Darts Coaching

Phil “The Power” Taylor launches the search for a protégé!

Breaking news – you may be reading this here first – I know all about it cause I created the special www.protege-teamtaylor.com website as an information hub for the event.  I better say though that it’s not my project, I was just brought in as a web specialist (who knows a bit about darts!).  I must say it looks a really exciting opportunity!  I believe Phil may talk about this in tonight’s Premier League.

Phil Taylor has launched a nationwide search for the next power in darts and believes there is another superstar waiting to be found in the ‘Team Taylor’ initiative, which will take place in Rileys clubs across the UK this year.

With darts’ popularity at an all- time high, the sport is attracting players of all ages as aspiring players not only to play the sport at the highest level but also enjoy the opportunity to earn millions of pounds doing so.

Phil Taylor, the 15-time World Champion, is beginning his own search for a star of the future with ‘Team Taylor’, which will give darts players of all ages the chance to win a place in the PDC’s Qualifying School in 2013.

The ‘Team Taylor’ initiative will see players compete in Rileys clubs around the UK, where each player undertakes a series of tasks in a bid to score as many points as possible and win a place in the Regional Finals, before 16 players are paid for by Phil Taylor himself to compete in the 2013 Q School for a place on the PDC’s £5 million professional circuit.

Entry to ‘Team Taylor’ costs just £10 and is available now through www.rileys.co.uk/teamtaylor (temp link here until that one works!), while a special website has also been launched at www.protege-teamtaylor.com (that is live NOW) where aspiring players can follow their progress and watch exclusive video clips including tips from Phil Taylor.  You can also follow their official twitter account @protegetaylor  for updates and news.

“I honestly believe we’re going to find a player who hasn’t played darts before who can make it big at the very highest level,” said Taylor. “I’d have been one of the first players to enter this 25 years ago – and if I didn’t succeed in the first year I’d have paid a tenner to have another go until I made it!

“I think we’ll discover a player who thinks to themselves that they can pack in work or not go to college and become a professional darts player instead.”

Taylor talks passionately about the number of parents over the years who have claimed that their child is the “next Phil Taylor” – and he believes that now it is time for them to come through and put their money where their mouths are, as indeed he is.

Taylor’s dedication to find his protégé is admirable – he will pay for the 16 winners from ‘Team Taylor’ to play in Qualifying School in January 2013.

“This is a tremendous opportunity, not just for the 16 players who will go through to play at Q School but for all players to take the opportunity to start playing darts,” added Taylor.

“Anyone can enter ‘Team Taylor’ – whether you’ve never picked up a dart before or if you play every week in the local league; this is your chance to see if you’ve got what it takes to be a professional.”

Taylor is setting a number of practise tasks for players and throughout this year; every player will then be assessed in their local Rileys club on how well they have learned the skills.

Over a hundred talented players will make it to Regional Finals taking place with Rileys later this year, and the top 16 will be paid into Q School by ‘The Power’ himself.

Players who make it through will be mentored by Phil in their first year as a professional in 2013 and become part of ‘Team Taylor’ – any dart player’s dream.

‘Team Taylor’, in association with Protégé Events Ltd, has launched through Rileys clubs and players can enter at www.rileys.co.uk/teamtaylor (temp link here until that one works!).  Players can check their progress, watch exclusive videos and download their own sample scorecard here.

UPDATE:  The BBC have run a short story about the scheme here; http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/darts/17683371, and Phil mentioned his search last night in the interview on Sky Sports after his win in the Premier League.

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Improve your darts; Darts Performance Centre review

I’m sure as a darts fan you may have thrown the odd arrow or two – and unless you’re one of the top pro’s (everyone reads Darts, Beers & Cheers!), you probably want to improve your game – be it for fun or for money.

I head of Paul Gillings earlier this year, when he joined The Stars of Darts forum to join in a thread about a player he was helping (Anthony Urmston-Toft).  Paul was discussing some interesting concepts for darts; Fitness, nutrition, mental strength, and other areas normally more associated with more.. well sporty sports.

Well a few months later, and Paul has opened something which should be of interest to anyone who wishes to improve their game of darts; “The Darts Performance centre“.  The site intends to use Sports Science to take dart players to another level, treating their sport as a sport.  “Who is this bloke to tell me how to throw darts?” I hear you ask, well I’ll tell you.  Paul is a qualified Sports Performance Analyst and mad about darts! He has a Masters degree from the University of Wales Institute in Cardiff (UWIC) in the Performance Analysis of Sport and also has a degree in Football Studies from Southampton Solent University.

The football studies degree covered a range of subjects including, coaching, nutrition, health and fitness and sports psychology. Paul has worked with AFC Bournemouth Centre of Excellence, Gloucestershire County Cricket Club and Bath City Football Club. More recently he has been working with Pro Anthony Urmston-Toft and researching areas that can help dart players of all standards to improve. So there!

Anyway what’s the site all about?  Well you can register for free to take a look, but I’ll discuss it here else what sort of darts journalist would I be?

First impressions of the website are; pretty impressive.  The design and layout is very professional and clear, unlike many websites that are linked with darts (BDO website anyone!).  I register and sign-up, so I have access to all areas (guests can have a bit of a look around, but the good stuff is members only).  As there is science behind the website, it uses some control to measure how you feel your game is improving.  That includes filling out a self assement profile – how you feel your game is now in certain areas, and where you want to be.  That way you can measure how the site and it’s techniques will improve your game.

Paul through his DPC uses a number of different key areas to help you think about how you prepare and play darts, and if you improve in one or more of those areas, the theory is your game will improve.  Therefore the site has areas to cover six main things;

• Mental
• Practice
• Equipment
• Nutrition
• Technique and Preperation
• Goals and Targets

One of the themes behind the website is that you need to set yourself goals (both longterm, shot-term, and even for practice sessions), realistic goals, which help  you with a sense of achievement.  Otherwise you are just throwing dart at the board.  I guess it’s like mentally aiming.

There are a ton of lessons, tools, and online aids to help you improve, record, and review your performance.  There’s also quite a lot in there which may surprise you regarding booze and darts performance.  It also has two pro darts players available to answer questions, giving it a ‘reality’ edge as well as scientific.

I will find the time to give the website a real go, and hopefully come back and tell you how a (terrible) player like me does with it.  From what I can see, the Darts Performance centre website can and will help nearly anyone improve their game – and if dart professionals followed some of it’s advice, we might be seeing even higher levels of skill on the TV in times to come!

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