Interview with Yuji Eguchi, Dartslive Pro Player

We recently had the opportunity to chat with Yuji Eguchi, the Japanese Dartslive Pro Player through a translator when he was invited to attend the DXP 2015 (Dartslive Xtravaganza Party) held at Zouk Singapore on 28 June. Despite the outward appearance of a shy introvert, he is actually quite an unassuming, humble but exuberant, animated and intensely passionate about darts once you get to know him.

Eguchi was first introduced to darts by his friends while they were playing pool at a pool bar.  He recalled, "There were some electronic darts machine at the pool bar that I frequent with my friends. So my friends said to me , 'Hey, this looks like a new game machine, maybe we should give it a try.' So, I tried it and was soon hooked to it. That was almost 13 years ago then and my life has changed quite a bit since then because of that game."

"The first time when I played darts, I was just spending time over drinks with my friends. I did not think it will be a serious thing for me. It was just a casual game to play with friends. No one taught me darts, " lamented Eguchi. Instead, he developed his own darts style and technique by watching a lot of dart games on the internet and reading up on magazines. During this time, soft tip darts was also booming in Japan. He said, "I got a lot of inspiration from watching the top Japanese players play during the big tournaments and I wanted to become just like them. I wanted to be able to play just as well as them."

Eguchi at iDarts Fame

One of the biggest darts competition introduced in Japan back in 2007 was Super Darts championship. Not many people around the world may know that the first tournament of the Super Darts was actually won by Eguchi. At that time, the Super Darts competition was open only for the best Japanese players.

Eguchi reminisced, "The reason why I joined the first Super Darts tournament was just to challenge myself. Nobody noticed me and I didn't pay any attention to other competitors. Once I became the champion of Super Darts, a lot of people started giving me a lot of attention. It was one of my greatest time. Now, I have a lot of opportunity to play in many tournaments and I get to meet with a lot of good players around the world. Of course, I do admit my level is not at the top now and I hope I can relive the moments again in the future if I become the best of the best. I also know there are now a lot more better players than me. I will need to improve my game to reach a higher level."

Although Eguchi was the champion back in 2007, he admitted that he hardly thought about it any more and had almost forgotten everything about it.  Eguchi felt that he didn't really need to remember about his glory days in the past.  He explained, "For me, if I want to do darts in my life, right now is my starting point. It is not the past that is the starting point. Because my target is to be The World champion and no matter how great experience I had before becoming champion, it doesnt really matter."

After winning the Super Darts Champion title in 2007, Eguchi only managed to reach Joint 3rd positions in the next 2 years. However, this disappointment did not affect Eguchi very much. He explained, "Each time I join a tournament, I only want to challenge myself, to see how far I could go. Whether I reach Top 4 or Top 8, it doesn't matter. Each time I participate in a tournament, I treat the tournament as a learning experience, as an opportunity to improve and become better. I believe, even if I don't reach the top this time, next time, I will be the champion. If not the next one, then the one after that and so on. Each tournament is a learning experience and over time, I will become better and better. This learning spirit has become my policy since the beginning and it has not changed now."

Eguchi also participated in The World Stage 2 in Singapore, held at i Darts Fame recently in May 2015. He managed to reach the Top 32 position, beating Harith Lim along the way there. He was knocked out of the tournament by Boris Krcmar.  When asked about what he thinks of Singapore darters skill level, he said, "I do believe that at my position right now, I am not the best darts player to give an opinion about the Singapore darters. I had a great experience in The World Stage 2, Singapore as it was an eye opener for me. It was a great opportunity for me to see many Asian players playing better darts and growing up together. When there are more Asian good darters, I believe the darts scene in Asia will be much more competitive than what we have right now. So it is not only about aiming to become champion for the stage, but for the chance to know a lot of Singapore or Malaysia or other country's darters and have a game with them. It was one of the best training for me as well."

Eguchi also has this to say about Singapore darters, after having sparred with them over a few games during the "Play with the Pro" event, held a day before the DXP. He said, "Whether you are a good darter or a casual darter, the most important thing is about having a good time playing darts together. When I have a game with them, they love the challenge and fight well. They immerse themselves into the game and are very passionate about it and you can see that they enjoy it very much. For me, to enjoy the game is a very important thing for us Asian players so we can have more and more people learn and enjoy the game and I do believe in the future, there will be more champion darters from Asia."

