“My head felt like it was two metres away” - Martin Schindler lifts lid on nightmare start to 2026

Martin Schindler battled into the second round of the 2026 German Darts Grand Prix with a 6–4 win over Brendan Dolan in Munich, but the German number one made no attempt to dress up the performance.

Averaging 87, Schindler relied more on resilience and experience than rhythm, and was quick to admit there is more to come. “Of course, I’m happy to have won. I know I need to improve my level, but I also feel that I will,” he said in an interview with DartsNews.

Right now, Schindler feels he is missing the ease that made him one of the most consistent performers on the European Tour over the past two years. “I don’t have that complete natural feeling to bring it to the board at the moment,” he admitted.

Despite that, his confidence in the underlying level of his game remains intact. “On the practice board, I feel like I have a really good touch and that the game is in my fingers and arm. I just have to show it. Still, that was a good fighting win today, and tomorrow we go again.”

That honesty reflects a season that has started in an unfamiliar fashion. After a steady rise that included a European Tour title, a Players Championship win, and a move into the world’s top 16, the early months of 2026 have disrupted that momentum.

The turning point came early on the Pro Tour, where Schindler suffered a 6–0 defeat with an average of just 65. “At the first Players Championship I realised that I just wasn’t myself,” he said. “No matter what I tried, I wasn’t in control at all. I think only my body was still functioning, and my head felt like it was two metres away.”

Illness then forced him to withdraw from Players Championships 3 and 4, adding to a difficult opening spell. “That really hurt me because I wanted that kickstart straight away,” he explained. “Then you have that really bad opening match – it just wasn’t good at all, and I didn’t like it – and after that, I also had to pull out of the next tournaments. That’s when I realised it had got to me.”

In trying to respond, Schindler admits he may have pushed too hard. “Then I tried to overcorrect it on the European Tour and at the next events. That’s a situation I first have to learn how to deal with.”

Despite everything, his outlook remains steady. “Even if I’m in a difficult phase right now, the numbers overall are actually okay. I’m still picking up some wins and not losing everything. We’re far from the end, and we keep going.”