Peter Wright uses Luke Humphries as inspiration whilst targeting major titles

Peter Wright has shown fleeting glimpses of the player he once was in recent times. Now fallen to the brink of the top 16 whilst failing to consistently find his best game, he has turned to different methods, citing weight loss as the way to go.

Fans had noticed a much leaner-looking Wright at the recent Czech Darts Open, where Snakebite was knocked out in the second round in a thrilling contest against Stephen Bunting, in which Wright found himself 5-3 up but could not get over the line. He will hoping to do better at this weekend's World Series of Darts finals.

Weight loss causing Wright to feel better

On the Darts Show Podcast, Wright revealed he felt 'a hundred times better' after losing a whopping four stone in just a couple of months, using Luke Humphries and Ross Smith as motivation. "To be honest, not eating – just eating once a day," he said. "Exercise, walking. Well, I’ve been lucky enough not to be picked for all these World Series things and the Premier League. I think it’s given me time to actually just do stuff around the place instead of running from one tournament to the next, being on planes and travelling everywhere."

"Oh yeah, a hundred times better. I feel really fit. I feel more focused, and I can’t wait for the way I feel to come out in my darts. You know, disaster last week – I felt fantastic, but it just didn’t go at all. Just one of them things. I can only improve or get worse than that. If I got worse, then yeah, maybe we’d call it a day.

"If anything, it helps me. Luke Humphries is one who lost a load of weight, and it helped him massively. Same with Ross Smith. Those guys inspire me. I don’t think I’m finished – but the stats say different. Mentally, yeah, I feel good. I’m going to do the next four months, do a Luke Humphries, and then play bad for the rest of my life. I wouldn’t care."

This has taken a toll on the oche, with Wright still experimenting on which set of equipment is best to use. When asked if he felt a loss in power, Wright said: "Yes, definitely. Especially at Milton Keynes. Oh my God – it was like the dart would just get to a certain distance and then drop, or just kick to the right and not quite reach my target. So that’s something I’ve been experimenting with.

"I’ve been experimenting with longer points, because that’s what everyone’s doing at the moment. But they just haven’t suited me. So for this tournament, I’ve gone back to darts that look like Michael van Gerwen’s, but they’re actually my Elements from years ago, with the points I used to use – and a lighter dart, which doesn’t drop."

Wright enjoying being at home

For the first time since 2013, the Premier League was held without Wright in it. Along with that, he has only participated in one World Series event this year, losing out to Gerwyn Price in the Bahrain Darts Masters. With less time on the circuit, he has been able to enjoy more time at home, without darts on his mind.

"It’s been great just to do stuff at home and not think about darts," the former world number one said. "To be honest, I haven’t practised hardly at all. I just… I don’t want to practise. I don’t need to, because I know the game’s there. Well, it’s not – but it is, you know? Yeah, it’s been brilliant not to be part of it.

"But in my head, I don’t think I need to be playing all the time and on the road to keep sharp. Playing the best players in the world does help, but it doesn’t help with old age and travelling. It’s tiring being at the top for so long."

Despite this, there is still a part of him that does miss it. "In a way, yeah, I miss all the fans and going around the world, representing the PDC. But at the same time, I haven’t missed it."