Eguchi in action in Singapore

When asked about his darts idol, Eguchi answered spontaneously, "It is Paul Lim, absolutely. Paul is the best darter with the right attitude and character that I want to emulate. He is humble and friendly with everyone. He is passionate about darts. He is my idol because he has taught me that no matter what situation you are put into, no matter where, no matter how, you always have to perform your best darts. You have to keep motivating people about darts and put up a good show for everyone to enjoy and you have to keep playing your darts well for anyone watching. For me, this is the perfect way of being a good darts player. During The World Stage 2 tournament, I have the chance to watch myself how Paul Lim played his games, live, so I will do my best to follow him in his footsteps.

Eguchi has set his sights on very lofty goals when it comes to darts. He shared, "I don't think right now, there is an Asian player who is willing to "live and eat darts" or have an all-encompassing life around darts. For example, for steel tip darts, you have to go to England and blend in with the culture there. You have to immerse yourself with the local traditions, You live with them and learn about their lives. Then, over time, you can have the complete darts tradition and culture with you. In Asia, we don't have this kind of culture and tradition, so I feel that is why we still do not have enough good Asian players like the Western countries for darts. If I ever get the chance, it will be my responsibility, my job to share my knowledge to more Asian darters. With that, I am sure that there will be more Asian players who can learn and get used to the system, the environment, the challenging spirit, and then the Asian players will be the stars. Because in terms of skills, I don't believe there is any difference between Asian and other Western or European players. In terms of psychological or mental, I believe we do have differences. To reach this kind of level, I believe you have to get used to the system, the feeling, the environment and then you can be on the same level with them and you can challenge each other on a level ground."

As a Dartslive Pro player, Eguchi enjoys being invited to special events or special tournaments or being able to travel to countries that he has never visit before. "I get to try new food, meet with and learn from a lot of new friends from different countries. Those are some of the most enjoyable part of being a Pro player. However, there are also some stressful moments. I may lose the game or I may struggle with the  different climates or situations in different countries.  Being a Pro player, I also want to be able to perform well at all times to meet the expectations from the audience or other darters. We may also have certain targets to achieve, for example, to become The World's best player. So, there may be a lot of perks from travelling around the world but the pressure and struggles are also there and all these, good or bad, are the most enjoyable time I have as a Pro player."

As for darts training, Eguchi revealed that he doesn't have an actual schedule or plans for training. "Instead part of my training is to be able to understand my darts condition every single time. If I think my body is not feeling good, then I have to stop practising and take care of the problem for example, by relaxing. If my mental side is not strong enough because I am stressed or feeling nervous, that means I need to put more practice on concentration training. For me, it is more about how you understand your condition today then you can find the right answer and focus on the part that you think is weaker."

Here is something that not many people knew about Eguchi. When he was in Korea with Paul Lim, he went to a golf simulation game where he had a great time learning a new sport. "I enjoy playing golf. I now play golf in Japan and I try to make time to go to the golf course. If Paul comes to Japan next time, I will bring Paul to the golf course there. I may not beat him in darts right now but in golf, we will have to try!"

Yuji Eguchi

Although his fans may see Eguchi as a charming darts player with a boyish face and a slight goatee, he would prefer his fans to see him as a determined player and passionate about his darts. "Of course, I am happy to be told that I am a good looking player (laughs). It is a bonus to me. I may appear as a humorous guy on stage but I am actually quite a shy person. However, I want people to know that I am very passionate about my darts and I want to put up the best performance for everyone to watch. When I'm playing darts, I really hate to lose."

Eguchi enjoyed himself playing with many local players during the "Play with the Pro" event with Paul Lim. He has this personal message to all the darters who attended the event, "I felt great about this event as I managed to personally meet a lot of players. I hope everyone who joined this event have enjoyed a great time as well like me. I'm really sure everyone who participated in this event will be a better darts player in the future. "

"My message to you is to have a game with anyone, for example, not only with your friends and fellow Singaporeans but also with any visitors from abroad or you may travel to another country to play darts or have a match online with someone.  Enjoy the darts game and if I have the chance to come back to Singapore, I want to see all of you again. I do want to see all of you playing better darts. Thank you to all Singapore darters who were so kind and friendly to me!"

Credits: Ping for translation services