ST Sports’ Play of the Month – Darts
In a special series, Play of the Month, The Sunday Times’ sports desk dives into a sport. Every month this year, an expert in a sport provided tips for readers. The December spotlight is on darts.
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Cheryl Tan and her husband Leslie Lee competing at a Dartslive tournament at the Good Cheer Stadium in Kallang Wave Mall. The sport has taught them things like discipline and anger management.
ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI
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SINGAPORE – Through his smiley disposition, one would not be able to tell that Leslie Lee had anger management issues in his early days of playing darts, as he would punch the board or walk out on his team when things were not going well.
Thanks to the sport, the 37-year-old manager, who works in logistics, has mellowed.
“I got to know my current boss through darts, and he taught me a lot through the sport,” Lee told The Sunday Times at the sprawling Forest5 Darts Cafe, at Safra Mount Faber, which features 38 electronic dartboards and 12 steel-tip dartboards.
“He used darts to teach me the importance of controlling my emotions. To play darts well, you cannot be impatient or easily frustrated, which is the same for life in general.
“As someone who also represents Singapore in international competitions, there are people watching how I behave, so it is also important for me to learn how to control my anger when things don’t go my way.”
His wife Cheryl Tan, who picked up the sport through him, has also become a more confident person through darts as she took part in competitions and made more friends.
The 41-year-old housewife said: “I was really lazy and trained two times a week at first. But I realised if I want to be a better and more consistent player, I have to practise every day. So, through this, I also learnt about determination and discipline.”
Darts made the headlines recently with 70-year-old Paul Lim’s sensational run to the final of the World Darts Championship,
There is also a thriving electronic darts scene in Singapore, where many enthusiasts play in the Dartslive Official League, the biggest local darts competition with several tournaments.
The Super League is the main one, with around 1,600 players from 242 teams competing in its 22nd season in 2024, a vast improvement from its inaugural season in 2011 which had 300 players from 40 teams.
Phoenixdarts is another operator that organises electronic darts competitions in Singapore.
Lee feels that the uptick in electronic darts participation can be attributed to the change in its image.
The Dartslive Academy for Youth coach, who teaches darts at Singapore Polytechnic, said: “Dartslive was involved in the Olympic Esports Singapore Week in 2023 and darts has moved on from its reputation as a pub sport associated with alcohol.
“I have seen kids under age 10 play good darts, and their parents are supportive of their interest.”
Tan added: “Darts is a good sport for people of any gender and age. It is a very easy game to pick up, as anyone can just pick up three darts and throw them towards the board. You can play it at home or at a darts cafe or bar, and it takes only five to 10 minutes to finish a game.”
In addition, electronic darts machines feature a variety of games with captivating audio and visual effects, and achievements and themes to unlock. Players can store their statistics and track their progress on an app through a personalised card, and even challenge players from another country via the global function.
Electronic darts machines feature a variety of games with captivating audio and visual effects, and achievements and themes to unlock.
ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI
Noting that darts helps with hand-eye coordination and focus, Lim added that it is also very accessible as one could practise virtually anywhere.
“If you have time to watch TV and scroll your mobile phone, you have time to practise,” he said. “I used to practise my throws while in the toilet.”
While Lim has taught senior citizens to play darts to help them keep them active, he believes the future of the sport lies with the youth.
The Dartslive consultant is in talks with the company to expand the sport’s reach to more youngsters in Asia.
He also wants to increase the pool of coaches with the Dartslive Q-School certified trainer course, so that more people can teach and learn how to play the right way.
He believes this is important if a talented player wants to turn pro like him.
“To be a professional, you need good instructions from a good coach, dedicate yourself to pursue perfection in your technique,” he said.
“And your mindset has to be right because the pressure in top competitions is totally different.”
How to play darts
1. The set-up: Different players have their own way of gripping the dart and preferred stance, be it standing at an angle to the dart board or facing it straight. You can lean forward to reduce the distance to the board, but not to the point of being unstable.
Use both eyes to aim. Your elbow should be fixed at a position that is most comfortable when slowly lowering the hand holding the dart from your eye position.
2. The pull-back: Draw the dart back towards your face. You can reduce the strain on your wrist if you let your palm face up naturally.
3. The release and follow-through: Throw like you are releasing a paper plane and lock your elbow. Try to release all your fingers at once, otherwise the flight of the dart will be unstable.
Straighten your arm to follow through with the throw like you are pointing at your target with your fingertips.
Types of darts games
01: The aim is to be the first to run down 301, 501 or 701 points to exactly zero. Advanced players typically play “master-out” games that require them to end on a double, triple or the bull.
Cricket: The target numbers are 15 to 20, and the bull’s eye. Hitting three counts of each of those numbers before your opponent does will secure it as your scoring area, as players race to outscore one another before securing all the target numbers within 15 rounds.
David Lee is senior sports correspondent at The Straits Times, focusing on aquatics, badminton, basketball, cue sports, football and table tennis.
