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Callan Rydz almost won a leg with just two darts

How many sets of darts does one player need to improve their game and where to find the right equipment

By Paul Nicholson

Darts

Fri September 29, 2023 · 1y ago

Finding the right set of darts is a conundrum for players of all levels from the amateurs to the sport’s elite professionals.

In this week’s column, Paul Nicholson discusses how to find the perfect darts to suit your game and why .

The Peter Wright effect

Dimitri Van den Bergh recently revealed Peter Wright has around 500 sets of darts at his home and some of the reasons for his experimentation.

Obviously everyone knows Snakebite is the sport’s king tinkerman but having this amount of equipment is still hard to comprehend.

I was talking to a colleague recently about what I call the ‘Peter Wright effect’ and I believe he’s very aware of the impact he’s had on the darting public.

They see the success he’s had down the years and they think that changing darts so much is the way forward. There are a lot who love to stick with what they have, of course, but more and more young players are buying more sets of darts because following Peter’s lead could be successful for them.

I think Peter knows what set is the one that will make him the best version of himself but in this extreme case, I believe this experimental process gives him the hunger to keep playing.

If he played with one set of darts, he’d get bored! You might think that’s a little childish and not how a professional should behave – after all you don’t see Rory McIlroy changing his driver every week or Novak Djokovic trying out different types of racket several times per season – but this is Wright’s way of keeping himself motivated.

It does not mean it would work for everyone. For every Peter Wright style player out there who loves to tinker, there’s at least 199 who don’t!

Who else tinkers?

Peter Wright isn’t the only tinkerman in darts. Simon Whitlock is a prime example of another.

I talk about his bag of tricks because he’s got the biggest darts kit in the history of the planet – it’s the size of a doctor’s medical bag and has the magic of Mary Poppins.

If you open it up, it’s like looking into Narnia. I don’t think even he knows what’s at the bottom of it. Sometimes he puts his hands in there and randomly picks what he wants to use!

It’s a total maze and I’ve never seen anything like it. He’s doctor darts and a real mad scientist when it comes to things like this and he’s always been like this.

One set stars

Luke Humphries decided at the start of 2022 to use a brand new set of darts with three identical points. The old ones were put away and he focused solely on the ones he had in his case.

They are the only ones he touches and look at how he’s improved by avoiding any temptation to tinker.

Ross Smith went from Bulls to Unicorn last year and after he’d gone through the fitting process to get the right darts, he’s never used anything else. He doesn’t tinker much at all.

There are obviously many other players in this mould but these are two of the best examples of those who reached a new level by having this approach.

When players like these have a dip in form, they will probably look more to upping practice on various areas of their games rather than blaming the equipment. Any changes in that department might be flights or stems rather than barrels.

Don’t copy the pros

You’ve got to do what’s right for you.

Darts manufacturers obviously produce leading players’ darts for the public to buy and it goes without saying that many people will go for their favourite name.

However, just because Phil Taylor is your favourite dart player, it doesn’t mean you should be playing with a Phil Taylor set of darts. They are small in height, bulbous in nature with small flights.

If you want them as a collectible, that’s fine. But if you want them to use, that’s wrong. I wouldn’t go out and try and buy Bryson DeChambeau’s driver when my swing speed is about 40mph less than his!

There are some fads and crazes in darts equipment that people copy too, such as the infamous flexible points. How many people who used those have now gone back to traditional points?! Almost all of them. Never use a fashionable item just for the sake of it.

What’s a solution?

There’s a lot of indecision out there for the beginners, the intermediates and the amateurs because they don’t know what will be prime for them to use – and darts are expensive!

They won’t want to blow their money on lots of sets to play with and they may not have sponsorship deals which allow them to try a lot for free.

We are coming to the point where darts equipment is so popular in this ever-growing sport that we need a fitting process that’s widely available to the masses.

I’m going to speak to Winmau about this and I know other manufactors are thinking of doing the same thing.

Imagine going to a trade day at the NEC – or even a specific darts trade show at a smaller venue – where you go to the stands and get fitted for what you need.

I do know there’s a Sports Expo in Munich every year where Target, Unicorn and Winmau will go to and have stands – but we haven’t yet got a definitive fitting process with someone who knows what they are talking about for the public’s benefit.

We want the public to be able to try out different grip patterns, textures, lengths and thicknesses etc.

How do you know you have the right dart?

Your typical pub or Super League player won’t really know they have the right dart unless they have done a Peter Wright and collected a lot of sets and meticulously practiced with them all.

So, my first piece of advice is to get yourself to a proper darts shop in person rather than online. Darts Corner and A180 in the north of England are probably the best in the country but there are others you can visit such as Darts GB in the south which is also really good and they have sponsored Mervyn King.

Trying sets in these shops is allowed and is far better than just buying them trial and error online and hoping for the best.

I’ve been working with Winmau for many years and I’d love them to open up a shop at their site in Bridgend and I believe they have room for one. It would be a game changer for all darts players.

People would be willing to travel to do this because they want the right darts in their hands.

When you feel you have the right set of darts – here’s the important bit…buy two sets! I know times are tough at the moment and darts aren’t cheap but there is a danger your favourite set could get discontinued one day. Tungsten is very tough and won’t erode quickly but you could lose one, two or three darts or even have them stolen, but hopefully not.

You can either keep the spare set in a safe place for if and when you ever need them. Or, you can rotate every month or so they last twice as long.

Get plenty of the same flights and stems that you’ve decided suit you best. Keep everything the same, if this is your preference.

If you look at 98% of the players on the tour, they will have identical sets and spares of everything in their treasured cases.