THE PLAYER

Professional darts players may practice for up to three hours per day. To gain perfect control over the angle and split-second timing of the release, they’ll spend years building up a memory of the exact motions involved, which they must be able to duplicate during a high-pressure situation. Their greatest fear: a psychological condition known as “dartitis”—an unexplained loss of fine motor skills that affects the throwing technique or release. If this occurs, experts recommend taking a one-week break to allow the brain to “reset.” Then the player should return to the game, focus on what the body is doing during a throw, establish a throwing routine that includes an extra breath, and turn off any internal monologue.

“It would be extremely difficult to design a machine that could throw with the precision and consistency of a professional player.”

METIN TOLAN, PROFESSOR OF EXPERIMENTAL PHYSICS, TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY OF DORTMUND