Listen, I love throwing a hunk of metal into a hunk of wood as much as the next person, but the truth is this: practicing this sport can get reaaaaaaaaaaaaaal repetitive. Throw, retrieve, throw, retrieve. What am I, an adorable Labrador Retriever?!
No, I'm not. Life would be a lot easier.
But fear not! There are games a plenty for axe throwers to try out that both help us improve in accuracy AND tap down some of the mindless repetition. So here are a few games to improve your axe throwing:
SE7ENS
Sorry about that subheader. I just couldn't help myself.
Sevens was introduced to me via Rob "The Appalachian Gentleman" "The Otter Guy", and it was introduced to him via Big Time. This particular game will help you nail down your clutch game.
How to Play:
The goal is to be the first thrower to hit 7 clutches
Every thrower throws at the same time for each throw
Once a thrower reaches 7 clutches, and after every thrower throws their final axe:
All throwers get a chance to throw a "rebuttal" clutch throw
If any thrower hits their throw, then every thrower moves back 1 point (the person who hit 7 clutches now only has 6 clutches, a thrower who hit 4 now has 3, etc.).
If no other throwers manage to hit a "rebuttal" clutch, the player who hit 7 wins.
Variations:
Sevens can be modified, of course, for Premier - making it much more difficult. You can also do a variation where Premier clutches count as 2 points, and standard, touch clutches count for just 1 point. And what's great about this particular game is that there is no player limit.
HORSE
I feel like everyone knows how to play horse, but just in case:
Players take turns calling a shot, then throwing.
If the player makes their called shot, all other throwers have to make that same shot. If they miss, they get one letter from the word "HORSE."
All players take turns throwing first.
Once a player has all letters for the word "HORSE" they lose.
While this is a basic game, it's pretty great for working on flexibility with your accuracy - calling shots like "the part of the circle that's on the knot" or "just next to the top screw in the center board" will sharpen you skills (but not your axe - please don't say "next to the top screw" that just makes you a jerk).
CHUTES AND LADDERS
I first saw this game from Joe on the very useful and fun Community Axe Games FB page. I think it kind of has the feel of HORSE but with a more predictable pattern, obvs. Here's what Joe wrote:
Break the Paint - Chutes and Ladders!!!
Start at the bottom and work your way up. You must cut the line in the center board.
Starting at the bottom and climb your way up. 1, 3, 5, 5, 3, 1, then go clutch to win the game!
The twist is, when you are hitting the upper 5, 3, or 1 and miss, you swing down to the bottom one of whatever you were going for.
Example - if you are going for the top 1, and miss, you have to drop down on your next throw to the bottom 1 and start your climb back up again. If you were going tor the top 3 and miss, your next throw is for the bottom 3.
If neither payer hits clutch in 15 throws, the person in the lead wins.
This game is really good if you're just trying to spice up your lonesome 1-person practice, but works just as well with a few throwers. It also helps you work on accuracy, as you're aiming for a specific point on the boards (the paint) up and down the target.
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