Aidan Meets Mervyn King

Posted: 17.09.12 in Throw Like A Pro Blog category

Aidan wants to be a Pro dart player! When he had the chance to ask "The King" for advice, he took it!

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 in his blog, Thro 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.

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.

Aidan met Mervyn King in the press room at The World Grand Prix and asked him for advice!

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.” 

Aidan's 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