Luke Littler has been advised to follow Luke Humphries’ example and banish the bulk.
World darts champion and world number one Humphries made a conscious decision to shed the pounds during the pandemic. In total, he lost around four-and-a-half stone and has reaped the benefits since life returned to normal.
Humphries went on to make the final of the 2021 UK Open, then grabbed a string of European Tour titles in 2022. Last year saw him join the elite of the sport, winning not just one major but four major titles, culminating in his dramatic victory over Littler at Ally Pally.
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Premier League Darts Preview 2024
Kebab-loving Luke Littler took the World Championships by storm. Now the teen sensation is taking his talents around the UK and Europe as he faces the big boys in the Premier League.
Venues will be packed out to see the new darting icon take on the biggest names in the sport - Luke Humphries, Michael van Gerwin, Michael Smith, Rob Cross, Gerwyn Price, Peter Wright and Nathan Aspinall over the next few months.
Our special Premier League preview charts Littler's astronomic rise, turns the spotlight on his rivals for the coveted title, includes an exclusive column from James Wade, interviews with legends of the game, current Premier League players and PDC chairman Eddie Hearn - and it tells you everything you need to know about the tournament.
Humphries says losing the weight has helped his game immeasurably, giving him more stamina during long tournaments and matches.
Darts has long been renowned for players with hefty frames, including former PDC World finalist Peter Manley, 61. He wishes he’d done something about his size years ago and has urged kebab fanatic Littler, 17, to do so while he is still young.
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“Luke Humphries reminds me so, so much of Luke Littler,” Manley, who is chairman of the Professional Darts Players Association (PDPA), tells Daily Star Sport. “When Luke Humphries first came onto the scene, he was so natural, like Adrian Lewis, who you always knew was going to win something.
“I’m a big fella as well and I knew straight away that he’d have to lose some weight. And look at Luke Humphries now, he looks good, he feels fit. I know he had a problem with anxiety and how to deal with pressure, but he’s come through that.
“Luke Littler, to me, just looks a big unit. If he isn’t careful and doesn’t look after himself, he won’t last long because of that. And it won’t look good. You want to look good.
“Darts players used to be the fat people who drunk beer. That’s changing. Look at Gerwyn Price coming from rugby. They’re able to last. They might playing at 10 in the morning and then the final at six at night.
“They’re long old days and the fitter you are, the more able you are to have the same levels of concentration at the end of the day as you did at the start.”
Manley had no choice but to make changes to his lifestyle when he was diagnosed with heart failure when he was in his mid-40s. He recalls a few players who took health and fitness seriously, including Peter Evison and the evergreen Steve Beaton.
“I remember being the young guy coming through and I used to practice with Peter Evison,” recalled Manley. “I’d ring him to see what night we’d be practising and his other half would say he’s out jogging, gone for a swim or at the gym. I’d think, ‘what do you doing that for?’
“And then, through health reasons, I had to do something. Had I looked after myself, who knows, I might be like Steve Beaton. Steve’s looked after himself.
“I remember being sat there in Gibraltar [at a tournament] having a big, king-sized breakfast and who comes running past? Steve Beaton.”
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