Rock Attributes Poor Antwerp Performance to Bathroom Soap
Josh Rock suffered a 6-2 defeat to Michael van Gerwen in Antwerp last week during the Premier League quarter-final. The 24-year-old Northern Irish player attributed his error-filled performance to the soap he used in the bathroom prior to taking the stage.
During the match, Rock was observed repeatedly wiping his hands on his trousers and licking his fingers, indicating difficulty in maintaining a proper grip on his darts. He believes the soap removed the natural oils from his fingers, impairing his ability to hold the darts effectively.
To prevent a recurrence, Rock has now prepared by carrying his own chalk and wax for future events.
"I went to the toilet just before I went on stage and obviously you wash your hands after going to the toilet, so I put the soap all over my hands and the next minute I'm up there, and I was like, 'This isn't going to go well'," he said.
"I just could not feel it at all. So now we've got a plan B, I've got a bit of chalk and wax in the case from now on.
"I didn't have to use it this week at the Players Championship, it was fine, but it must have been the soap I used.
"That was the first time it's happened. It must be just whatever soap was in the toilet at Antwerp that I used and it just obviously took all the oils out of my finger and lost all grip."
Rock Prepares to Face Luke Humphries
Ranked world number nine, Rock admitted that his initial reaction to the difficulties he experienced against seven-time champion Van Gerwen was to laugh, as he immediately recognized the cause of his problems.
He has since regarded that performance as a matter of bad luck and has moved forward in preparation for his upcoming matches. Rock is set to face world number two Luke Humphries on night three of the competition in Glasgow on Thursday, followed by competing in front of a home crowd in Belfast on 26 February.
"If I played like that and didn't know what the problem was then, obviously we have an issue," he added.
"But I knew I couldn't grip my hands and no matter how much I was trying to lick my fingers, rub my finger up and down a barrel to get my fingers rough, it wasn't working, so I just let that one go."
