Phil Taylor has urged Luke Littler to become more disciplined with his training routine—but revealed the teenage star has already brushed off his advice.
The 19-year-old, who has won back-to-back world titles, recently found himself at the centre of a heated clash with Gian van Veen after celebrating when the Dutchman missed a match dart earlier this month.
Since that incident, Littler has had to deal with boos from sections of the crowd, adding extra pressure to his rapid rise in the sport.
Taylor believes the world No.1 can win fans back over if he continues to build on his incredible start—but says there are areas he still needs to tighten up.
Speaking on the Double Tops podcast, the 16-time world champion revealed that Littler dismissed his suggestion to practice more with a blunt response.
“Practise a bit more—because he literally doesn’t practise,” Taylor said.
“We did an exhibition together. I was there as a guest, and Luke sat on his phone for about two and a half hours at Chester Aces.
“He was due to play Luke Humphries, who was practising non-stop. I asked him, ‘Are you going to practise then, Luke?’ and he just said, ‘No.’
“Then he went on stage and beat him 8–1. I couldn’t believe it—it shouldn’t happen, but it did.”
Littler and Van Veen have barely spoken since their Manchester fallout, with tensions still lingering between the two young stars.
At 65, Taylor also questioned whether Littler has the mental resilience required to dominate the sport long-term—especially under the added scrutiny of crowd reactions.
“If the boos come, I’d stay off social media—that’s the first thing,” Taylor added.
“With all the noise from the crowd, I don’t know how he’ll handle it or if he’s mentally strong enough to keep going, like Gerwyn Price has done.
“It does seem to be affecting him a bit, and maybe his performances too. Fans want to see top-quality darts—they want to see brilliance.
“As soon as he gets back to his very best, he’ll turn the crowd back in his favour.”
Taylor has previously offered advice off the oche as well, including urging Littler to avoid takeaways during major tournaments as part of a more disciplined overall approach.
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