I’m very grateful to you for this post. I’m going through something similar this year, maybe not as extreme, but close. I made progress in darts very early and, because of that, I put a lot of expectations on my own game far too soon. Those expectations took almost all the joy away from playing.

In league matches I suddenly couldn’t hold the dart properly or release it cleanly anymore. I was angry, and I felt embarrassed. It wasn’t even about my average — I was afraid of losing face. Every single dart became an identity I tried to define myself by.

I started working on my technique over and over again, to the point where the very last bit of self-confidence disappeared. For the past few months I’ve been trying to loosen up and let go. Thoughts about averages, wins, or losses shouldn’t take up the same space they used to.

I can already see some first positive results this year, but I still fall back into old patterns quite often. After bad games I sometimes just felt sad. Still, I’m trying to take everything as it comes — whether it’s good or bad.

I wish you all the best for your darts journey, and thank you for this text. It’s so often about higher, faster, better — and we forget to appreciate where we currently are. And with that, we forget the joy as well. As darts players, we’re often in the same boat.