{"title":"Justin Hood","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eShort answer:\u003c\/strong\u003e Justin Hood is an English PDC player who reached the quarter-finals on his World Championship debut in 2026, where Gary Anderson beat him 5-2. Darts Online stocks his Target Gen 1 Swiss Point, a 90% tungsten steel tip dart.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv style=\"overflow-x:auto\"\u003e\u003ctable\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eNickname\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePocket Rocket\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eCountry\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eEngland\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBorn\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e1993\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eDarts brand\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eTarget\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eDart weight\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e23g\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/tbody\u003e\u003c\/table\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eTitles and achievements\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cul class=\"titles\"\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePDC World Championship quarter-final\u003c\/strong\u003e 2026\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePDC Challenge Tour (Event 14)\u003c\/strong\u003e 2024\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMODUS Super Series\u003c\/strong\u003e 2023\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eWho is Justin Hood?\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJustin Hood is a professional darts player from Glastonbury in Somerset, born in 1993. He worked as a hotel night porter until late 2024. In 2024 he won Event 14 on the PDC Challenge Tour, beating Dragutin Horvat 5-1 with a 107.24 average, and Target signed him that December. He earned his PDC Tour Card at Q-School in 2025, winning the second day of the final stage.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eHow did Justin Hood break through?\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHood made his PDC World Championship debut at the 2026 event at Alexandra Palace. He beat Nick Kenny in the first round, then knocked out seventh seed Danny Noppert in a sudden-death leg. After beating Ryan Meikle, he whitewashed Josh Rock 4-0 in the fourth round and hit his first 11 attempts at a double, a PDC World Championship record. Gary Anderson ended the run 5-2 in the quarter-finals. The run earned him £100,000 and lifted him to 50th in the world rankings.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eWhy did Justin Hood change his nickname?\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHe was known as \"Happy Feet\", from a county match as a teenager where he had to borrow shoes that were far too big. In 2026 he dropped the name because of rights to the animated film of the same name, and now plays as \"Pocket Rocket\".\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eHow is Justin Hood playing in 2026?\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn April 2026 he reached his first PDC ranking final at Players Championship 9 in Wigan, losing 8-4 to Chris Dobey. He was ranked 40th on the PDC Order of Merit as at 18 October 2026.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eWhat darts does Justin Hood use?\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHood has been sponsored by \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/target\"\u003eTarget\u003c\/a\u003e since December 2024 and plays 23g darts. His first Target signature model is the Gen 1 Swiss Point: a straight, slim 90% tungsten barrel with radial grooves along its full length and a silver finish. Target supplies it with 35mm silver Swiss Chrono Points, short black Pro Grip shafts and No. 2 Pro Ultra flights with Pocket Rocket branding and penguin detailing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"display:grid;grid-template-columns:repeat(auto-fill,minmax(160px,1fr));gap:12px;margin:20px 0\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/products\/target-justin-hood-90-tungsten-steel-tip-darts\"\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eFAQ\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat weight darts does Justin Hood use?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe plays 23g Target darts. His Gen 1 Swiss Point signature dart is made in 23g.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWho sponsors Justin Hood's darts?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTarget. The brand signed him in December 2024.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhy is Justin Hood called Pocket Rocket?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe replaced his old nickname, \"Happy Feet\", in 2026 because of rights to the film of that name. Pocket Rocket was chosen so his new merchandise could be produced quickly.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow far did Justin Hood go at the 2026 World Championship?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe quarter-finals, on his debut. Gary Anderson beat him 5-2.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat record did Justin Hood set at Alexandra Palace?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe hit his first 11 doubles against Josh Rock without a miss, a PDC World Championship record.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eRelated guides\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/darts\/pdc-order-of-merit\"\u003ePDC Order of Merit\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/darts\/darts-tournament-calendar\"\u003eDarts tournament calendar\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/darts\/the-psychology-of-dart-performance-how-to-stay-focused-and-confident\"\u003eDarts psychology\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n","products":[{"product_id":"target-justin-hood-90-tungsten-steel-tip-darts","title":"Justin Hood Gen 1 Swiss Point - 90% Tungsten Steel Tip Darts","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe Justin Hood Gen 1 is the Pocket Rocket's first player dart with Target. The straight 90% tungsten barrel has radial grooves along its full length and a clean silver finish, built around Justin's controlled throwing style.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFull-length grooves give the same grip wherever the dart is held, and the slim 90% tungsten profile helps with tight groupings. The set comes fitted with 35mm silver Swiss Chrono Points, short black Pro Grip shafts and black No.2 Pro Ultra flights with Pocket Rocket branding and penguin detailing.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Target","offers":[{"title":"23 Grams","offer_id":45181589553360,"sku":"190713","price":139.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0552\/6231\/4704\/files\/target-justin-hood-gen-1-swiss-point-90-tungsten-steel-tip-darts-23-grams-darts-darts-online-1259830281.png?v=1790225399"}],"url":"https:\/\/www.dartsonline.com.au\/collections\/justin-hood.oembed","provider":"Darts Online","version":"1.0","type":"link"}