How Do Dart Players Practice Doubles? 3 Pro Drills for 2026.

How Do Dart Players Practice Doubles? 3 Pro Drills for 2026.

As the saying goes: "Trebles for show, doubles for dough." You can hit 180s all day, but if you can’t hit a double, you can’t win a game. Professional players spend up to 50% of their practice time on the outer ring of the board.

If you want to stop "chasing" doubles and start hitting them, you need to move beyond just throwing randomly. Here are the top three drills used by the pros.

1. Bob’s 27: The Ultimate Pressure Test

Named after world champion Bob Anderson, this is the most famous doubles game in the world.

• The Rules: Start with 27 points. Throw 3 darts at every double starting from 1 through to the Bullseye.

• The Twist: If you hit a double, add its value to your total (e.g., hit one D1, you go to 29). If you miss all three darts, subtract the value of that double from your total.

• The Goal: Don't let your score hit zero. If you reach the Bullseye without "busting," you’ve passed the test.

2. 121 in 9: The "Out-Shot" Simulation

• The Rules: Try to "check out" 121 points using only 9 darts. You must finish on a double.

• The Progression: If you hit it, move up to 122. If you fail to hit it in 9 darts, you go back down to 121.

• Why it works: It forces you to hit a setup shot (treble or single) before accurately hitting the double under a "dart count" pressure.

3. Round the Clock (The "Pro" Version)

Don't just go from 1 to 20. Professionals use a "Three-Hit" rule.

• The Drill: You cannot move to the next double until you have hit the current double three times.

• The Benefit: This builds deep muscle memory. Hitting a double once can be luck; hitting it three times proves you have the "feel" for that specific angle on the board.

4. The Secret to Double-Out Success: Mental Speed

Why do professionals hit doubles so consistently? Because they aren't thinking about the math. When a pro misses Double 20 and hits a Single 20, they instantly know to move to Double 10. There is no pause.

• In a match, any second spent "calculating" your next double is a second where your arm gets stiff and your heart rate rises.

• To be a "Double Master," the transition from a miss to the next target must be a reflex.

Master the "Math" of the Double

The pros hit doubles because they don't have a "math stutter." They know their routes by heart. Our Laminated 124-Card Checkout Deck acts like the multiplication tables we learned at school. By drilling these cards, you turn 124 professional finishes into an automatic reflex. When you stop thinking about the numbers, you start hitting the doubles.

Master your doubles and eliminate the math at:doubleoutmaster.com