Throw Better: What to do when you're in a slump.

figure 1: a guy who just missed the last clutch in an 81 run.

It happens to all of us: You're starting to get good at the sport. You don't outright drop every axe you throw, and can actually appear, at first blush, like you know what you're doing. Hell, the axe house you throw at even wants to use your likeness in their advertising!

But after a few weeks of doing well and winning matches, you find you're starting to slip. A three comes into a round, or you haven't hit a clutch in any of your league matches. You don't think anything has changed at all--but for some reason your throw is starting to leave you, like so many bits of cheese when eating a one-dollar taco.

If you've found yourself in this situation (who among us, right?), I suggest doing a lil' self diagnostic to figure out the root cause. After all, what's axe throwing without some of that self-introspection?!

THE OBVIOUS: THAT SWEET, SWEET BODY

Modern science has revealed that all of us have flesh suits. Yes, even you. The thing about this meat cage is that it sometimes doesn't like to exist, resulting in all sorts of little annoyances and ailments. Some of these things don't have much impact on our day, but others can have at least some impact on our league nights.

Do a self check in: Does any part of your body that is engaged in axe throwing hurt or is sore (easy, now), and is that affecting your throw? Do you have a headache that's messing with your depth perception or even, you know, attitude towards throwing?

The good news is: if this is yer problem, you just gotta wait for it to pass/give yourself some TLC to resolve it.

THE PROCESS: DID YOU CHANGE YOUR THROW BY ACCIDENT?

(Okay, side note: do you say "on accident" or "by accident"? I grew up saying "by accident" but I started meeting lots of people who say "on accident" and I think that's neat.)

Anyway: Muscle memory is a great thing, and if you can gain it/execute it, it's likely that you're well on your way to becoming a better thrower. But if you're mindlessly throwing the exact same way, over and over, even a little change can mean the difference between bulls and busts (a bust here being a 3. I just wanted the alliteration).

So if you're noticing more 3s than you're used to, or you're feeling way off on your clutch game, try to do a bottom-to-top analysis of your throw.

• Are your feet in the same spot as always?

• Are you taking the same step?

• Are you holding your axe in the same spot?

• Is your flappy arm flip-flapping the way it normally does?

There's a chance something small changed - the starting position of your feetsies or how hard you're throwing--and when you've learned to throw well using a particular set of variables, any change can have a big impact. Just recenter yourself/your throw and find your true north again.

THE MINDSET: STAYING IN THE ZONE AND NOT ZONING

I dunno if it's just me or if this is typical, but around the 3rd match of the night I get reaaaaaaaly distracted by thinking about other stuff. My body can go through the motions just fine, but my brain is more interested in thinking about whether platypus would like me, or how many times I could say cribbage in a conversation before people asked if I was alright.

And that's all well and good, but when my brain isn't engaged in what I'm doing, I stop being consistent - or I stop, I dunno, trying. And that's a risky affair when you're trying to not suck at what you're doing.

THE ADJUSTMENTS: IT'S COOL TO BE FLEXIBLE

Your body isn't a machine. Doing something repeatedly won't always yield the same results. Muscles get tired. Feet get sore. You take the elevator when you should really walk up the steps, don't you. Admit it.

Likewise, muscles loosen up. Your step can increase throughout a league night. Make sure you're making those micro adjustments to your throw if you feel like something is just a little bit off (you'll have to identify what exactly is off, though. Are you over/under rotating? Not throwing as hard, etc).

That's the lesson: consistency is the key, but adjustment is the...lock? The lime? Anyway - if you notice you're in a bit of a slump and can't figure out why, run through the list above and see if it helps! Oh, and if none of it helps? Just throw better, you gooney berd.