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 it's the shot that decides the outcome. It's that horrible moment in which one competitor's confidence is destroyed and the other's confidence boosted to the point where the outcome is inevitable. In America it is called "Being in the Zone". It is more likely to be at some point in a match that has progressed quite far, but it can also happen at a very early state of a match. A 180, 140 or a nice chunky out-shot at an unexpected moment can easily break an opponent's confidence.

There is of course no general rule on how to achieve this winning situation. It 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 is to take advantage when you are aware that the white moment is approaching. When did you think you were out in the last match you lost? Remember the situation, wasn't there still a chance to win? A small one, sure, but you probably didn't believe in it, because the white moment fever had hit you.

Sure, the leading player will get a big boost on their self-confidence from the situation, they 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 them and if they miss, you will get your chance to come back into the match.

On the other hand, if the white moment was in your favour, avoid the danger zone of getting lazy and losing concentration. It may look like your opponent's confidence is destroyed, but don't believe it. The situation can rapidly turn even if you let them in once, and a match can easily have more than one "White Moment".

It is possible to develop a good sense for decisive situations in matches, especially against opponents you often play or often watch playing. If you know them, you will know in which situations they lose their confidence. If you have them on such a moment, you can use some "extra-concentration" and try to hit the ton or ton-forty that will break them.

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