"I knew something had to change" - Ryan Joyce conquers his fears enroute to picking up maiden European Championship victory

For the first time in his career, Ryan Joyce stood on the stage of the European Darts Championship this week. The 39-year-old Englishman opened the tournament with a convincing 6-3 win over Luke Woodhouse, providing not only relief but also a moment of self-reflection. "It's my debut here," Joyce smiled afterwards to Online Darts. "So it's nice to win my first match right away."

Although Joyce has been competing on the PDC Tour for years, this was his first appearance at the European Darts Championship. "Isn't it crazy that this is your debut?" he was asked. Joyce laughed, "Not really, because for years I avoided the Euro Tours as much as possible. Everyone knows I'm not very good with flying. Even when I qualified for a Euro Tour tournament, sometimes I just said, 'You know what, I'm not going.' And then I pulled out." This season, however, was different. Joyce decided to change course and did go full out. "I played almost all the Euro Tours this year, I think I only missed two. It's really been a different season," he said. "And that's a big difference compared to before."

Fear of flying was an obstacle in the career of "Relentless" for many years. Earlier, he spoke openly about it and even considered therapy. "I ended up not taking therapy," he said. "I solved it myself. I put some apps on my phone, bought noise-cancelling headphones, and just tried to put it out of my mind that I was on a plane." That approach worked surprisingly well. "The last time I flew, I took off my headphones and just looked out the window. I couldn't have imagined that a year ago. So yeah, I'm really happy with the strides I've made this year."

Joyce is aware that consistency is crucial if he wants to move toward the top 16. "I knew I had to make a change," he said. "So this year I really played everything I could play. As a result, I also moved up the rankings quite a bit. Of course, in a couple of years it will be harder when I have to defend all that prize money, but we'll see."

For now, he is enjoying his progress, though he remains realistic about his place in the rankings. "There are so many good players right now," he acknowledges. "On my day, I can give anyone a hard time, including guys like Luke Humphries or Michael van Gerwen. But they reach their top level SO often. That's the difference. That's why they are where they are in the world rankings."

Joyce is a darter who constantly tinkers with details. He tries to find a little improvement every time - an extra percent, he calls it himself. "I'm always trying to find something that gives me that little bit extra," he said. "The next step is to change the length of my tips. Maybe six or eight millimeters longer. I'm going to practice with it in the coming months toward the World Cup."

He laughs, "I have nothing to lose anyway. I'm not number one in the world who has to be afraid to screw something up. I'm somewhere around 23rd place, so why not try new things to find that little bit extra?"

That Joyce is pushing his boundaries these days fits with a broader change in his mindset. The fear of flying was once a symbol of his reticence, but now he seems to have left that barrier behind for good. What exactly led him to that change, he doesn't even remember. "Good question," he laughs. "There must have been something that motivated me to change, but I honestly can't remember what. Something just flipped a switch."

Interestingly, Joyce's breakthrough this season comes not on the Pro Tour - traditionally his strongest field - but rather on the European stage. "Maybe that's not even down to me," he says soberly. "Maybe I'm still the same player I was eight, nine years ago. But the standard on the floor is SO high these days." He illustrates this with an example: "Sometimes I play well, I feel sharp, I think: this is my day. And then someone comes along who is 60 places lower in the world rankings and throws an average of 100. What can you do then? That's just good. The Pro Tour level has become incredible. You can't just put down a good run anymore."

Competition is increasing not only in quality, but also in youthful energy. Joyce sees it with admiration and slight concern. "Players like Beau Greaves and Jack Johnson are phenomenal," he says. "And then you have all these young guys without tour cards ... some of them are so good it's only a matter of time before they break through. They make the game look so easy. For players like me, who are approaching forty, it's getting harder and harder. We're just trying to make a living in a world where the bar is raised every year."

Still, optimism prevails for Joyce. His debut at the European Championships, his regained motivation and his growing self-confidence in the air and on the podium make him feel that there are still great years ahead. "As long as I keep improving, keep looking for that little bit extra, I see no reason why I can't move up further," he concludes.