SCHINDLER CONFESSES TO EARLY SEASON STRUGGLES
07/04/2026 By Aaron Nijjar
MARTIN SCHINDLER admits he feels like his “head is two metres away” from the dartboard.
‘The Wall’ has endured a tough start to the season failing to reach a quarter-final on the ProTour or major stage.
World No.16 Schindler suffered an early shock, posting a lowly 65 average in a 6-0 first-round defeat to Maik Kuivenhoven at Players Championship One.
Schindler revealed he is currently missing the natural flow that made him so dangerous.
He told DartsNews: “I don’t have that complete natural feeling to bring it to the board at the moment.
“On the practice board, I feel like I have a really good touch and that the game is in my fingers and arm.
“At the first Players Championship I realised that I just wasn’t myself.
“No matter what I tried, I wasn’t in control at all. I think only my body was still functioning, and my head felt like it was two metres away.”
The German was forced to withdraw from Players Championship Three and Four due to illness.
He added: “That really hurt me because I wanted that kickstart straight away.
“Then you have that really bad opening match — it just wasn’t good at all, and I didn’t like it — and after that, I also had to pull out of the next tournaments. That’s when I realised it had got to me.
“Then I tried to overcorrect it on the European Tour and at the next events. That’s a situation I first have to learn how to deal with.
“Even if I’m in a difficult phase right now, the numbers overall are actually okay.
“I’m still picking up some wins and not losing everything. We’re far from the end, and we keep going.”
Schindler most recently slipped to a 6-2 third-round defeat against Nathan Aspinall at the German Darts Grand Prix.
The 29-year-old is looking to rediscover the form that saw him lift two titles in 2025.
Image by Taylor Lanning.
