The feeling of ‘freezing’ and being unable to throw a dart can strike at any moment, but there are ways to combat the psychological phenomenon. It is the one thing all darts players fear: ‘dartitis’, the condition that creeps out of nowhere to strip them of all their powers. It can strike at any time and although rare, when it happens, it is devastating for a player.
![[Nathan Aspinal opened up on his experience with the condition]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/12/18/11/GettyImages-2177658525.jpg)
Dartitis is a mental condition where the brain stops a player from being able to release a dart. One of the world title contenders over the next couple of weeks, Nathan Aspinall, opened up on his experience during the recent Sky Sports documentary Game of Throws.
“All of a sudden out of nowhere I couldn’t throw my effing dart,” Aspinall said. “I just couldn’t let it go. It ended up getting worse and worse and worse to the point where I was in tears. “Because I knew what it was. The dreaded D-word that no darts player ever wants to hear or get. Something called dartitis. It’s basically the fear of missing. There’s somewhere deep in the back of your head saying ‘you’re going to miss this’, so you stop.”.
The entire episode sent Aspinal into a fit of rage. “I lost the game 6-5, I went upstairs after the game and I was in the toilet and I was absolutely smashing ten lumps of s*** out of the hand dryer. I lost my head.”. Kevin Painter is another player who experienced dartitis.
