TAYLOR AND LITTLER CLASH OVER DARTS ADVICE
23/02/2026 By Aaron Nijjar
POLLY JAMES revealed a fascinating clash of darts philosophies between the greatest of all time and the sport’s newest superstar.
The presenter was at an event alongside Phil Taylor and asked him what advice he would give kids hoping to break into the professional ranks.
Former world No.1 Taylor won a record-breaking 87 major trophies and an unmatched 16 World Championships in his glittering career.
Luke Littler is leading the pack right now, having already won a remarkable 10 PDC Premier events and lifting the Sid Waddell Trophy back-to-back at just 19.
James admitted Taylor’s response perfectly summed up his old-school mentality, shaped by decades of relentless practice and dominance at the oche.
She told the Double Tops Podcast: “Phil Taylor was at an event I attended yesterday and it was incredible.
“There were loads of kids there and I asked him: what would you say to youngsters wanting to get into darts and improve their game?
“From the greatest in the world, what advice would you give?
“Littler said stay off social media and chase your dreams. I mean, he’s a natural-born talent, but Phil said try to hit two 180s every night before you go to bed.
“He’s a very staunch advocate of just working your arse off, basically, while you’ve got Littler in the back room literally on his phone doing nothing.”
‘The Nuke’ returns to Premier League action this Thursday and will face Jonny Clayton at Belfast.
Littler is currently sixth in the table but heads into Night Four in good form after winning the Poland Darts Masters title.
He added: “It’s not the best start but there’s still 13 weeks left to get into that top four.
“I’ve got loads of time. This weekend has given me massive confidence going into Belfast. I need to start picking up now and start playing better on Thursday.”
Image by Taylor Lanning.
