Dartitis
Dartitis (pronounced dart-eye-tis) is a condition which can affect darts players, and severely damage their performance. 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 was 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 suffered from dartitis in 2007 but returned to form in 2008.
Players affected
 | This section needs additional citations for verification. (October 2011) |
The following players have all been reported as sufferers from dartitis:
- Eric Bristow[2]
- Albertino Essers[citation needed]
- Mervyn King[3]
- Mark Holden [4]
- Steve Alker [5]
- Mark Walsh[citation needed]
- Richie Burnett[citation needed]
- Paul Hanvidge[citation needed]
- Rod Harrington
References
- ^ Interview with Eric Bristow
- ^ 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