Track These 4 Stats or Stay Mediocre

Page one, four ruled columns. By page nine the notebook knows something you don't: your doubles collapse after twenty minutes, every single session.

That's what tracking does — it swaps feelings for facts. You can't fix what you can't see, and most players have never actually seen their own game.

The four stats worth tracking

You don't need a spreadsheet empire. Four numbers cover almost everything that matters.

• Three-dart average: your points per visit across full legs of 501.
• Doubles percentage: match darts at a double that actually hit.
• First-9 average: your scoring over the first three visits of a leg.
• 100-dart benchmark: total points from 100 darts at treble 20, retested every couple of weeks.

Together they answer the only question that matters: is scoring or finishing losing you legs? For context on the first number, here's what counts as a good darts average.

Set up a tracker in five minutes

Paper works fine

A small notebook by the board is enough — rule columns for date, legs played, average, doubles attempts, and doubles hits. That's thirty seconds of writing per leg.

Low-tech has a hidden advantage. A notebook never needs charging, updating, or an account.

Apps and electronic boards

Scoring apps calculate averages and checkout percentages automatically while you play. An electronic dartboard goes further and logs every dart without you touching anything.

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The best tracker is whichever one you'll actually use every session. A dusty spreadsheet beats an abandoned app.

Turn numbers into practice decisions

Data you don't act on is just arithmetic. Read your stats like a diagnosis, then prescribe the session.

• Average flat, doubles under 25 percent: spend half of every session on the outer ring.
• First-9 strong but legs dragging: your setup shots are sloppy — practice leaving 32 and 40 on purpose.
• Benchmark rising but match average stuck: that's a pressure gap, so play more real opponents.
• Everything sliding late in sessions: fatigue, and shorter, sharper practice fixes it.

Then feed the prescription into a structured plan like these darts practice routines. Retest weekly instead of hovering — checking your average mid-leg helps nobody.

Michael van Gerwen Attempts the Ultimate Doubles Challenge

Van Gerwen races around every double on the board in a test that exposes just how frighteningly accurate the world's best can be.

Common tracking mistakes

• Mixing practice stats with match stats — keep them separate, because the gap between them is itself useful data.
• Judging a change after one session, when ten legs is the minimum sample.
• Tracking ten stats for two weeks, then quitting — four numbers forever beats ten numbers briefly.
• Fudging the bad nights, which quietly poisons the whole trendline.

Quick answers

How often should you review your stats?

Weekly is plenty. Watch the direction of each number over a month, not the wobble between Tuesday and Thursday.

What's a realistic improvement rate?

Steady practice often moves a club player's average a few points over a couple of months. It arrives in steps with flat plateaus between them, so don't panic during the flats.

Should beginners bother tracking?

Yes, but just two numbers: the 100-dart benchmark and doubles percentage. Full averages become meaningful once you're finishing legs regularly.

Buy the notebook, rule the four columns, and let next month's numbers argue with tonight's excuses.