“It was the first time in a year that I felt comfortable with my darts” – Mike de Decker explains accidental equipment change behind UK Open resurgence

For Mike De Decker, the 2026 season finally appears to be heading in the right direction. After a difficult period following his breakthrough success, the Belgian admitted he spent much of the past year struggling with his equipment and feeling on stage.

But a seemingly small change to his darts setup has now transformed his confidence.

Following his 10-8 victory over Adam Lipscombe in the fourth round of the UK Open, De Decker spoke openly about rediscovering his form, the accidental equipment change that sparked the improvement and his hopes of competing for major titles again.

The turning point came almost by chance during a recent tournament trip to Poland. “Funny story,” De Decker explained in conversation with dartsnews.com afterwards. “I went to Poland last week or two weeks ago. On Friday, I played my game, and I was playing with a slightly longer shaft. My flights were almost gone, so I took them off and chucked them into the crowd.”

The following day he realised something about his darts felt different. “The day after I was taking the shafts out and I noticed they were a bit shorter. I looked at the packaging and they were indeed shorter. I normally play with 190 shafts and these were 130, but I didn’t have any others with me. I said, ‘Fine, I’ll just play with these.’”

Normally players would immediately return to their usual setup. De Decker, however, had no alternative with him. “I lost to Luke, but I averaged 100. It was the first time in a year that I felt comfortable playing with a set of darts. I said to myself: I’m travelling from Poland to Leicester for the next Pro Tours, so I’ll just stick with these for a couple of weeks.”

The unexpected discovery convinced De Decker to keep the new setup for the time being. “Now I’m feeling much more comfortable than I’ve been for the last year. It showed in the Pro Tours as well. I had three 100 averages in a row. I guess that’s where it comes from.”

His performance in Minehead reinforced that progress. “I said a million times last year that I was struggling with the setup and the darts. I think I finally found it. It showed today as well. A 95 or 96 average over 18 legs is a good average. Hopefully I can continue this and have a run here and during the year.”

De Decker burst onto the big stage when he stunned the darts world by winning the World Grand Prix. That breakthrough victory inevitably changed the expectations surrounding him. “If you win one, you think you can win any major,” he explained.

Maintaining that level consistently afterwards proved more difficult than expected. While he still produced strong displays at events such as the Grand Slam of Darts and the Players Championship Finals, the feeling eventually disappeared. “Then I switched to Mission, so let’s say after the Worlds.”

The change in equipment proved to be a bigger adjustment than anticipated. “I had been with Bulls for eight or nine years and played with the same set for that whole time. Switching to something completely different just took longer than expected.”

Despite the challenges, De Decker believes that difficult period is now behind him. “They helped me a lot trying to find a set that fits me, but it just took time. Now I’m over it, so hopefully I can get back into the conversation as someone who can make deep runs in majors.”

The biggest difference, he admitted, was mental. "Hopefully I can go back to the feeling I had at the end of 2024. Then I would go into any game thinking: I will win this. Last year I was hoping to win. There’s a difference.”

His hard-fought victory in Minehead has therefore given him an important boost. “This win was a big confidence boost. It was a tight game, he was playing well and I got it over the line.”

In the closing stages he also showed he can still deliver under pressure. “I still get nervous, but I’m better at coping with the nerves now.”

Another topic raised during the press conference was the Premier League Darts, which De Decker was not selected for despite his major victory. “I was left out after 2024 and at the time I thought I deserved it.”

However, with hindsight he now views that decision differently. “If you look at my 2025 season, it’s probably a good thing they didn’t put me in.”

Even so, the Premier League remains a clear long-term goal. “Hopefully I can go on a run again, show the world what I can do and maybe next year I’ll be in.”

Belgium has produced several high-profile players in recent years, including Dimitri Van den Bergh and Kim Huybrechts. De Decker said he no longer feels pressure to carry the country’s hopes alone. “No, not anymore. Maybe a couple of years ago I did, but not anymore.”

Instead, he believes the sport is in a stronger position than ever in Belgium. “When it was Kim and Ronny Huybrechts, it was basically just them. Then Ronny dropped off and it was Kim and Dimitri. Now it’s me, Dimitri and Kim, and we also have some youth players coming through. Lex Paeshuyse is doing really well. Belgian darts is in a good place.”

Despite his renewed confidence, De Decker remains cautious about setting big targets for the rest of the tournament. Historically, the UK Open has not always been one of his strongest events. For now, his approach remains simple. “Just take each game as it comes. That’s basically it.”