1. Stand steady and still

Stand side-on to the board with your weight on your front foot. That foot should stay still against the oche through the whole throw - if you lift your heel or turn your body, the dart's direction moves too. Leaning slightly forward is fine, as long as you stay balanced.

2. Find a grip you can repeat

There is no correct number of fingers - but there is a correct one for you. Use at least three for stability, hold firmly but not tightly, and place them in exactly the same spot on the dart every time. Gripping too hard means the dart gets thrown rather than released.

3. Throw with your elbow up

Point your elbow at the target and let your forearm do the work. Draw the dart back in a straight line, accelerate forward and release as your arm is almost extended. Always finish with your arm continuing towards the board - a stopped throw is the most common reason darts land low.

4. Aim for treble 20 - or treble 19

Treble 20 is worth 60 points and is the standard target. The downside is its neighbours: miss to either side and you land on 1 or 5. If your throw is not quite there, treble 19 can be smarter - it gives 57 and has 3 and 7 beside it, a gentler punishment for a miss.

5. Learn your checkouts

In 501 you must finish on exactly zero with a double. This is where matches are won, and a few numbers are worth knowing without thinking:

• 40 = double 20
• 32 = double 16
• 36 = double 18
• 24 = double 12
• 16 = double 8

32 is a favourite among many players: miss it and hit a single 16 and you are left with 16 - which is also a double. So aim to leave yourself on 32 as you count down.

6. Build a routine

Look at the same point, breathe out before you throw and keep the same rhythm between darts. The routine is what keeps your throw working when the game is on the line.

Practise like this next time

Play "around the clock": hit the 1, then the 2, all the way up to 20. If you want to get better at closing out games, throw 20 darts at double 16 alone and count how many stick. Write the number down and beat it next time.