How to hit treble 20: grouping, the T19 switch and drills

Treble 20 is the bed everyone aims for, the one behind every 180 on TV. But aiming at T20 isn't the same as hitting it, and plenty of players throw away points by hammering at it without a plan. Here's how to approach it sensibly, and how to tell whether you're really getting better.

Why everyone aims for 20

The 20 is the highest-scoring segment: 60 points in the treble, and 180 if all three darts go in, the maximum for a visit. That's why in x01, until you're on a finish, nearly all your darts head for the top of the board.

The catch is its neighbours: 5 on the left and 1 on the right, two of the lowest numbers on the board. A dart that drifts just off the 20 is worth next to nothing. For a player who groups well, the gamble pays off. For a very scattered player, it's more debatable (more on that below with the 19).

Grouping before trebles

Before you chase the treble, chase the grouping: three darts close together. A tight group in the single 20 beats three scattered darts with one lucky treble among them.

A few pointers for grouping:

• Aim at a precise spot, not "the treble" in general. The middle of T20, say, or a hole in the sisal.
• Keep the same throw for all three darts. If the first lands low, don't rebuild your whole throw: just nudge your aiming point a little. There's more on the throw itself in darts throwing technique.
• Don't look at the darts already in the board to aim, look at your target.

When a dart blocks: switch to 19

It happens all the time: your first dart lands in T20 or just above it, and its barrel or flight hides the treble. Aiming at the same spot means risking a deflection (knocking a dart out, or damaging a flight).

The classic alternative is treble 19 (57 points), at the bottom of the board. The 19 has another advantage: its neighbours, 7 and 3, are worth more than 5 and 1. A dart that drifts there costs you less.

Some players, while their grouping is still wide, go as far as playing the 19 by default. If you can't decide, try both over several sessions and compare your averages.

Simple drills

Ten visits at T20

Throw 10 visits of 3 darts, at T20 only. Count how many trebles you hit out of the 30 darts. Write the result down every session: it's your main indicator.

Score on the 20

Same drill, but you count the points scored in the 20 only (single, double or treble), ignoring the neighbours. It rewards grouping, not just trebles.

Alternating T20 / T19

One visit at T20, one at T19, and so on. You get used to switching targets without losing your throw, which is exactly what you need to do in a match when a dart blocks.

You'll find more ideas in our darts practice routines.

Measuring your progress

Two numbers are enough:

• Treble percentage: the number of T20s divided by the number of darts you threw at it. In the ten-visit drill, 3 trebles from 30 darts is 10%.
• Three-dart average: total points scored divided by the number of darts thrown, multiplied by 3. It's the standard measure in x01, the one you see on screen on TV. It's all explained in darts averages explained.

Your treble percentage you'll note down yourself during drills. Your average you can leave to your phone: with Throw beside the board, the score keeps itself during your x01 games, and with a free account your three-dart average is saved game after game. That way you can see whether your work on T20 is really turning into points.

Don't worry about bad nights: judge yourself over several weeks, not a single session.