Phil Taylor says the best two pieces of advice he can give Luke Littler are to get hold of some comfortable shoes and a mattress topper.
The Nuke became the youngest ever winner of the World Darts Championship last week when he beat Michael van Gerwen 7-3 in the Alexandra Palace final.
At just 17 years old there is already talk that Littler has a chance to catch Taylor’s incredible record of 16 world titles.
It is a very long way off at this stage but the Power reckons Littler can do it and is happy to give him some tips on how to catch him up.
The teenager doesn’t need much help on the board, but Taylor has some handy hints for him after a life in darts.
‘If I could give him one piece of advice, or one tip to help him stay at the top, it wouldn’t be anything to do with his darts or the way he navigates his way around the board,’ Taylor told the Sun. ‘I would tell him shoes.
‘If you’re not standing comfortably on the oche, you’re not going to hit a target the size of your little fingernail, so make sure your shoes fit perfectly — and take two or three pairs with you everywhere.’
On his second tip, Taylor added: ‘And sleep. Make sure you get enough rest.
‘I still take a mattress topper with me everywhere I go because some hotel beds are like sleeping in the middle of the road. Your darts won’t go where you want them to land if you are bleary-eyed after a restless night.’
Taylor did not win his first world title until he was 29 years old so there is no question that Littler has time to catch his enormous tally.
The 64-year-old says it is more down to how hard Littler is willing to work over a long period of time, making lots of sacrifices as a result.
‘To win 16 of them in a 23-year period took a lot of hard work and a lot of sacrifices,’ said the legendary Stoke thrower.
‘Only Luke himself knows, deep down, if he is prepared to put in the hours, and it’s entirely up to him whether he wins another one, or five, or 15, 16, 17 and goes past me. But he’s young enough to do it.’
Littler has not talked down his own chances of reaching Taylor’s mammoth total, believing he has the talent to manage it.
‘If I want the 16 then I’m sure I could possibly achieve it,’ Littler said after landing his first world title.
‘Deep down, if I really want it, with my ability I’m sure I can achieve a lot more. I know I’m in this for a long, long time.’
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