Former World Matchplay runner-up Wayne Mardle has made some comments on the fitness levels of darts players.
Speaking to Sky Sports, he's used Joe Cullen and Luke Humphries as two examples of players who are succeeding in recent weeks that fit the bill.
According to Mardle, the key to success these days is being match-fit. He says that's not necessarily a physical thing, but a combination of physical and mental fitness.
"You don't have to be fit to win darts events, but you have to be darts match-fit," he said. "Darts needs these youngsters coming through that are looking good."
Joe Cullen, 32, is coming off his first televised tournament win. He beat Dave Chisnall in the final of the 2022 Ladbrokes Masters and is now ranked 11th in the world.
Luke Humphries recently made it to the quarter-finals of the PDC World Darts Championship and at 27, sits in 18th in the world rankings.
📊 After 2 nights of the Premier League Joe Cullen has hit more 180s (17) than he has 140s (16). 🤷♂️ pic.twitter.com/hKAC1KM7ix
— Darts Orakel (@DartsOrakel) February 11, 2022
"Luke Humphries has lost a lot of weight, Mardle remarked. "He's as fit as he's probably been as a human being and he feels a million dollars because he's winning."
"Even (Joe's) poor games are not bad enough to get beat as they used to be. He's more consistent. His level hasn't risen, he's just more consistent," he said.
Mardle On The Darts Seniors
While the Premier League Darts is the main draw having visited Belfast last week, the World Senior Darts Championships also stole some headlines earlier this month.
The likes of Peter Manley, Martin Adams, Bob Thornton, and Phil Taylor graced the stage Circus Tavern and Mardle had some comments on the 'The Power'.
"If you've watched the seniors that have been recently on, you don't have to be fit to win darts events, but you have to be darts fit, you have to be match-fit."
"Phil got caught out and a few others got caught out and I know it's the seniors, but it's the same all around darts. If you're not match-fit, you've got no chance."
Phil Taylor on his first World Senior Darts Championship game: “It was like I was playing with my left hand, it was weird. I wasn’t trying too hard to beat Peter, I was trying to please the people who had paid money to see me.” pic.twitter.com/vdtEdSvaII
— Life is Darts (@lifeisdarts) February 5, 2022
Taylor lost out to Kevin Painter early on in the tournament despite being one of the favourites. Bob Thornton went on to defeat Martin Adams in the final.
"You can be unfit in regards of struggling day-to-day running about but darts fit is being ready for that 20-minute spurt to win a best of 11, then resting for an hour and then doing it again," Mardle said.
"After that last game, you're absolutely battered and fatigued. Your body is used to that."
See Also: Ireland's 2007 Six Nations Grand Slam U20s Team: Where Are They Now?
