Road to a 70 Average: 10 Episodes In

"What started as a simple challenge has become one of the most rewarding things I've ever shared."

It Started With One Simple Idea

Like many darts players, I've always wanted to improve.

Not overnight.

Not by buying another set of darts.

Not by convincing myself that changing stems or flights would suddenly add ten points to my average.

I wanted to improve the only way that really matters.

By putting in the work.

So I asked myself a simple question.

What if I documented the entire journey?

Not just the highlights.

Not just the good matches.

Everything.

The good.

The bad.

The frustrating.

The moments where I felt unstoppable...

...and the moments where I couldn't hit the doubles I'd normally expect to finish.

That became the Road to a 70 Average.

Why 70?

I've had people ask me why I chose 70.

The answer is actually quite simple.

It's not because 70 is a magical number.

It's because it represents consistency.

Anyone can throw one brilliant leg.

Most of us have had those magical moments where everything lands exactly where we want it to.

The challenge isn't producing one good performance.

The challenge is producing them regularly.

That's what a consistent 70 average represents to me.

Not perfection.

Progress.

I Wanted It To Be Real

One thing bothered me about social media.

Everyone seems brilliant.

Everyone posts the 180.

The big checkout.

The winning dart.

The personal best.

Very few people show the visits of 26.

The missed doubles.

The frustration.

The self-doubt.

That's the bit I wanted people to see.

Because that's what real improvement looks like.

Some episodes have been fantastic.

Others...

Let's just say they reminded me that darts is a very good game at keeping you humble.

Scolia Doesn't Lie

One of the best decisions I made was using Scolia to track every match. I know I'm lucky enoughto be sponsiored by them but evenif I wasn't I would buy one and do it exactly the same.

Before this challenge, I'd often leave the board thinking I knew exactly how I'd played.

Sometimes I was right.

Quite often I wasn't.

The statistics tell a very different story.

There have been matches where I felt terrible but the numbers suggested I was actually improving.

There have been others where I walked away feeling quite pleased with myself only to discover my doubles had cost me dearly.

That's one of the biggest lessons I've learned.

Feelings can be misleading.

The data isn't.

The Biggest Lessons After Ten Episodes

Looking back over the first ten episodes, a few things have become very obvious.

Consistency Is Everything

I've realised that I'd rather throw three solid scoring visits than one spectacular one followed by two poor ones.

The biggest averages aren't always built on maximums.

They're built on removing weak visits.

Turning a 26 into a 45.

Turning a 45 into a 60.

Those improvements don't grab attention on social media...

...but they win darts matches.

Doubles Change Everything

If there's one area that's been exposed time and time again, it's finishing.

Scoring gets you into a leg.

Finishing wins it.

Some of my favourite episodes haven't been the ones with the highest scoring.

They've been the ones where I've found the winning double under pressure.

Equally, some of the hardest episodes to watch back are the ones where a single missed dart completely changed the outcome.

That's darts.

Sometimes success is measured in millimetres.

Improvement Isn't Linear

This might be the biggest lesson of all.

You don't just get better every week.

Some days everything clicks.

Other days you wonder whether you've forgotten how to throw.

That's normal.

Progress isn't a straight line.

It's full of little peaks and valleys.

The important thing is that, over time, the trend continues upwards.

The Community Has Been Incredible

One thing I genuinely didn't expect was how many people would start following the journey.

Some offer advice.

Some tell me about their own averages.

Some simply check in after every episode to see how things went.

One comment from the series that I love is.....

"Road to a 70 average? Long hard road. I'm following to keep up to date and best of luck."

They were absolutely right.

It is a long road.

That's exactly why it's worth documenting.

If I'd reached the goal in three episodes, there wouldn't have been much of a story to tell.

It's About More Than A Number

Although the series is called Road to a 70 Average, it's become about much more than that.

It's about understanding my own game.

Learning from mistakes.

Testing equipment.

Finding better practice routines.

Using Scolia to analyse my performances honestly.

Most importantly...

It's about enjoying the process.

Because if you don't enjoy trying to improve, you'll never stick with it long enough to achieve your goals.

The Next Chapter

Ten episodes are complete.

The target hasn't changed.

A consistent 70 average.

There will be more frustrating sessions.

More brilliant moments.

More missed doubles.

More celebrations.

And, hopefully, more progress.

Every episode is another chapter in the story.

Every match teaches me something new.

Every dart takes me one step closer to the goal.

Thank You

If you've watched every episode...

Thank you.

If you've commented...

Thank you.

If you've offered advice...

Thank you.

And if you've only just discovered The Orm Storm...

Welcome.

The story is only just getting started.

I hope you'll join me for the next chapter.

Because one thing is certain.

I'll keep sharing the good...

The bad...and everything in between.

See you at the oche.