Thinkwise4Darts - Mindset & Dartitis Coach

17/06/2026

Are you struggling to take your practice game into matches?

You don't have a darts problem. You have a pressure problem.

And pressure can be trained.

Get in touch if you want help to elevate your game and bring out your best darts when you need it.

17/06/2026

Imposter syndrome 🤔

That little voice in your head that tells you "you can't do it" and "you're not really good enough".

It's what stands in the way of bringing the champion you are at the practice board into the real world of matches and tournaments.

Even the best of the best can suffer with it sometimes.

Imagine a world though when you can tell that voice to f*ck off because you have 100% belief that you are that champion and can do it in real games?

I have some proven strategies taken from my years of working as a psychological wellbeing practitioner and cognitive behavioural coach that can help you get rid of imposter syndrome, build confidence and belief and elevate your game.

Get in touch if you'd like to know more 🎯🎯🎯

NICK KENNY was suffering from “imposter syndrome” at the World Cup, according to Matt Edgar. World No. 61 Kenny was drafted into the Wales team following Gerwyn Price’s withdrawal and partnered Jonny Clayton in Frankfurt. The 33-year-old faced scrutiny after replacing The Iceman but played his...

17/06/2026

More about the prefrontal cortex:

The Prefrontal cortex is heavily involved in:

Attention and concentration – focusing on the target while ignoring distractions.
Planning and decision-making – choosing where to aim (e.g. scoring strategy versus going for a double).

Working memory – keeping track of scores, remaining points, and checkout combinations.

Impulse control – resisting rushed throws and maintaining a consistent routine.

Motor coordination support – although the actual movement is mainly handled by motor areas and the cerebellum, the prefrontal cortex helps organize and guide performance.

One reason skilled dart players often appear calm is that expert performance gradually becomes more automatic.

Beginners rely heavily on conscious control from the prefrontal cortex, whereas experts shift more toward well-practised motor circuits.

Too much prefrontal activity can sometimes hurt performance through overthinking.

Remember the prefrontal cortex does not fully mature until mid 20s so if you're working with young people this can impact on some of these functions as they learn.

16/06/2026

So you might have noticed by now that I love a bit of neuroscience.

Watching Luke Littler headbut a wall during the world cup in an outburst of emotion got me thinking.
He's come under a lot of criticism lately about his behaviour and attitude, resulting in the crowd turning against him.

Let's not forget he is still only 19 years old. He's always looked older and has achieved so much that I think we forget sometimes.

At 19, though technically an adult, his brain has not fully matured yet.

The pre frontal cortex is the last part of the brain to fully develop and takes until around the mid 20s to do so.
This part of the brain is responsible for executive functions, attention, understanding risk and consequences, impulse control and decision making.
The limbic system (emotional centre) develops much sooner so this mismatch is why you see poor emotional regulation, risk taking and reward seeking behaviour in young people.

Is it any wonder, when the spotlight is on, the pressure builds and all that pent up emotion in matches comes out in unhealthy and inappropriate ways?

The fact that he can hold himself together in high pressure matches to get the job done at such a young age is absolutely phenomenal.

If you are a young person playing and struggling with emotional regulation or if you're coaching young people, remember the emotional outbursts are often a symptom of an immature brain.

16/06/2026

Doing JDC routine scores in the Academy I see kids very often give up before they even reach the double section because they've missed on the first few targets.

I work hard with getting them to see that, until the last dart goes in the board, it is not over!!

England's game against Wales in the world cup is a great example of what can be achieved when you don't give up because you haven't started well.

Luke and Luke, 4-0 down, dug deep and kept going to achieve an 8-7 victory.

The mind can easily run away with you when you have a bad start.

"What's the point"
"I'm going to lose"
"I can't do this"

But, when you ditch the negative thinking, believe you can and that it's not over yet, victory can still be yours. 🎯🎯🎯

15/06/2026

Do you think it's fair that the 4 top seeded players get to skip the group stage of the World Cup?

Does this give them an unfair advantage?

15/06/2026

I've been quiet over the weekend because I've been tied up with a full on cheer comp weekend but I've still been keeping up with the World Cup action.

And I don't mean football, of course!!

There were a few stand out moments for me that I wanted to highlight.

It's such a shame to see Dimitri Van den Bergh struggling the way he is. From steadily climbing the ranking with a World Matchplay win, he's made no secret of his struggles over the last few years, even taking some time out to try and reset.
His struggle is not dartitis but mental health and anxiety. He places so much pressure on himself, you can see the strain and overthinking when he steps up to the oche. He has done a lot of work with sports psychologists and still struggled to pull out even a county worthy average.

Nick Kenny provided a perfect example of how to reset mid throw during the England-Wales game. 2 darts on target and HUGE pressure on the 3rd. Crowd going crazy and he took a moment to step back, breathe and wait for the crowd and himself to settle before banging in a crucial double.

It was beautiful seeing MVG back on form, with his steady rhythm and precision finishing 🔥
His partnership with GVV is one to watch and they'll be a force to be reckoned with in future World Cups. I don't think we've seen the best of Gian yet.

And, of course kudos to the 2 Lukes. A bit of a wobbly start, reminiscent of last year's fiasco, but they managed to hold it together and find their rhythm to bring it home. Luke Humphries mentioned it in his post win interview - they really feel the pressure of the huge expectation on their shoulders. They demonstrated why they are world number 1 and 2 with nerves of steel and being able to perform under pressure.

Let's not forget Luke Littler is just 19 years old. He's come under some criticism lately for his behaviour and attitude but it's important to remember he's still so young.
Love him or hate him he is one very talented young man.

What was your world cup highlight?

12/06/2026

Daily brain training doesn't just help in darts, it can also improve day to day life.

Just a few minutes of brain training each day can improve focus, concentration, memory, reaction speed, and decision-making.

In darts, this can mean better scoring, quicker calculations, improved consistency, and staying calm under pressure.

The benefits don't stop at the oche. Stronger mental skills can help with work, problem-solving, driving, learning new skills, and managing everyday situations more effectively.

Train your brain as well as training your throw.

Stay tuned for ideas about how to do this..... 🎯🎯🎯

11/06/2026

The brain is hardwired for survival.

That's why it has a NEGATIVITY BIAS - it's default is to look out for and not ignore anything that might cause us physical or emotional harm.

This negativity bias can dramatically affect our confidence when playing darts by over focussing on the stray darts and missed doubles.

Strategies to overcome this:

* After practice or matches consciously review what went well

* Keep track of statistics and look for upward, positive trends - numbers tell a story of progress better than feelings

*Watch out for negative thinking traps and consider the actual facts.

* Think about how you would view things if you watched someone else playing the same way

🎯🎯🎯

10/06/2026

Bumping this up so new followers can see a little bit about who I am 😁