Phil Taylor Proving Age Is No Factor In Darts!

Posted: 24.07.15 in Darts Performance Centre Blog category

The Power is still going strong at 50+ years of age!

At what age are you past your best in sport? That’s a question which is very difficult to answer as it all depends on the sport you are playing. In football, once your legs go, you are no longer able to keep up with your younger and fitter counterparts who will be sharper and faster than you.

Snooker is another example of a sport where as you get older, your concentration goes and you find yourself missing balls you would never miss in your prime, as two of the greats, Steve Davis and Jimmy White, have found in recent years.

   by  sachab 

One man in darts, however, seems to be dismissing any suggestion that you can’t be at the top of your sport in your 50s. Phil Taylor, with 16 world titles to his name, is the greatest player in the history of the sport yet, despite over 25 years at the top of the game, he is still one of the favourites going into every tournament he enters.

This week in Blackpool, Taylor at the age of 54 is bidding to win the World Matchplay Championship for the 16^th time in his career. He made it safely through to the last eight of the competition courtesy of a 13-6 victory over Andy Hamilton.

If the Power can go all the way at the Winter Gardens, he would have lifted the World Matchplay trophy for the eighth consecutive year. Despite his excellent record, though, at the time of writing it is Dutchman Michael van Gerwen who is 73/100 with betfair in the outright book for the competition, with Taylor not too far behind following the exit of world champion Gary Anderson.

   by  Purpura Mare Asinus 

One of the reasons why Taylor is still able to deliver an incredible level of skill is his dedication to the game. Although he has won everything there is to win in darts, the Power still has the hunger to lift more trophies. He enjoys the challenge of getting the better of the younger generation of the sport who are no doubt the future of the game.

The biggest challenge sports people have when they get older is having the motivation to practice their skill. Taylor still spend hours on the darts board making sure he is sharp for the biggest tournaments around the calendar, including this week’s World Matchplay Championship in Blackpool. Without that dedication to put the hours in, he would have faded like many of his former rivals in the sport who are now unable to be competitive enough on the tour.