There has been interest, encouragement, advice and support from various elements of the darting media. A selection of the interest is provided below.


Patrick Chaplin (Dr Darts http://www.patrickchaplin.com/History.htm  ) introduced me to Sid Waddell and Sid used various pieces in his blog and during his commentary:

Read about Sid and Albert Einstein

http://www.skysports.com/opinion/story/0,25212,12535_4913980,00.html

Read about Sid discussing the need for Wade to `talk positive`

http://www.skysports.com/opinion/story/0,25212,12535_4939612,00.html


Read about Sid and Mardle`s Arousal Levels

http://www.skysports.com/opinion/story/0,25212,12535_5037779,00.html

One interesting aspect from this piece was that Rod Harrington advised live on Sky TV in his betting section for punters to back Mardle to lose the first leg, as we had pointed out he had in 7 out of the previous 8 games. He forgot to mention that the advice we gave was only true if Wayne did his crazy palm tree flinging walk on. However, Sid had tipped Mardle off about his first leg statistics and that we thought his mad walk-on routine was the reason.  Wayne took this advice on board and his walk-on was the opposite to his normal routine, it was like he was out on a  peaceful Sunday afternoon stroll ! He got on stage and promptly went on to beat Taylor in the first leg ! A case of "I told you so" for inthemadhouse but we hope anybody following Rod`s tips didn`t lose too much cash!

Is Rod Right?

Most of the time Rod Harrington gets it absolutley right, Rod is forthright about the lack of fitness and the drinking culture he believes is a blight on the game. issues that inthemadhouse.co.uk feel, strongly about too. His opinions are not always welcome by professional players; both currrent and former. Rod was criticised by Eric Bristow for claiming that one reason Taylor was so dominant was that The Powers opponents were not fit enough. "Nonsense" claimed Bristow. We weren`t having any of that from Mr Bristow and dropped WeLove Darts a line:

Printed issue 8 WeLove Darts-

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.


Paul Gillings inthemadhouse.co.uk


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...