American-Dutch darter Jules van Dongen has opened up about his severe struggle with dartitis, a condition that became so debilitating he has switched to throwing left-handed. The 35-year-old first encountered the issue last year, describing it as "like a short circuit in your hand" in an interview with the AD. His ordeal reached a low point at the 2025 UK Open, where he lost his first-round match 6-0 with an average of just 61.11. "I just broke completely after three darts. I played the entire match with tears in my eyes," Van Dongen recalled, adding that he thought, "I'm not going to give up. That's not in me."
After that match, Van Dongen suffered a panic attack—his first ever—and was assisted by PDC doctors. He then decided not to touch his darts for over four months, expressing frustration that the PDC could offer more help, noting, "If Michael van Gerwen had the same problems, it would get much more attention." Despite the setback, he chose not to throw in the towel and began throwing left-handed, though he acknowledges starting from scratch with that arm. "The talent is of course in the right hand," he said with a laugh. The condition has cost him his professional status, source of income, and love for the sport.
Van Dongen sought help from various specialists, including a psychologist, physiotherapist, hand specialist, nerve tests, acupuncture, hypnotherapy, and an MRI scan of his neck, but nothing worked. "Of all those specialists, not one advised me to see a neurologist," he revealed. He has since traveled to the Netherlands to work with neurologist Erik van Wensen, who specializes in movement disorders in sport. Van Wensen is conducting doctoral research into the yips—a sudden, involuntary muscle contraction known in golf—and classifies dartitis as a task-specific dystonia, not a psychological condition. "Dystonia is an abnormal muscle contraction. Your brain commands your muscles to make deliberate movements, which should happen smoothly," Van Wensen explained. "With dystonia, multiple muscles contract that should actually be relaxed. That causes a kind of cramp."
Van Wensen has seen several dart players with similar stories, noting that Van Dongen's right hand clearly cramps, while his left hand throws more cleanly. He dismisses the idea that dartitis is purely psychological or linked to fear of failure, stating, "There's more going on. It's a neurological problem in which the psyche does play a role, but it is not a psychological disorder. That bothers me." Van Dongen hopes other players will consider visiting a neurologist sooner, concluding, "If I had known that earlier, my ordeal would probably have been much shorter."
