"I’m not running a marathon, but they seem to work" - Luke Humphries highlights importance of energy gels after reaching World Grand Prix quarter-final

Luke Humphries has unveiled the positive impact energy gels make to his game after putting in a determined performance to fend off Krzysztof Ratajski 3-1 in the second round of the World Grand Prix.

Humphries ran away with the first set, claiming it it relative ease. He was pushed a lot more in the second set, finding himself 2-1 down at one point but managed to turn around the deficit to go one away from victory. A blip in the third set saw the Polish Eagle ignite a challenge, but the world number one upped his game in the fourth set, pinning a 134 and 104 checkout on the way to victory, confirming a third consecutive quarter-final in the event.

"I felt really good going into it — practice was really good. Again, just those treble 20s kind of deserted me a little bit," Humphries said when speaking to TungstenTales after the match. "It’s like I’m not playing well, but I feel good. After the first two sets, when I got away with it, I came back to the break and said to myself, you’ve got to do something different because it’s not working — you’ve got to change something. So I slowed the throw down, and it started to work again.

"Sometimes I think I’m just lobbing them too quickly, trying to fill the treble 20 up as quick as I can. I actually did it in New Zealand against Damon Heta — slowed my throw down, and I did well; made the final that week. So I looked back on that when it wasn’t going well, changed something, and yeah, it worked. I think maybe I’m going to slow the throw down a little bit — sometimes I just throw too quickly."

When on stage, a lot of fans see Humphries attitude as moody and grumpy. This reflects his winning mentality, only settling for the best as he revealed that he is the complete opposite off stage.

"A lot of people see me up there and think I’m miserable or moody, but I’m not," he said. "Off stage I’m one of the happiest people in the world. But when I’m up there, I’m so dedicated to winning. I don’t want to be too happy or too smiley and put myself off. Sometimes I feel like I have to be tunnel-visioned — just win the game and then you can be happy afterwards. But there are moments where I let myself enjoy it. That double one was lovely, a good bit of fun. Sometimes I might be a bit fortunate — I think I win games that I’m lucky to, but you don’t win them all unless you put fear into people. I felt like Krzysztof maybe tried too hard at the start, then relaxed, but it was too late. He’s a fantastic player — very underrated, really solid."

While some players remain stubborn with their set up or their match plan, Cool Hand Luke is a ways open minded on mixing things up, stating that if something is not going well he will look into adapting and modifying it to overcome that problem.

"It depends on the person. I’ve got enough experience now to change things without letting it affect performance." Humphries said. "If slowing it down doesn’t work, I’ll go back to normal within six or nine darts. I’ve changed my flights, changed darts mid-match before — I’ll always try to find something that works. It’s about getting your head right and staying confident. Some players just accept it’s not their night, but I’m determined to make something work. Sometimes throwing even faster works for me. I’ve had Premier League nights where normal didn’t work, slow didn’t work — then I threw faster, and it did. So it’s just about finding what works. Tonight, slowing the pace helped a lot."

Humphries has inspired many darters by his weight loss journey, coming out from it as the best player in the world with a huge amount of success. Numerous players have followed is suit desperate for similar results, but that is not the only thing Humphries has done which has caught his opponent's eye. With darts tournaments usually a long affair, he utilises energy gels to give him the electrolytes to power him through them gruelling days.

"I don’t take them at any other time than darts. They’re just energy gels — they give you that boost. I’m not running a marathon, but they seem to work," Humphries said. "I take electrolytes before I play to keep my hydration up. On stage, you’re sweating, it takes it out of you, makes you tired. So I have one before, then the energy gels in between breaks or just before I play — keeps the energy up. It’s important to feel good, not tired.

"I know it’s not like running, but it still takes it out of you. I don’t know if it physically works, but it feels like it does. I don’t get tired up there anymore. A few years ago, I used to. So I thought I had to change something, and it’s helped — whether mentally or physically, it definitely helps."

When asked if it was recomended or though up by himself, he said: "Bit of both, to be honest. Someone I know who’s into nutrition recommended it. That’s why I have those healthy meals you see on Instagram — they keep me feeling good through the week. If you eat bad food, you feel lethargic. I like to stay healthy so I feel light and energetic — that’s important."