The ‘unbelievable’ detail that separates Luke Littler apart from darts rivals revealed

Jul 24, 2026 - 16:30
The ‘unbelievable’ detail that separates Luke Littler apart from darts rivals revealed

At the top of the mountain, the margins for error are razor-thin.

But that’s exactly where Luke Littler thrives.

Luke Littler gives a thumbs-up at the World Matchplay
Littler is yet to lose in a major tournament this year
Getty

At age 19, Littler is already a two-time world champion and has won just about everything there is in the sport.

Littler is also now only one victory away from accruing £3million in prize money, something no player has done before.

But ‘The Nuke’ is far from done, insisting he will not stop until he wins an absurd 16 world titles in a row to equal Phil Taylor’s record.

It is a mindset very few in the sport possess, yet it’s exactly why Littler comfortably sits atop the world rankings.

Aside from his coolness under pressure and ability to pin 180s like it’s second nature, there’s another trait of Littler’s that separates him from the rest.

Every Little-r detail counts

Speaking exclusively to talkSPORT.com, Target Darts CEO James Tattersall revealed the painstaking detail that goes into crafting Littler’s dart, with even the tiniest of changes picked up on by the reigning world champion.

“Luke’s been throwing darts a long time, and he’s been throwing Target darts for a very long time,” Tattersall said.

“Luke sits down with our engineers and designers… Using that information and the back-and-forth, we craft out the equipment that he likes.

“It’s incredible the level of detail for Luke that he goes to. We moved the centre of balance around half a millimetre in that dart, that weighs 23 grams, and he noticed the difference.

“That’s why he played with it a while ago in the Premier League, then went back to his Generation Ones, and now he’s gone back to it again because we moved that balance half-a-millimetre the other way again.

Luke Littler throws a dart at the World Matchplay
Littler knows every little bit of his dart back to front
Getty

“You’re talking unbelievable detail and Luke’s picking that up.”

It’s not just in the creation of Littler’s darts where Target sits at the forefront of innovation.

Target sets sights on bold goal

Named by the Sunday Times as one of the UK’s fastest-growing private companies in 2026, Target recently outlined its ambition to triple the number of people who play darts by the end of the decade.

A core part of the vision is the introduction of Target Live, which aims to bridge the physical and digital worlds of darts and will be powered by their OMNI auto-scoring technology, allowing users from all over to compete against the likes of Littler and Beau Greaves.

Aside from boosting the numbers of recreational players, Target is also investing in the darts stars of tomorrow, emphasised by their 75 academies dotted around the world.

How sports science will shape darts stars of the future

And the company plans to expedite the rise of the next generation with a heavy focus on sports science.

Beau Greaves reacts at the 2026 PDC World Championship
Darts fans will be able to play against Greaves thanks to Target Live
Getty

“I think the big thing darts needs to understand is bringing sports science into it,” Tattersall said.

“There’s no data in darts other than what’s your average and what’s your checkout percentage.

“If you sit down and watch Formula One, the whole thing is data. If you work within a Formula One team, your whole life is data.

“We think that the work we’re doing with our lab and the biomechanics systems that we’re building, we’re going to learn so much more about how a dart gets from A to B and the inputs to make it get there.

“That will drive the future innovation, so I think a lot of it will be the performance improvements and giving good information to help players improve.

“You can only go so far with products reducing deflections. Ultimately, it goes into how you throw the dart, and that’s the next place we’re going to go and revolutionise.”

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