Michael set to quit full-time job to focus on darts career: "You need a lot of practice, you need focus"

John Michael returned to the PDC Tour once more this year after reclaiming his Tour Card and he hopes to even pack in his job to attempt to keep it.

Michael discussed how his career has blighted his progress and that practice time is limited as a result but that he has plans to go full time with darts.

"I'm a farrier for the moment. I have in my mind to stop, I think September, October I will stop and I want to have a focus only on darts because I can't do it. It's very difficult, it's a very hard job and sometimes it's really hard to play darts after all day work. My hands are tired and I can't play because every day I'm working with a hammer with a swing, it's very different," said Michael to Tungsten Tales.

"I have 41 titles with my country and outside the country with WDF, winning three World Championship qualifier. One time I play at Lakeside but the last two three years, the level on PDC is very high and you need a lot of practice, you need focus on the darts because you can't play much better."

Losing Tour Card

He also discussed the unlucky side to losing his Tour Card the first few times with just missing out by £50 and also injury as well as now practicing with Boris Koltsov with a return to the World Championship on his radar.

"My first two years I'm number 65 in the world and I lost my Tour Card for £50. I take the second time, I have an accident with my leg, I broke my achilles. I lost the first year of my Tour Card because I can't walk. Then the second year we have Coronavirus and I lost my Tour Card and now I clear my mind."

"I'm practicing with Boris Koltsov, yesterday we play six hours in a row non-stop. I love it at Alexandra Palace, I get goosebumps. The past is nice to remember all of this, I will try to make this happen again. It's the dream."

Fashion model

In a past life, Michael was a fashion model and he discussed that as well as why he stopped.

"I was a model for a while and I started work as a farrier. Also played soccer and I had my own horse, I spent all of the time with my horse. For me, it is something different from all my life. I was working from 17-23, of course I don't have a lot of kilos before and I stopped modelling and all sports because I have accident with a horse."