Luke Humphries destroyed just about everything this season. ‘Cool Hand Luke’ won no fewer than three majors with the World Grand Prix, Grand Slam of Darts and Players Championship Finals. The Englishman has risen to third place in the world rankings and started the World Cup as the clear top favorite. Humphries is also the face of a trend in the darts world.
“Luke is a completely different person,” said Paul Nicholson, darts analyst and once number 9 in the world. “If you look at pictures from his World Cup debut and compare them to how he is now… He has so much more energy on stage. He also seems happier and more focused. Before, he just gambled. However, he learned from his mistakes and has become better, much better.”
It is not known how many kilograms Humphries has lost since he started his diet in 2021. He did send a tweet at the time that he had already lost twelve kilograms in just a few weeks. A little later, Humphries would reach the final of the UK Open. “I lost a lot of weight specifically to be fit for the big tournaments,” the Englishman said in an interview. “In the past, I often got tired at the end of long matches and that made me perform less well. Many people think it is easy to be a professional darts player, but it is not. A healthy mind in a healthy body is extremely important to achieve results. I feel particularly good at the moment and that is also reflected in my results.”
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Trend
Darts was a sport that involved heavy smoking and drinking before and after matches. The PDC darts federation has been wanting to get rid of that negative image for some time. The fact that the players themselves have picked up on that idea and see that a healthier lifestyle can effectively lead to better results is great in the UK.
“You cannot deny that more and more players are working on this,” says darts analyst Dan Dawson, who is in the backstage at almost every tournament. “Some even to the extreme. People sometimes make fun of the bodies of darts players, but this is really an exhausting sport. It takes a lot out of your body to throw at that plate for hours and hours every day. So it helps if you are fitter. Not only because you can last longer physically, but also mentally. Because just do it once, play in a sweltering hall under great pressure. That is sometimes figuratively about life and death. Then being fitter can make a big difference and the new generation realizes that. Also in the long term, namely that their career could last longer.”
Darts legend Phil Taylor sometimes lost more than 10 kilograms during his heyday, but that actually had a negative effect on him. Now, however, darts players are becoming increasingly conscious of their bodies to a certain extent. Just think of Chris Dobey who only drinks water, Michael Smith who started exercising or the ever-athletic Gerwyn Price. They receive professional help from the players’ union PDPA, which offers medical check-ups to those who want them.
“The PDC wants to put a better product on TV, so it wouldn’t hurt if the darts players themselves looked a little better,” says Dawson. “There is really a culture change/shock going on. You no longer get fat/white/British players in front of you and we can only applaud that.”
Chris Dobey. — © IMAGO/Pro Sports Images
Perception
Yet the idea that darts is not a top sport still persists. Reality, it seems, has not yet caught up with perception. And far from it anyway.
“I was also involved in it, but maybe I wasn’t a big name enough,” laughs Nicholson. “That’s why guys like Price, Humphries and Ross Smith have perhaps done more than anyone in the past to change the way the sport is perceived. Even someone like Raymond van Barneveld is busy with his lifestyle. That man looks better than he did fifteen years ago when he won world titles, and he’s over 50! Too many players have spent a long time just doing what they always did, with the expectation of success. That is obviously not very smart.”
According to the Australian, darts players can no longer afford an unhealthy body. The sub-top has become so broad that every percentage gained counts. “There are more and more role models that young players can learn from,” he said. “They no longer see top players eating pizza and/or drinking beer. No, they go to sleep on time and eat/drink healthily. So there is a certain incorrect image about darts. Agreed, someone like Ricardo Pietreczko fits in one leg of Gabriel Clemens, but you have to look further than the end of your nose. If you say that you are going to play football to get fit, then you are doing it wrong. You have to get fit to play football, otherwise you will get injured. The same goes for darts. Just throw three darts at a board for hours at a time. The next day you will have pain and a stiff shoulder, guaranteed. Darts players are built for their sport, for which they will do anything. They are not necessarily fat, they are fit for darts. They throw at that board for hours without any discomfort. People who criticize that probably can’t do that for even one hour!”
Ross Smith. — © dpa/picture-alliance
Professional darts player/Youtube Matthew Edgar describes it this way: “The level keeps rising and the requirements become increasingly strict. You used to have the World Cup, now you have a top tournament almost every week and it doesn’t stop in between. It’s a blast all year round. Darts players have to adapt themselves or they will fall by the wayside. You can’t expect to be constantly on the road with excess weight on your body, while drinking double whiskeys. Look at Humphries, Dobey, Smith, Joe Cullen, Damon Heta… A trend has started that can no longer be stopped.”