Sky Sports pundit Wayne Mardle has revealed his favourite throw in darts, and who he has tried to copy.
An aesthetic throw makes the sport more watchable, and darts has seen some silky smooth actions throughout the years.
Steve Beaton is often lauded as having the best throw and Raymond van Barneveld’s is the envy of many.
Mardle, however, opted for neither and earmarked two of the game’s youngsters as having the greatest action.
Mardle hails two current major champions
It is no surprise that the players with two of the best throws have experienced success.
Taking to X, a user asked Wayne Mardle: “In your opinion who has the best throw in darts? To me it’s Dimi [Dimitri van den Bergh] even though he’s dramatics drive me crazy. Good stance, nice grip, good sharp follow through and repetitive.”
‘Hawaii 501’ clearly admires the UK Open Champion’s throw and succinctly responded: “I agree.”
The pundit took it one step further and revealed he has even tried to copy the throw of newly-crowned World Cup winner Michael Smith.
He said: “Michael’s is the one I’ve tried to replicate too. Ha.”
A smooth throw is key for success in darts
A simple action with few moving parts is a desirable weapon in a player’s arsenal.
The current World Champion Luke Humphries has one of the best throws in the game, as does Premier League Champion Luke Littler.
Darts is about replication and the more complex a throw is, the more difficult it is to reproduce.
Dave Chisnall epitomises this.
He has won a catalogue of PDC titles with his enormous ability but a major trophy has always eluded him.
His awkward throw is difficult to sustain over the long format of a major, thus making him prone to sub-par performances.
More young players are entering the game with quick, rhythmic throws and expect this trend to continue as the game evolves further.