Gian van Veen has enlisted extra support behind the scenes to make strides on the mental side of his game, working with former professional footballer Dirk Marcellis, who moved into mental coaching after his playing career. In the build-up to the World Grand Prix, Van Veen offered a glimpse into that collaboration in his latest vlog.
Now ranked world number two, Van Veen has been regularly on the road with a camera this year, showing through his vlogs what life as a professional darter looks like. In the latest episode, his preparations for the World Grand Prix in Leicester take centre stage, alongside a visit to an exhibition tournament. A more important theme, however, is the mental side of his sport. The 38-year-old Marcellis, a former defender who played for PSV, AZ and PEC Zwolle and won three caps for the Netherlands, specialised in mental coaching after retiring.
Van Veen uses the conversations with Marcellis to analyse matches and the emotions that come with them, looking not only at what happens on stage but also at the feelings that play a role before a match starts. "It was good to catch up again to talk about what's happened, what's been happening in the last couple of months, what's going to happen the next couple of months and weeks. And just talk about what I feel like during my matches before. And of course, how to deal with my negative emotions sometimes, because, you know, as a darts player, you all know, hopefully you can still see me through the sun," Van Veen said. "It's not been going as good as I hoped this year. Last couple of weeks have been really good again. So that's always good. But it's also good to reflect on what happened earlier this year and why it didn't go as planned. So it's been tough for me as well. So it's good to have a chat with him to talk about it and just to express my emotions and to get it all off of me."
With that, Van Veen is trying to score gains away from the oche too. The Dutchman now sits among the absolute elite, which raises expectations and stakes at major TV tournaments, and working with Marcellis should help him handle that pressure better and manage stretches when results dip. Meanwhile, training had to continue as usual, and with the World Grand Prix on the schedule there was extra emphasis on doubles, given the Leicester event stands out from almost all other PDC tournaments with its double-in, double-out format. "So I need to practice. Need to practice my doubles, because that's very important in that tournament. Played well there in the World Grand Prix the last two years, but I still haven't won a set yet," he said. "So it's about time for that. But, you know, I'm feeling good, feeling a lot better than I was a couple of months ago."
Van Veen wants to change that this week. The Dutchman opens his bid for success in Leicester against compatriot Dirk van Duijvenbode, handing him a tough all-Dutch clash right away in the first round.
