There’s something to be said about the zen in throwing deadly weapons at walls.

Friends of ours booked a spot nearby to throw some axes (Backyard Axe Throwing League).  Went in with rather open eyes, as a few friends had given it a go and reported some fun to be had.

We headed in, found a rather open room and walls of spruce with painted targets.  Our guide, Rick, took about 30 minutes to teach the 7 of us some basic throwing techniques.  A sports background helps to start, but becomes a hindrance as you move on.  Explain.

The axe has to be thrown in a specific line.  If you throw it like a ball, it will twist in the air and lack bite on the board.  It really has to be on a consistent plane.  Experience in sports teaches you the basic technique and you’ll pay attention at the start.  Aside from spin, the distance is key, so moving forward/back is important.  Once you’re at the correct distance so that the blade hits, and you’re on plane, then things just work out.

As you spend more time throwing, you become more relaxed, and fall into older habits.  I found that as time went on, I applied more spin to my throws, which caused misses.  I had to concentrate on keeping plane and modify my technique.

Did I mention there’s beer?  That didn’t help.  Or maybe it did.

There’s a lot of fun to be had throwing an axe on a wall, sticking a bullseye with a flush blade.  And then doing it multiple times. And cheering on the rest of the team.

Tech-wise, they use a mobile app to track points, assign random bouts, and eventually set a seed for an elimination tourney.  We were there just under 3 hours, and I’m sure I threw the axe about 100 times, all told.  Had a smile the entire time, and the body hurts more from the laughs than the throws.

Well worth it if you have one in your hometown.