Kim Huybrechts has credited his work with Erik Clarys for a career resurgence, highlighted by a convincing 6-1 win over Luke Woodhouse at the 2026 German Darts Grand Prix in Munich. Huybrechts posted the first 100+ average of the tournament to book his place in the final day, continuing a strong run of form after reaching the last 16 in Wieze. "Yeah, very happy," Huybrechts told DartsNews. "Of course, Luke Woodhouse is knocking on the door of the top 20. I'm miles away from that, but beating a player of that calibre means a lot."
The Belgian emphasized the momentum from back-to-back final day appearances, saying, "And like you said, I'm into the final day. I was also there in Wieze, so twice in a row means a lot." This improvement stems from intense practice sessions with Clarys, even after grueling schedules. Huybrechts recounted, "Like in Wieze, I played on the Sunday and on Monday he texted me saying he was coming over for a two or three hour practice session. I was like, wow." After qualifying for Graz and Sindelfingen, he added, "I think I got home at around 3:00 in the morning. Then at 10:00 he texted me again saying he was coming over for another two or three hour session. I was like, give me a break, man. But now it's paying off."
The focus of their work has been on finishing, with Clarys identifying it as a weakness. "A lot of finishing. He says one of my weakest points over the past years has been my finishing, so we've really been working hard on that," Huybrechts explained. The approach involves targeting specific flaws, as Clarys tells him, "I can't make you better, but I can show you the weak points." Huybrechts noted, "And we've been focusing on those weak points a lot over the last six months, and it's working out."
Initially aiming to retain his PDC Tour Card this season, Huybrechts now sees a shift in goals. "Yeah, like you said, the main goal at the start of the season was to keep my Tour Card. But you can see in darts how quickly things can turn around," he said. With improved form, he's eyeing a World Matchplay spot: "I'm close to the Matchplay now. It wasn't a goal at the start, it would be a bonus. But if you're close, you have to make it a bit of a goal." However, he remains grounded, stating, "If I miss out, I won't be disappointed because that wasn't the main target. But after three months of the season, you can start to sharpen your goals a bit. So now, yes, the Matchplay becomes a goal, but the first goal is still to keep my Tour Card and have a solid season. And I'm on my way to doing that."
