Sometimes a new player’s body language in darts can really fuck up opponents. A lack of any fear in a player’s face particularly undermines opponents.
Dennis Priestley did it to players when he arrived on the scene in 1991. He was unflappable, slow, deliberate, almost enjoying making his opponents get itchy feet as they waited for him, and he slaughtered them all.
Rob Cross in 2017/18 was similar. He just looked like a completely unflappable hard nut, dogged, unfazed, totally unafraid of you whoever you were and that’s how it proved. He undermined Van Gerwen with his body language and Van Gerwen folded against an opponent who had entered his head in a big way. Cross then came along and said “who the fuck are you?” to Phil Taylor and blew him away.
That Scott Williams fella did it to a string of players last year and he did again tonight. Bullied them. He makes matches a war of the head and once he smells any weakness off you he feasts on it.
Even when he missed his first 11 doubles Doets never flinched, he just kept on chugging, cool as a breeze, never looking afraid or frustrated, and Smith started getting all het up, and Doets fed off that, and even when Smith suddenly realised he was the frog in boiling water and went frantic trying to rescue himself, Doets just steadily upped things again, still chugging away, cool as a breeze.
An absolute masterclass in how body language can go a long way towards winning darts matches that really matter.