Phil Taylor: The Power of Saying NO!

For any professional sportsperson, reaching the very top of your game comes with certain obligations. Time is precious, energy levels require maintaining and excellence demands balance.

The greatest and by far, most decorated in his field, sixteen-time World Darts Champion Phil Taylor, has the perfect piece of advice. It’s a simple word, just two letters long: No.

Speaking exclusively to AJ Urmston-Toft for the latest issue of Darts World magazine – DW591 Out Now – the legend of the oche explains:

“If I could change one thing, it would be that. Maybe if I’d said no more often, I’d have retired with 19 or 20 world titles. It got worse as I got older. We’d go to Australia and get jet-lagged, then on to Japan – ‘Can you do this? Can you do that?’ And I understand why they asked, but it wears you out.

“Sometimes you’d get off a plane after a 16 or 17-hour flight and be told, ‘Can you just get showered and ready, then be here in half an hour?’ I’d think, ‘Bloody hell, I’m knackered,’ but you’d do it because you’re promoting the sport.

“I was part of the company and a big shareholder, so it was personally beneficial anyway. But I used to apologise to my sponsors, Unicorn and Target, for getting beaten because I wasn’t feeling fresh or right.

“It’s the same advice I gave Michael Smith after he won the World Championship – he’ll tell you – learn to say no. I know it’s not in your nature, but if I could go back and take my own advice… For example, when I was doing press for five days straight, I’d now say, ‘I’ll do it, but only one day,’ then it’s done and I can focus on, say, the Worlds. But I didn’t – I did too much.”

There you have it – strong, reflective, and valuable words from Phil Taylor, who knows better than most what it takes to reach the top – and what it costs to stay there.

Afterall, Taylor not only reached the top of Everest, he built a mansion when arrived and lived there for years.

Read the full interview in Darts World Magazine (591) Out Now!