Nathan Aspinall has revealed that changing his throw mid-tournament which was the secret to winning the World Matchplay in Blackpool last month.
Aspinall recorded a number of superb wins to clinch the coveted Phil Taylor Trophy. He then defeated Jonny Clayton 18-6 in the final by winning thirteen of the last fourteen legs of the final.
As a result, Aspinall won another major title for the first time in four years. This title caused "The Asp" to climb to the fifth position in the world rankings.
Aspinall feels that with this title he has definitely established himself among the elite of the sport of darts. "I have always known I was good, but when you win the World Matchplay or the World Championship, you get classed as a different calibre of player in my eyes," he said.
“I class players who win the World Championship or the World Matchplay as having that something extra than somebody who may have won the UK Open or European Championship.
“It gives you more stature, and I believe winning the World Matchplay has opened so many doors for me.
The final victory at the World Matchplay earned 200,000 pounds in prize money. In addition, many other lucrative perks await. ''I’ve had some big sponsorship opportunities, exhibitions, and I think I’ve probably guaranteed my spot for next year’s Premier League and everything that comes with that,'' he said.
The former UK Open champion is confident heading into the second half of the season and he believes a change in his throw has been the catalyst for his resurgence.
"It’s been noted that when I had this problem with my throw, Gary Anderson had a chat with me about speeding up, and I found something in the World Matchplay. From the quarter-final stage onwards, I changed my throw completely. Joe Cullen twists his darts when he pulls them back, and I’ve started doing that a little bit.
“That’s what I’m trying to do. I’m trying to twist them a bit more and I’ve had this new grip put on my darts. Scoring wise it is helping me massively. I am just following the dart.
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“When I’m confident I throw the darts harder and it seemed to work. When I throw faster I get into that rhythm of this twist and the darts seem to fly really well.
“I change my throw loads when I practice to try and find a little something, but I always go back to what feels comfortable.
“I think I’m a better player now. I don’t think winning the title has made the difference to my game, I think it’s because I found something in my throw which seems to be working.”