Dartitis: what it is, the symptoms and what helps

If you want to compare with a free release, the guide on how to throw darts shows the full movement. The darts mental game covers routine and nerves in general; this page goes deeper into dartitis itself.

General information, not medical advice. This page sums up what players describe and what research says so far. If your hand cramps or twists, or the problem doesn’t go away, talk to a doctor.

• Freezing at the releaseThe arm stops just before the dart should go and won’t move on.
• Extra draw-backsYou pull back two, three or more times before you can let go.
• A jerky releaseThe dart jumps out of the hand with a twitch, often low or wide.
• Too early or too lateThe dart slips out during the draw-back, or you push it out after the moment has gone.
• Fingers that clampThe fingers grip the barrel too hard and won’t open in time.
• Worse when it countsIt often shows first on doubles, in matches or when someone is watching.

How it often develops

1. Now and thenA small hitch on a match double.
2. Under pressureExtra draw-backs in matches and in front of others.
3. In practice tooIt creeps into practice, even when you are alone.
4. Most dartsIn bad phases it affects almost every throw.

This is a common pattern in players’ accounts, not a fixed course. Not everyone goes through every stage, and many have better and worse phases.

Telling the two apart is hard, even for specialists, and the signs overlap. A neurologist who works with darts players told Dartsnews he sees dartitis as a neurological problem in which the mind plays a part. That is one expert view; the research is not settled.

Players who have spoken about it

• Eric BristowThe five-time world champion developed dartitis in late 1986, and it shaped the rest of his career (The Week).
• Gian van VeenTold Sky Sports in January 2026 that he had dartitis about four years earlier, before he won his tour card. He reached the World Championship final that season.
• Jules van DongenWent public in March 2026 after a long search for help, now works with a neurologist and has started again with his other hand (Dartsnews).

• 25studies on the yips in sport found by a 2015 systematic review, 18 of them on golf
• 74people in 31 treatment studies on dystonia in sport, in a 2024 review
• 0randomised controlled trials in that review, so no treatment is proven

Sources: Smith et al. (2003), The yips in golf: a continuum between a focal dystonia and choking, Clarke, Sheffield and Akehurst (2015), The yips in sport: a systematic review, Nijenhuis et al. (2024), Treatment of task-specific dystonia in sports, British Psychological Society, Research Digest on the yips.

• A new triggerLet go on a count, a word or the end of a breath out, not when it “feels right”.
• A fixed rhythmThe same tempo for every dart, for example exactly one draw-back. Some players do better throwing a little quicker.
• Eyes closedFrom close range at the middle of the board, so you feel the release without judging the result. Only with nobody near the board.
• No targetThrow at the blank board or a big field. No aim, no score, just the movement.
• Grip or set-upA different grip, barrel or weight can make the movement feel new. Change one thing at a time.
• The other handA few players start again with the other hand. It is a big step and a long way back to their old level.
• A breakA few weeks without matches takes the pressure out. Some come back freer, for others nothing changes.
• Help from othersA coach sees your throw from outside, a sport psychologist helps with fear and routine, a doctor checks for dystonia.

Don’t fight it dart after dart. Forcing your way through the hitch for an hour usually adds tension. Stop the session, do something else and come back another day.

Film yourself from the side, at normal speed and in slow motion. You often see where the arm stops more clearly than you feel it.

1. Watch and write downFilm your throw and note when it happens: alone, in matches, on doubles, late in a long session.
2. Take the pressure offPause league matches for a while if you can, and tell your team why. Hiding it costs energy.
3. Start closeThrow from about a metre with a new trigger and a fixed rhythm, at the middle of the board.
4. Move back in stages1.5 m, 2 m, then the oche. Go back a stage whenever the hitch returns.
5. Add targets, then a scoreBig fields first, then a game like Around the Clock, then a score you care about.
6. Add a little pressureA small bet with a friend, an easy bot, a short league match. Setbacks along the way are normal.

Low-pressure practice in Sridu

If you practise with Sridu, a few choices keep things calm. Around the Clock and High Score have no bust and no double to finish, so each dart is just the next dart, and the app counts for you while you watch your release.

• Switch off the caller and the sounds in the settings if they make you tense.
• Later, add a bot opponent with a low average you set yourself, so a match feels friendly.
• Leave the statistics alone in a bad phase. The numbers will still be there later.

More calm games are in solo darts games, and the darts practice app page shows every training mode. No app treats dartitis; it can only take the counting off your hands.

Get it checked if

• It hasn’t eased after a few months of patient changes
• It happens even when you throw alone and relaxed
• Fingers or wrist cramp, twist, curl or tremble
• It spreads to writing, typing, using a mouse or other everyday tasks
• Pain, numbness or tingling come with it (see darts pain)
• You dread playing, avoid matches or feel panic at the board

Who helps with what

• GP and neurologistYour GP can refer you to a neurologist who knows movement disorders. Treatments used for dystonia, such as botulinum toxin injections, have been tried in sport too, with mixed results in small studies.
• Sport psychologistWorks on fear, pressure and routine. In the UK “sport and exercise psychologist” is a protected title, so check the HCPC register.
• CoachLooks at your throw from outside and helps you rebuild trigger, rhythm and grip step by step.

Bring a video. Dartitis rarely shows in a consulting room, so take a short clip of your throw, filmed from the side, to the appointment.

• Mental game

  The darts mental game explained: a pre-throw routine, focus and breathing, darts nerves on doubles, resetting after a bad visit, pressure drills and what dartitis is.

  Read the guide
• How to throw darts

  How to throw darts with a repeatable technique: stance at the oche, grip, aiming, the elbow as pivot, release and follow-through, rhythm, beginner mistakes and drills.

  Read the guide
• Solo darts games

  The best darts games to play on your own, sorted by goal: fun, accuracy, scoring, doubles and checkouts. With rules, how to keep score and scores to beat.

  Read the guide