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A White Moment

Some time ago I received this as a TDT feedback:

Have you ever heard of a Russian Term called
a "White Moment"? It is said to occur at the point in a
match in which the victor takes the game from the
loser. It isn't necessarily the game ending shot,
but the shot that decides the outcome. It is that
horrible moment in which one compettitor's psyche
is destroyed and the others confidence boosted to
the point where the outcome is inevitable. In
America we call it "Being in the zone". I would
love to hear any thoughts you have on it in a
future column and, of course, any techniques you
could share for attaining that state would be
appreciated.

 Sincerely,
Jason Davenport

 
At first, thank you Jason for this wonderful idea. Unfortunately you mistyped your email address so I couldn't get back to you. The "virtual award" for the first reader suggested TDT issue goes out to you!

As Jason wrote such a "white moment" can occur in various match situations. Although it's more likely to be at some point in a match that has progressed quite far, it can also happen at a very early state of a match. So a 180, 140 or a nice outshot at a crucial or by the opponent somehow unexpected moment can break a player's confidence.

There of course is no general rule on how to achieve this winning situation - maybe except the simple throw-very-good rule. It also depends on the mental strength of your opponent. A situation where a mentally weak opponent will resign can easily have no effect to a mentally strong one. The only strategy to take advantage of your knowledge of the white moment situation is awareness. Think of your game. When did you think you are out in your latest lost match? Remember the situation. Wasn't there still a chance to win? A small one, sure, but you didn't believe in it, because the white moment fever has hit you.

Sure the leading player will get a big boost on his self- confidence from the situation, he will go on with good throws, and things will look quite bad for you. But feeling that confident can turn out in a somehow lazy game, and this is your chance. Continue fighting, you've nothing to lose any more, try to keep up with him, and if he misses you will get your chance to come back into the match.

On the other hand, if the white moment was in your favor, avoid the danger zone of getting lazy and losing concentration. It may look like your opponent's psyche is destroyed, but don't trust in that. The situation can turn rapidly if you let him in only once, and a match can have more than one "white moment"!

It's possible to develop a good sense for decisive situations in matches, epecially against opponents you often play or often watch playing. If you know him, you will know in which situations he loses his confidence. If you have him on such a moment, you can use some "extra-concentration" and try to hit the ton or ton40 that will break him.

For training your skill in this you should watch as much matches as possible, from expert players as well as from beginners. Try to anticipate the decisive shots and analyze the "rhythm" of a dart match. You will learn more about the game, sharpen your awareness, and if you visualize these situations with trying this little "extra concentration" on the big points, you will for sure increase your performance.

Related topics:
For behind or in the lead part 1
For behind or in the lead part 2
The 501 3rd turn problem