The"Final" Interview !

Posted: 13.10.12 in Throw Like A Pro Blog category

In his quest to become a Pro dart player Aidan asked two other PDC stars for advice. You may have seen them playing last night -Mighty Mike and Mervyn King!

Aidan meets... Michael Van Gerwen AND Mervyn King

The betting shops are surely waking up happy this Monday morning. Before the World Grand Prix, few would have tipped these two players to star in one of the best finals to take place in Dublin. This is not to say either player didn’t deserve their spot in the first to six encounter, but a major final without the likes of Taylor, Lewis or Wade is... rare.

The World Grand Prix final of 2012 will be remembered for a long time to come. King, in truth, should have seen it out. An exhilarating start ploughed the English man in to a comfortable lead. And cue the ignorant so called ‘fans’, a small number of people who buy their tickets for the social occasion, rather than watch extremely talented players do what they do best.

It’s worthy of a separate blog in itself, so I won’t dwell on it. But each venue employs security, and for them to intervene with those intent on booing at an early stage would surely put pay to this worrying trend?

Mervyn King is quite simply a legend of darts, with nothing to prove. In a similar category to Taylor, King is one of the stalwarts who is owed a lot of credit for the revolution of the game in recent years. So where did it start for the ‘King’?

“I started playing when I was 12, and I knew from then that I wanted to be a professional dart player. From the moment I picked up my first set of darts, it was all I wanted to do. I absolutely loved the game.

“I hit my first 9 darter at 14. Every spare moment I had I was practicing. That is what you need to do. Practice, practice, practice. In the lead up to the worlds, I am probably doing four hours a day now. It will go up to six before the Worlds.”

Explaining to King my issue with controlling my nerves, his prescription was relatively straightforward.

“I used to be nervous. You learn to put up with the nerves. The more you play, the less nervous you will be. I am not nervous on a stage anymore, I wish I could get that little bit of nerves back. It makes you sharper. You need that little bit of fire in your belly. When you’re not nervous, it can be hard to find that.

“You have to be mentally strong. I am a strong willed person. You have to be able to put up with the pressure of playing in front of people, antics from your opponent etc. These are different kind of things you have to ignore.”

While I had the opportunity, I had to ask him about his darts. I am fascinated with the shape and design.

“My idea with my darts is because I throw quite quickly. With these darts, the thumb goes in the top, and that’s that. It makes sure I hold it in the same place every time. You can try different stems and flights until you find out what suits you and your dart.”

A prodigy can be defined as... “Someone who, at an early age, develops one or more skills at a level far beyond the norm for their age,” Rose, Lacey (2007-03-02).

It’s no surprise that Michael Van Gerwen scooped his first major title in Dublin this year. Despite his age, the Dutchman has been in the mix for a long time now.

“I have been playing since I was 14, playing on TV when I was 17. When I crossed over to the PDC, it was very difficult for me. I think I am the youngest in the tournament [Grand Prix], and that makes it harder.

“When I am winning tournaments, my confidence is building. I want to do better, and I know I can do better. People are telling me I have a lot of talent, and I need to use that in a good way.”

Van Gerwen showed a phenomenal level of maturity to claw back what appeared to be a lost cause in Dublin, latching on to the momentum bus and enjoyed the ride until the final double. How has he developed such a skill over the years?

“You never give up.

“If you are young and winning tournaments, you feel good. When I was young I was winning trophies, a DVD player, a bike, and you feel good. You start to grow in to the darts world.”

Life as a professional thrower must be difficult, standards in this game seem to improve week on week, to the point where a nine dart leg is no surprise anymore. And the Grand Prix champion has proved his commitment to the sport with the time he has put in to it, along with his approach to each tournament.

“If you are at the top, you need to practice so hard. It is so difficult at the moment. There are a lot of good players at the minute. Practice with someone to try to reach their level.

“Always focus, and concentrate. If you don’t do that you will never win. You need to be professional, and sometimes that can be very difficult.”

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Meet Aidan:

Aidan has been a fan of darts since a young age, although he didn't pick up his first set if arrows until he was 23. In that time, Aidan has been dedicated to finding out what it takes to become a professional. He plays with two club teams in his County in Ireland.

Aidan documents his ups and downs of improving his game, and explores some of the unknown, yet crucial elements of darts such as nerves, confidence and much much more.

Aidan teamed up with the Darts Performance Centre ahead of his battle with Raymond van Barneveld 12 months ago, a relationship which he admits has "helped me to focus on certain areas that needed improvement, and the support from Paul and Andy guarantees will make you a better dart player".

Aidan throws a 21g DPC dart. He loves to tell people that he has now lost count of the amount of 180s he has thrown. His highest checkout in a competitive leg is 130, and the closest he has come to a perfect leg was two maximums before crippling under pressure to finish out with a 15 dart leg.

His plan is simple: to be a Pro! Follow his journey right here!

Aidan welcomes any feedback, advice or questions. You can find him on twitter:

@A_Farrelly or email: throwlikeaprodarts@gmail.com