Axe App Review: Throw Better

As part of expanding the usefulness of this blog (and fulfilling some requests from Reddit users), I went ahead and dove into the world of axe throwing apps. For those of you who don’t know, there are a handful of apps designed for axe throwers to practice/develop/learn/track their progress in the sport. For this axe app review, I took a peek at Throw Better, developed by Andrew Natoli.

So let’s take a look at how this app scored in my own totally well-thought-out scoring system!

(Just a quick note, here: I was using an iPhone to review. So, like, I can’t speak to the experience of an android user.)

usability/navigation: 4.5/5

The app was ultra-clear on how to do things. I didn’t scratch my head at any point wondering how the hell to make X do Y or anything like it. In fact, I’d go as far as to say this app is ultra-basic (and that’s exactly what I wanted in a track-your-throw axe app).

Usefulness: 3/5

Does this app provide something more than a simple pen/paper setup?

For me, yes: it speeds up the process of tracking, organizes it, and shows trends. It’s not gonna reveal some previously-unseen truth about your throwing, but it will show you which axe is the most consistent/least consistent in your stable.

But outside of that, the app doesn’t really provide anything additionally. It keeps track of your throws with specific axes, and shows you overall performance. That’s kinda it. No skills training suggestions, no built-in training games, just you, your axes, and your throwing. But that’s kinda great. No fluff.

does what it says on the tin: 5/5

I didn’t hit any bugs, and wasn’t surprised by anything. It kept score, it kept trends. It let me choose which axe I was practicing with. No false advertising, here.

I found it easy to record sessions, delete sessions, switch between axes, and review how I was doing with everything. Was my hair blown back by it? No, not at all, but it gave me exactly what it said it would, and I appreciate that kinda honesty.

Best Feature: separate/combine axe scores

The delight of this app is the ability to name/separate your axes for unique, axe-specific stats. It’s novel (so far, to me), and kinda fun to see what kind of differences, if any, my scores have based on which axe I choose.

Cost: 5/5

Free as hell, my dear throwkin.

Overall: 17.5/20

This app isn’t going to make you a better thrower on its own. It’s not going to show you how to throw better (despite its name). But then again, the app isn’t really trying to do that. This simple, easy-to-use goober is giving you a way to add some structure to practice, and show you how your axes perform individually or as a whole.

If you’re looking for a sleek way to keep track of your throwing and avoid the numb repetition of throwing over-and-over with no real insight as to how you’re doing, Throw Better is a good, free option. I think it really shines in its simple, direct functionality.

You can get it from the App store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/throw-better/id6695731486
Or for Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.andrewnatoli.throwbetter&hl=en_US