
• [ ] Check the body: Are my jaw, shoulder, hand or grip tighter than usual?
• [ ] Choose a response: Do I need to settle, raise my energy or accept the feeling and continue?
• [ ] Select one cue: Use a short instruction such as “smooth”, “finish” or “see the target”.
• [ ] Commit: Give the next visit your attention rather than replaying the last one.

This should direct attention, not start an internal debate. Preparatory routines combine short physical and mental actions, and they should be practised and adapted to the athlete and competition rather than improvised under pressure (Frontiers in Psychology).

Match the reset to the emotion

If you feel rushed or physically tense

1. Pause behind the oche before beginning the visit.
2. Let the throwing shoulder settle.
3. Take one comfortable breath with an unhurried exhale.
4. Look at the exact target rather than the whole board.
5. Enter your normal setup and throw at your usual tempo.

Treat the breath as a transition cue, not an instant cure for anxiety. A narrative review found possible benefits of slow voluntary breathing for focus and concentration but said the relationship with sports performance remained unclear (Sports Performance and Breathing Rate review). A broader systematic review also indicates that breathing practices should be learned and repeated, not saved for a few seconds of crisis (systematic review of breathing practices).

If you are angry after a bad visit

Use a three-part reset:

• Fact: “I scored 26.”
• Release: Exhale, loosen the fingers and walk back.
• Next task: Identify the likely target for your next visit.

Keep the fact neutral. “I scored 26” is useful information; “I always collapse” is a prediction built from frustration.

Do not try to repair several technical details during the leg. If the dart pulled left, choose one observable cue for the next visit, such as completing the follow-through.

If you feel doubtful on a double

Decide the route before raising the first dart. Then use one external cue:

• the intended part of the double bed;
• a particular wire intersection;
• the previous dart as a marker, when its position helps.

Avoid “do not miss” and long lists of elbow, wrist and release corrections. Your routine should point towards the action you want to execute.

If you feel flat

Do not use a calming response automatically. Stand tall, make your walk to the oche deliberate and use a more active cue such as “commit” or “through”.

Emotion-regulation strategies are context-dependent. Research with competitive shooters examined how athletes changed strategies with situational demands and proficiency, supporting flexibility rather than a single fixed response (shooting study). Shooting is not darts, so use that as a principle to test—not proof of a particular darts technique.

Build your personal checklist in practice

Choose one scoring drill and one finishing drill from these measurable darts practice routines. Before each visit, use the same sequence:

1. Set: Place your feet and establish balance.
2. Check: Notice tension and emotion without trying to erase either.
3. Cue: Say one task word internally.
4. See: Fix attention on the intended target.
5. Throw: Begin without adding another technical thought.

Add pressure only after the sequence feels familiar. For example, play scored 501 legs against a fixed par. Choose a personal trigger for the reset—such as noticing a tight grip or becoming preoccupied with the previous visit—and keep that trigger consistent throughout the session.

Record this after each leg:

Measure	Record
Starting emotion and intensity	e.g. tense, 7/10
Trigger noticed	e.g. tight grip after missed double
Reset used	e.g. exhale + “smooth”
Visits before attention returned to the task	0, 1, 2 or 3+
Three-dart average	number
Doubles	hits/attempts
Routine completed	completed visits/total visits

The completion figure matters. You cannot judge a routine from average alone if you did not use it consistently.

After five sessions, compare your results when you completed the routine with results when you abandoned or changed it. Keep a cue if it helps you begin cleanly and maintain your normal tempo. Replace it if it increases hesitation, grip tension or technical analysis.

This is a practice comparison, not proof that the routine caused every difference. Opponents, finishing opportunities and normal variation can also affect the numbers.

Keep the post-match review factual

Answer four questions:

1. Which emotion appeared most often?
2. What usually triggered it?
3. Which reset returned attention to the task fastest?
4. What will I rehearse in the next pressure session?

Separate match conditions from mechanics. Noise, waiting time, opponent pace and scoring responsibility can change attention without proving that your throw has broken down. If that pattern sounds familiar, use the like-for-like comparison in why practice form disappears in league matches.

Persistent anxiety, panic or low mood that affects life beyond darts is not simply a match-routine problem. Seek help from an appropriately qualified health professional rather than expecting a checklist to address it.