SCOTT Mitchell revealed he has been in discussion with legend Phil Taylor over ways to improve his fitness.

Dorset ace Mitchell, the 2015 BDO world champion, is currently taking his first steps towards becoming a player of the rival, and more lucrative, PDC tour.

After failing to secure a Tour Card in January, Mitchell won an event on the second tier Challenge Tour and has subsequently received invites to compete with the main field.

He made his Pro Tour debut last weekend, losing 6-2 to world number one Michael van Gerwen.

Mitchell, 49, is again set to compete with the sport’s leading lights this weekend in two Players Championship events in Wigan.

And he revealed that a conversation with 16-time world champion Taylor, following his BDO World Championship semi-final defeat to Wayne Warren last month, has made him think about how actions away from the oche can help him improve on it.

“I think I need to do something,” Mitchell told the Daily Echo.

“I’m not saying a fitness regime. It’s no good me going and starting lifting 100 kilo weights above my head 30 times when I play with a 25 gram dart and I won’t be able to feel it in my hand.

“When we’re talking fitness, I think it’s more cardio more than anything I’m going to have to look at.

“But I’ll do that in different ways with upping the walks with the dogs or whatever and eating a little bit better at better times at night and better things. And slowly but surely hopefully that will get me a little bit fitter for these long days.

“We’ll find out in three months' time when I do the next Challenge Tour and it’s four events on a weekend.

“We (him and Taylor) spoke, particularly after the (world) semi-final. We didn’t speak, we just text and he said that what happened, being the last quarter-final at the O2 and then being the first semi-final the next day was a bit unfair with the scheduling.

“And I said it’s probably not unfair with the scheduling, I said I probably wasn’t the right physique for it and he said no, you’ve got to be match fit.

“That was something Phil was very good at. Not by running and doing anything silly like that, it’s more by diet and a little more exercise and nothing strenuous.

“That’s the way I will look at it and maybe I’ll get back in touch with him and he’ll have some ideas for me in the best ways to do it.”