"A lot of people say: ‘Stop moaning about it, just get on with it’ but it really is frustrating" - Luke Humphries names the one thing that annoys all darts players

Luke Humphries has warned that the blast of wind on the big-stage oche is far more destructive than fans realise, insisting a stray gust from the arena air-con can derail even the best in the world.

According to the Englishman, people completely underestimate how disruptive wind or air conditioning can be when you’re playing at the highest level. “It really is. I know a lot of people say, ‘Stop moaning about it, just get on with it,’ but when you’re playing for big titles and that happens, it’s frustrating,” Humphries explained in a recent interview with TalkSport.

He pointed out that supporters often forget the impact of long travel days and tight tournament schedules. “What people forget is that for two or three days you’ve dedicated your life to getting here. You travel the day before you play, and then you’ve got a long trip home the day after. So when you walk into an arena and it feels like someone’s just left the air con blasting, it can be really annoying for us as players.”

These are conditions players can’t do much about, yet they can have a direct effect on performance.

Humphries admits he can sometimes show his frustration, but he’s far from the only one. “I might show a bit of frustration with it, sure, but all the players backstage are annoyed.”

Players who throw “light” darts or use longer points and stems are especially vulnerable to even slight air movement. Humphries places himself in that category, along with Luke Littler. “When your darts are going through the air like mine do, and maybe Luke Littler’s too, we throw fairly light darts. He uses massively long points and I use massively long stems. When there’s wind, the darts just move through the air in such a weird way that it’s hard for us to navigate around it.”

The former world champion accepts it’s part of the sport, but maintains it’s a serious factor. “I know you’re supposed to just get on with it, I suppose, but that’s the only real thing I hate about darts and the one thing that can really annoy me.”

His honesty offers a rare look into a part of elite darts that the public rarely notices: sometimes the toughest opponent isn’t the player in front of you, but the air around you.