Kim Huybrechts has revealed the depths of his struggles over the past two to three years, admitting he was trapped in a 'downward spiral' of negativity and doubt. The Belgian darts star, a former World Championship semi-finalist, is now enjoying a notable resurgence on the ProTour and finds himself back within reach of major televised events. Speaking on the Darts Draait Door podcast, Huybrechts said: 'Darts-wise, things are going pretty well for me. We’re back in an upward, more enjoyable phase of my career that was really needed. And timing-wise I don’t think it could have been better.'
Huybrechts hit rock bottom at the last World Championship, where his early exit delivered a harsh reality check. According to Vincent van der Voort, that was the moment Huybrechts realised change was urgently required. 'That was an eye-opener for him as well,' said Van der Voort. 'Something really has to change now, because if this keeps going, I’m going to lose my Tour Card according to you. And then, from realizing that to doing something about it and making it work, that’s really impressive.' Huybrechts acknowledged the pattern: 'That negativity… For two, three years, I was really in that downward spiral. You keep thinking: it’s against me again. Or that checkout is going in. And if they miss it once, you don’t capitalize. So it’s never fun or positive or good.' Even wins brought little relief. 'If you do win one, you think: I finally got a bit of luck, but soon it’ll be over again anyway.'
To break the cycle, Huybrechts changed management and intensified his collaboration with former top darter Erik Clarys. The biggest shift came on the mental side. 'Erik really talks to me a lot,' Huybrechts explained. 'Mainly addressing my weaknesses, in his view. We still do a lot of finishing work. And we’re also working very hard on the mental aspect.' Where the cooperation used to be more sporadic—once a month—they now train two or three times a week, 'really dig into where it goes wrong, why it goes wrong, and how we can fix it.' Huybrechts is also addressing his physical readiness, working with dietitians and hitting the gym. 'Is that fun? No,' he laughed, but he recognises its importance as he goes deeper in tournaments. 'When you barely win rounds for two or three years, you’re never in those tournaments for long, so you don’t consider how important that physical readiness is. But if you now go deeper, you notice that at a certain point you’re not just tired, but mainly mentally tired.'
Huybrechts’ recent results show the hard work is paying off. He is suddenly back within touching distance of qualifying for major ranking events such as the World Matchplay and the World Grand Prix. 'Our first goal in January was to secure that Tour Card as quickly as possible,' he said. 'If you’re around 60th, everything depends on the Worlds and who picks up points there. But three months later you suddenly have a completely different mindset.' Ambitions have shifted upwards. 'We’re still thinking about that Tour Card, but now you suddenly have other goals we didn’t expect this soon. Erik always says I’ve got an arm that shouldn’t be missing those tournaments. Matchplay, Grand Prix, I should be there every year.' Huybrechts also criticised the current system, saying it offers little breathing space for players in difficult phases. 'Over the years they’ve made the system a bit impossible for people in a difficult phase of their career, but also for new players. The protection of the top players is part of that.' He added: 'A Worlds or Grand Prix is so decisive in terms of prize money. You can perform almost all year, but if someone behind you wins three or four rounds at a Worlds, you’ve fought all year for nothing.'
