Finishing is where legs are won and lost. You can throw 180s all day, but if you can’t hit your doubles when it matters, those big scores mean nothing. That’s where 121 checkout practice comes in. It’s a focused drill designed to sharpen your finishing from a realistic starting point.
The premise is simple but demanding. You start on 121 and attempt to check out within nine darts. If you succeed, you’ve completed the leg. If not, you reset and try again. Over time, this builds both your checkout knowledge and your composure under pressure.
Why 121?
Starting at 121 offers a good balance between challenge and realism. It’s high enough that you need to think about your setup shots, but low enough that a checkout in one visit is genuinely achievable. In match play, you’ll find yourself on or around this score regularly after opening with a decent ton-plus.
Common first-dart options from 121 include treble 17 (leaves 70), treble 19 (leaves 64), and treble 20 (leaves 61). Each route has its own merits depending on your preferred doubles and your confidence on specific numbers.
The drill forces you to practise these decisions repeatedly, until choosing your path becomes instinct rather than guesswork.
How to Run the Drill
Set yourself nine darts to finish 121. That’s three visits to the board. Attempt to check out using any combination you prefer. If you finish within nine darts, that’s a successful leg. If you don’t, reset to 121 and go again.
Track your success rate. Over 10, 20 or 50 attempts, note how many you complete. A beginner might manage 10-20%, while a strong club player could hit 40-50%. Top professionals would expect to finish the majority.
This percentage gives you a benchmark. Practise regularly and watch it climb.
Building Checkout Knowledge
One of the hidden benefits of this drill is that it forces you to learn your outshots properly. At 121, you’ll encounter a range of two-dart and three-dart finishes that appear constantly in real matches.
After your first dart, you might be left on 70 (treble 18, double 8), 64 (treble 16, double 8), 61 (treble 15, double 8), or something more awkward. Knowing your routes from each of these scores speeds up your decision-making and reduces hesitation at the board.
Many players keep a checkout chart nearby during practice. Over time, the common routes become second nature and the chart becomes unnecessary.
Adding Pressure
To simulate match conditions, introduce consequences. One approach is to imagine you’re two legs down in a deciding set. You must finish this leg to stay alive. That mental framing can raise your heart rate and make practice feel more meaningful.
Another method is to set targets. Tell yourself you won’t leave the board until you’ve completed five successful checkouts. Or challenge yourself to finish three in a row before stopping. These small goals create pressure and build mental resilience.
Some players practise with background noise or music to replicate the distractions of a match environment. Others time their attempts to add urgency.
Variations Worth Trying
Lower Starting Points such as 101 or 81 offer quicker reps and focus more heavily on the final two darts. These are useful when you want to drill doubles without the setup shots.
Higher Starting Points like 141 or 161 require more accurate scoring before you can attempt the finish. These test your ability to set up checkouts from tricky leaves.
Random Finishes add variety. Use an app or write numbers on cards to generate random starting scores between 80 and 170. This forces you to calculate on the fly, which builds genuine match readiness.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Practising without tracking results is a missed opportunity. If you don’t know your current success rate, you can’t measure improvement. Keep a simple tally of attempts and completions.
Ignoring misses is another trap. If you consistently fail on the same double, that’s valuable information. Dedicate extra time to that number outside of the main drill.
Rushing also hurts development. The goal isn’t to throw as many legs as possible in an hour. It’s to throw each dart with purpose and learn from every visit.
Final Thoughts
121 checkout practice is one of the most effective drills for improving your finishing. It mirrors real match situations, builds checkout knowledge, and develops composure under pressure. Track your progress, introduce variations as you improve, and watch your doubles percentage climb over time.
A player who finishes well wins more legs. And winning more legs is the whole point.
Ready to practice? Try our free Checkout Practice game to drill your finishes and track your checkout percentage. For more checkout knowledge, see our complete darts checkout chart or learn the fundamentals with our guide on how to play 501.