DE DECKER REVEALS TURNING POINT BEHIND FORM IMPROVEMENT

MIKE De Decker credits an accidental equipment change for a surprising resurgence in his form.

‘The Real Deal’ edged past Adam Lipscombe 10–8 in a closely contested match to book his place in the fifth round of the UK Open, where Rob Cross awaits. 

World No.19 De Decker revealed that his turning point came at the Poland Masters, where he lost to Luke Littler in the second round despite averaging 100. 

De Decker admits that switching to shorter shafts has left him feeling more confident than ever at the oche. 

He said: “Funny story, I went to Poland last week or two weeks ago. On Friday, I played my game, and I was playing with a slightly longer shaft.  

“My flights were almost gone, so I took them off and chucked them into the crowd. 

“The day after I was taking the shafts out and I noticed they were a bit shorter. I looked at the packaging and they were indeed shorter.  

“I normally play with 190 shafts and these were 130, but I didn’t have any others with me. I said, ‘Fine, I’ll just play with these.’ 

“I lost to Luke, but I averaged 100. It was the first time in a year that I felt comfortable playing with a set of darts.  

“I said to myself: I’m travelling from Poland to Leicester for the next Pro Tours, so I’ll just stick with these for a couple of weeks. 

“Now I’m feeling much more comfortable than I’ve been for the last year. It showed in the Pro Tours as well. I had three 100 averages in a row. I guess that’s where it comes from.” 

The Belgian had a steady start to the year reaching the quarter-final of Players Championship Four. 

De Decker has averaged over 95 in five of his last six matches, showing a steady upward curve in performance as he looks to build on his World Grand Prix triumph two years ago. 

He added: “I said a million times last year that I was struggling with the setup and the darts. I think I finally found it.  

“It showed today as well. A 95 or 96 average over 18 legs is a good average. Hopefully I can continue this and have a run here and during the year. 

“If you win one, you think you can win any major. Then I switched to Mission, so let’s say after the Worlds. 

“I had been with Bulls for eight or nine years and played with the same set for that whole time. Switching to something completely different just took longer than expected. 

“They helped me a lot trying to find a set that fits me, but it just took time. Now I’m over it, so hopefully I can get back into the conversation as someone who can make deep runs in majors.”