I think the axe throwing community, when at its best, is incredibly welcoming and supportive. It's one of the things that experienced throwers and newer throwers alike point to when asked what's great about the sport: people are welcoming, and everyone wants you to get as good at axe throwing as possible. note: I'm choosing my words carefully. I think axe throwing as a whole is welcoming and supportive when it's at its best. There are also plenty of situations/experiences that go against that aspirational model, and I'm not the sort of dummy to minimize that. I'm an entirely different sort of dummy.
ILLUMINATION IN THE MEAD HALL
I've mentored a fair share of new throwers, both in passing and in-depth, and can say that the effort is always rewarding, so long as the newb (I don't like that term. I want there to be a term for a new thrower that is specific to the sport. Like...a "splinter" or a "chip" or something? Work on that), is into the idea and up for learning.
Last night was a unique moment that brought clarity to me. A real "everything is connected" sort of moment. You see, I'm on my off week for league, so instead of all that shit I went to the Meadery to practice. Because that's a thing people do.
As it turns out, a lot of league throwers were there, including Bob (our hero) who brought along all his axes for people to try out and experiment with. He was helping Cheddar (another thrower, not the delicious cheese) figure out what axes worked best for her, and left me with a few of his modified half-hatchets to try out, which I upsettingly threw very, very well with.
Around the end of the night, Eric (a 1-league-so-far thrower, came in to practice, and I spent about 10 minutes helping him figure out footing, experiment with throw style, and explain some of the logic behind over/under rotation, starting position, and all that jazz.
EXPLAINING AS A LEARNING TOOL FOR YERSELF.
WHAT I CAME TO REALIZE WAS THIS, DEAR READER: In explaining things to Eric and Cheddar, I was getting a better understanding of axe throwing principles myself. Like, I know some stuff about why someone might want a more forward-heavy axe, or a straight-bit axe over a curved-bit one, how handle length and starting position are related, etc. etc. etc., but it's one thing to know and another one entirely to explain. By vocalizing and explaining, I gained a better understanding of my own throw, and what I myself should be considering when choosing axes or throwing. There's plenty of good around muscle memory, but it's very easy to fall into that kind of...I dunno...that "assembly line" sort of thinking when throwing, where you don't consider why something works better, or how you might want to change it. There's plenty of folk out there who will say if you're practicing and zoning out, you're really just zoning out--that you aren't gaining the benefit of practice as much as you could be if you were practicing and thinking about how you are practicing.
All of this to say: If you feel like you're in a rut, or don't quite know how to change up your throw (because you feel like you need to), or are just feeling sort of bleh about throwing in general, get yourself a newer thrower (a whippet? Is that anything?). You'll find, maybe, a new appreciation and understanding of your own throw, too.
As a thrower in their third season, I cannot thank you enough for this article, and for devoting time to any "chopprentice" who asks for it. As a former medieval art history professor, I feel that name fits for our sport. And I finally feel comfortable and proud to call it "our sport". The positive coaching and uplifting attitudes have kept me coming back - coupled with the immense experience of throwers in my league willing to share techniques or talk mental mindset and tips is what helped me progress faster. One piece of feedback for the community - let's remove "just don't think about it" and "throw better" from the coaching lexicon, especially for chopprentices. I find them to…