Throwing axes for sport is an easy-to-pick-up thing for most people. I had/have a little bit of difficulty from my complications a la cerebral palsy, but even so: I make it work, and I have fun. But there are a number of things that, having thrown for a few years now, I wish I would have been clued into from the start.
So if you're just starting in your axe throwing adventure, or you're bored at work, here are a few things to know right from the offing.
GET AN AXE THAT FITS YOUR THROW, NOT A THROW THAT FITS YOUR AXE.
I chased "the perfect axe" for a long time. Hell, I probably am still doing this, because buying axes is fun, and people make some pretty cool-as-hell stuff.
But for a while I was changing up my throw (where I started, how I angled my starting position, etc. etc.) to fit whatever axe I was hyped up on at the time. And I realize, now, that I was wasting a lot of time.
Instead, I should have been figuring out my particular, most-accurate throw and then chasing after the axe(s) that work alongside that throw. This is a tricky one, of course, because it takes some time to really nail down your own throwing style, but once you figure that out, I really believe that throw must guide what axe you end up sticking with (for a while. We're all gonna keep buying axes over and over because it's fun. I'm not a dope).
DON'T GET HUNG UP ON PERFORMANCE FOR A WHILE
I used to get really upset about matches I didn't expect to lose/my record at the end of the year. And I imagine there's some sort of inverse bell curve where that'll happen to me again as I progress in axe throwing (ha), but nowadays I'm kinda over caring about my objective performance.
I write objective to note that I'm much more concerned about my subjective performance. I care if I'm having fun, if I feel like I'm doing the best I can, and if I perform to the level I think I should. That's a very different measurement than what AxeScores captures, and, for me, a much more important way of figuring out how I'm doing.
Unless you're some phenom, you're gonna have at least a few rough seasons at the start. And that's great. You're learning, you doofus. I know I limited my growth/learning by getting frustrated with myself, and, as the internet has taught us, ain't nobody got time for that.
MEET AS MANY PEOPLE AS YOU CAN, AND TRAVEL AS MUCH AS YOU CAN
I'm an introvert. It's why I have this blog - so I don't have to talk to people directly, and can still feel connected to this thing I love without leaving my house. BUT - axe throwing truly shines with its community. I have met more sweet-hearted, funny, ride-or-die people in this sport than I have in YEARS of...I dunno...anything else?
By traveling around (IF YOU CAN AFFORD TO DO THAT - I'm not a rich man, and can only really manage a few trips for axe throwing a year), you get to truly experience the gem of axe throwing: the community.
When I started out, I thought axe throwing was the same everywhere. That our little axe clubhouse at the meadery was a full encapsulation of the community. And it was through travel and meeting other axe throwers that I realized there's so much more going on. It made me like the sport more, and kept me coming back.
THERE'S ALWAYS SOMETHING MORE TO LEARN AND TRY
Get an axe, throw it into some wood, get some points. I get it.
But BECAUSE axe throwing, on its surface, is hella uncomplicated, lots of throwers developed a bunch of different ways to add variety and challenges to the sport. Whether it's specific game styles or rec leagues or whatever else, there's a whole universe of stuff to learn once you've "mastered" the basic game.
Now, for myself, I am still working on the basic game. It still scratches that itch. But I'm relieved in the knowledge that I have so much more to try out if ever I get bored. I wish I knew how expansive the sport could be when I got involved, so I could try out all the variations that exist early on. I have a sneaking suspicion that all those variations make a thrower stronger in the standard game, and anything that accelerates ability is prolly great, right?
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