Here’s the thing. Whether you are brand new to the world of darts or have been around the block a few times, eventually someone walks into your pub and undoes your sense of the darts ecosystem. By the end of the evening you are left shaking your head with the known refrain of, “Who the F was that guy?!”
I am Dr Manhattan and I’m here to tell you, you need players like that to come into your life. I teach this game, and if you are not having such experiences, you are not testing yourself. These experiences force you to reassess your game, to test your notion of what being a “good” darts player is. You shouldn’t want too much comfort. Comfort breeds complacency. Complacency feeds the ego; and let’s face it, most darting locales have too many outsized egos.
I am not a known quantity like Darin Young or Larry Butler; nor am I one of the newer Americans like Danny Lauby or Jules van Dongen trying to make their mark on the PDC circuit. These guys are putting in serious work to prove themselves.
My serious work is focused on you. I am the guy across the pond who is going to give you something to think about each and every time we meet. I’m the American who teaches the game from before you even approach the oche. The guy who has taught people in your country. The guy who passionately loves our global darting community.
If you appreciate this great game, I appreciate you.
THE STATE OF PLAY IN NORTH AMERICA
Americans are no longer “just really happy to be here”. No. Americans have gone through their growing pains over the past thirty years. We are no longer new to long format, to the stage, to the spotlight. There is an older generation that has grown accustomed to it, and a younger generation that knows nothing else. The nerves “in-the-moment” have faded, and each year there are a few more players prepared to compete on an international level.
The Canadians are the same, except a little different. You see, I am not the North American who lumps North Americans together. Nobody represents a continent on that stage. Our continent does not have a flag.
Besides, there is a Canadian who has three times taken the big piece of the pie for himself. Canada has celebrated a world champion; BDO and PDC. America has not… yet.
The Championship Darts Circuit has done an excellent job providing the best North American players the opportunity to compete against each other in a meaningful way; with a path to the PDC World Championship and the Grand Slam. But, even in the United Kingdom, players compete under their country’s flag, not the Union Jack. (Besides, North America technically encompasses Mexico, Greenland, and a bunch of smaller countries not represented… yet)
TEACHING/LEARNING
Many people are happy just having their league night out with friends to toss some arrows. That is the truest, easiest-going enjoyment the game has to offer. I love it, and those people play a vital role in our greater community. Not everyone is in it to be better or become a rockstar.
There are others that magically want to BE better, but don’t necessarily take steps to GET better. They may play a lot, and they think they practice properly, but the fact is, they practice without purpose. These players might have magical moments, followed by bewilderment. They lack the understanding of what they are doing right or wrong.
Then there are others who can’t help but sense that there is something they don’t yet know. They may recognise that they don’t know, what they don’t know. They are constantly observing, constantly soaking up the community around them, constantly looking for answers. Sometimes to find the right answers, you simply need to ask the right questions of the right people. Look no further.
Nobody needs help to play darts, because, nobody needs to play darts. The same is true for sports like tennis or golf. We don’t need to play these sports. The fact is, we WANT to play these sports. We are drawn to them, and we want to play them well.
At any level of education, teaching is not about being the best in your field of study. There are many current and former greats in all sports that do not and, quite frankly, cannot distill the lessons well. Teaching is about imparting knowledge. It is about communication.
Teaching is a relationship between teacher and student. It starts with a student’s desire to learn. From there, trust is the delicate bridge that students must meet a teacher on; somewhere in the middle, where the footing may be uneasy. From that point the it is the teacher’s job to impart knowledge in an easily digestible way, and help you cross that bridge to stable ground on the other side.
This is where many get it wrong when thinking about teaching and learning. Many expect that the teacher is there to hold your hand, and escort you from one side of the bridge, to the other. A teacher is not there to do FOR you. A teacher is there to give you the tools, the knowledge, and the confidence to do for yourself.
I absolutely love when I am not the best player in the bar. I am the first to humbly admit, on any given day in America, there are comfortably 25 guys more practiced, more hungry, more battle tested, ready to blast me off the board. However, there is no one more prepared, more able, more communicative, more eager, to put you on YOUR path to improvement. Am I a professional? Yes, but I am not a touring pro.
It is an important distinction I make readily. It would be a disservice to players putting in job-like hours getting tour cards to play semantical games and tell you, ‘I am professional darts player.’ I don’t sell. I service the community. I am a pro akin to the ones you would find at a tennis or golf club. I am a professional instructor.
I have a high level of acumen, but my money is not made trying to win tournaments, it is made at being adept at, breaking the game down, communicating it well, and making you better.
THE “Dr” IS IN
Being the resident “Doctor” at an Asylum sounds ominous, but I assure you, Dr Manhattan is a playful moniker I was given for my bald head, my philosophical approach, and my city of origin. I am quite approachable, in-person and online. I don’t wear a lab coat, and I don’t distribute medicine. I have no Ph.D, but meet me on that oche and I will breathe new life into your darts.
I don’t watch the game the way a fan would. I study it. From complete novice to seasoned professional, I am constantly finding ways to help you improve on the margins. I have been doing it in-person since 2012 and remotely, across the globe since 2020. I take a sincere pride in helping you set and reach your goals. It is a feather in my cap, and a sign of great respect when people from the UK reach out across the Atlantic for my expertise. It is why when the braintrust and darts minds of DartAsylum asked me to contribute with a coaching column, I was honoured, and happy to oblige.
It is my hope to give you new ways to think about the game.
If you meet me in the middle of that bridge, I will give you what you need to get across safely.
I will also answer your questions. I want to hear from you. It is what I do. My writing on darts graces the world over already, now you will get it directly on the walls of the Asylum.
We are drawn to this game in almost inexplicable ways. When we don’t play for a bit we begin to get antsy. We miss it. We almost crave it. That’s why you are at the DartAsylum
Asylum:
The protection granted to someone who has left their native land as a refugee.
An institution offering shelter and support to people who are mentally ill.
Whether you seek refuge in the game of darts as a means of escape and recreation, OR you need help with your deep fixation, we are here to help, and the Dr is in.
Respectfully,
Dax
Dr Manhattan
Choosing a selection results in a full page refresh.
