 Van Gerwen is one of a number of bright young talents in Holland |
Michael van Gerwen became the youngest winner of a major darts event when he beat England captain Martin Adams at the World Masters in October, 2006. The Dutchman was just 17 and has also beaten PDC world champion Raymond van Barneveld and pushed legend Phil Taylor all the way during his fledgling career.
But how did he get to the top so quickly?
According to Van Gerwen, the answer is simple; it's about talent and then "practice, practice, practice".
He started playing darts at 12, soon realised he had ability and was a regular in his local pub by 14 - albeit drinking cola instead of beer.
"A few of us met at the pub to practise and to compete against each other. This was important. You are allowed in a pub at 14 in Holland if you don't drink alcohol," he said.
"I think it is more difficult in the UK - there is no place to meet other young players.
"Then I met Jelle Klaasen, made friends with him and we play every tournament together. This is good for us because you have a good practice partner and don't travel alone."
 | Darts is in your head - if you start thinking about things you miss shots |
Practice for Van Gerwen and compatriot Klaasen, who became the youngest ever world champion when he won the BDO tournament at 21 in 2006, involves playing 501 time and time again.
"I only do sets and legs because that's what you do in tournaments," he said.
The key to keeping cool on the big stage is also the key to practising well.
"It's all about the mental side - either you have it or you don't have it," said Van Gerwen.
"If you miss an easy double, you must forget about it and just keep trying. You can't think: 'I'm going to miss that checkout again later in the match'."
Darts icon Bobby George concurs.
"Like Jelle, Michael has no fear," he told BBC Sport.
"Darts is in your head. If you start thinking about things you miss shots. If you just play the board and you focus on what you are doing and get it together, you become a winner."
A decent mind for maths does not hurt either because working out how to finish on a double is of paramount importance.
George was involved in a UK government initiative to use darts to help pupils learn mathematics at school.
And Van Gerwen endorses the importance of numerical ability.
"You need to calculate every time you step up, every minute. This is not a problem for me now. But at the beginning of my career, school helped," he said.
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