- Dartitis
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Dartitis (pronounced dart-eye-tis) is a condition which can affect dart players, and severely damage their performance and results. It can be compared to the 'yips', an expression used to describe apparent loss of fine motor skills without any explanation. The term is used in reference to players who struggle with some kind of psychological problem with their technique and/or release of their darts.
The most famous case of dartitis came in 1986, when five-times World Champion, Eric Bristow revealed he was having problems with the release of his darts.[1] Bristow managed to make a partial recovery from the condition, and even managed to regain the number one position in the world rankings. In 2009, another former World Champion Richie Burnett was reported to have suffered from dartitis. This was noticeable in the 2009 UK Open during his first round loss to Alex Roy.
Mark Walsh suffering from dartitis in 2007 and slipped out of the top 32 as a result. Walsh however returned to form in 2008 and in 2009 he won four PDC Pro Tour events.
Players affected
The following players have all been reported sufferers from the condition dartitis.
- Eric Bristow[citation needed]
- Albertino Essers[citation needed]
- Mervyn King[2]
- Mark Holden [3]
- Steve Alker [4]
- Mark Walsh[citation needed]
- Richie Burnett[citation needed]
- Paul Hanvidge[citation needed]
- Joe Haynes[citation needed]
- Luke McEllin
References
- ^ Interview with Eric Bristow
- ^ —{{{UK Open Darts}}}, {{{2007}}} broadcast {{{9 June 2007}}}, “{{{interviewed by Dave Clarke}}}”
- ^ Mark Holden profile
- ^ Message board discussion about Steve Alker's dartitis
External links
Categories:- Darts terminology
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