Unicorn

Portrait In Darts, Phil Taylor DVD Review

Specs:
Available in PAL and NTSC version (NTSC reviewed)
Play time is ~50 minutes with an extra 9 minutes of super slow motion footage.

The video is, as advertised, a snap shot of Phil's technique and also a bit of insight into his approach to darts. It is decided into 9 scenes:
  • 0 - Opening
    1 - Stance
    2 - Grip
    3 - Set Up
    4 - Aiming
    5 - Pull Back
    6 - Follow Through
    7 - Stacking
    8 - Interview

Each scene features Phil answering an unheard question or explaining an aspect of his game. As he works through his entire stroke, you see that there are details he has painstakingly planned out and others that he has either put little effort into or it has been so long since he mastered them that they are just part of him now.

On its own as a learning tool, the video lacks a great deal of detail. Books like "Darts: Beginning to End" and "Fun-dart-mentals" have more detail and cover aspects of our game the authors have seen watching and teaching others, but this video shows so much of that detail and a master's approach to those details that it is a powerful learning tool.

What Phil says is quite simple and very easy to understand (you can see he has broken down the game into manageable building blocks), but what he shows is invaluable. His rock steady stance, his perfectly repeated stroke and his dead aim and the concentration behind it are highlights that seized me. Just watch his right eye open in his swing as he bares down on his target. That level of concentration and commitment to the target is what has made him the great player he is.

The greatest feature of this video is the super slow motion captures. Watching his whole stoke and then dart flight is extremely informative. His body does not move, his eye never leaves a precise point on the board and his arm follows a deeply honed path EVERY throw. And there are multiple angles in super slow motion, behind above, side and even slightly quirky "eye view" giving a plethora of information about his master stroke. Your entire dart style might be different, but I think there is something that we can all apply to our game from his. Some of the video is highlighted with labels showing different aspects of the throw, and these allow us to see specific areas of his stroke, such as set-up point, pull back point and release point all in one screen shot.

Looking for secrets? Look elsewhere. There are tiny bits about his exact approach and you can easily see he has his game divided into solid blocks. Then he tells us he practices bulls, outs and scoring, for between an hour and a half to three hours a day when he can, but no details about his regiment. He explains some details of his darts (Gen 1 Target 9five at the time of shooting) and an anecdote of his flight shape, but not much insight to deep details like point choice or balance. He does talk a bit about the pixel grip. But it is what is not said that carries the most weight I believe, his whole throw from setup to dart placement is shown in exquisite detail. And this is where the true secrets lie.

The interview at the end is not the reason to get this video, it's about the technique. There is little new information in it, but it feels necessary to cap the story.

Conclusion
How much it is worth to any person is as subjective as how much a barrel is worth to you. But there is a wealth of details in this video that will give you something new every time you watch it. I can see myself referring back to it regularly to see just how steady to be in my stance, how smooth every stroke needs to be and different stance choices for aiming at different areas of the board. The super slow speed capture is amazing on it's own, but to have it capture such a master is priceless.

Highly recommended! 9/10

.
Dabbler and over thinker...
Just outside Montreal

Current darts: Winmau Sniper 18g barrels; Lippoint plastic tips; #4 Fit Spinning shafts and Fit Super Shape flights
Home board: Blade 4 (playing with soft tips)
Discipline: Flight School
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Cheers, my Dears...
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(05-26-2015, 03:37 PM)ReggaeDarts Wrote: Cheers, my Dears...

You're welcome!
Dabbler and over thinker...
Just outside Montreal

Current darts: Winmau Sniper 18g barrels; Lippoint plastic tips; #4 Fit Spinning shafts and Fit Super Shape flights
Home board: Blade 4 (playing with soft tips)
Discipline: Flight School
Reply
Well done. :goodjob: Exactly what anybody would need to know before deciding to purchase this item.
 

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Match Darts=Target Darryl Fitton,s® 22g

Back ups= Hmmmmm??? ®

 And..A few sets of spares .®   Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.
Cheers,
 Ken 
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Thanks for the review, much appreciated
Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images. 
Current Board 
 Gladiator 3+ with Corona Surround and Unicorn number ring
Darts
Modified Unicorn Striker with RD medium sparkle stems, Raw flights, Voks 30mm points and Target titanium stem rings   

Playing 40 years on and off and still barely average
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Good detailed review. Thanks for the info Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.
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Darts Setup: 23g DPC Extreme Performance, Black Target Pro Grip Stems, Target Vision 100 Standard Flights, 35mm Gold CD Mk3 Points
Previous Darts Setup: 23g DPC Gun Metal Elite, Medium Black Target Pro Grip Stems, Standard Black V180 Flights, 30mm Black Grooved Storm Points

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I was given a copy of this a while back and I still haven't watched it yet - as I'm off work today I might tick it on later lol
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Cheers guys!
Dabbler and over thinker...
Just outside Montreal

Current darts: Winmau Sniper 18g barrels; Lippoint plastic tips; #4 Fit Spinning shafts and Fit Super Shape flights
Home board: Blade 4 (playing with soft tips)
Discipline: Flight School
Reply
looks good, might have to get a hold of this
Darts Used: Barney Phase 2 (25g)
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looks like it's no longer available - my best suggestions would be keep an eye out on ebay, or maybe try contacting Target direct and see if they have a spare copy that they could sell you
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