It’s Halloween when I sit to write this. And truly it is the witching hour for, dear reader, I am Hexed by the Axe Throwing spectre; the multi-headed temptress, Hiatus!
Let us not repeat her name, lest we summon her, and fall under the Siren call of the outer world, Alas it’s already too late for me though. She who must remain nameless has already cast her curse upon me and I have been nearly 5 months away from the blessed house of Thud! Step, step Thud!
As a good and loyal parishioner, I have always done everything in my power to avoid taking time off throwing. I know the 4 dangers of Lapsing from the way:
Breaks are the gateway drug to quitting…which is actually a terrible analogy given gateway drugs are more commonly associated with addiction, but, whatever I guess.
Breaks disrupt your connection with the fellowship, and the strength of your communion may not be the same when you return to the fold.
Breaks are an insult to the great Clutch and surely he will smite you with the yips. Stay the righteous path for truly only the devout shall be showered with the gifts of league status and achievement coins.
Breaks are the Devil’s tool to turn you from the path and tempt you with other activities, leaving less room for the Holy Heaving of Hatchets.
Being in the cruel clutches of the Succubus of Stepping Away I was worried, albeit in my case a forced absence due to injury, but that’s how they get you. Was my interest waning? Were other activities tempting me away? I needed solace and advice.
The Book of Artogenus
Enter brother Artogenus, A decorated 5 year veteran, whose mission had taken him from coming equal last at his own buck’s party to 3rd in a Major, and everything in between, and as it turned out a regular taker of breaks.
At first Brother Artogenus seemed a contradiction to me, taking breaks on one hand, on the other saying, “Axe throwing is my latest, longest foray into a new sport and continues my lifelong love of sport and competition. And I’d say the first time I’ve found myself in the top 10 in Australia at anything.”
If that’s how you feel about the Hallowed Lanes, why the breaks?
“Early on I threw a lot, multiple leagues a week and lots of practice. As I got better and better I tried harder and harder. Until I put so much pressure on myself that I had a bit of a breakdown at APATC and needed to step back and look at what I was doing.
“I also learned that I have AuDHD around a similar time and as I began to learn more about my brain and nervous system, taking breaks became a necessary part of me continuing in not only axe throwing but a lot of my interests and hobbies.”
The Parable of the Fallen
We’ve all seen throwers come and go from the calling, and a lot of them to Burnout. It’s a powerful tool for the Temptress. So how do you find the right balance and ignore the 4 perils of axe absentia?
“I always intend to return, I will until it’s not giving me joy anymore…” (Axe guide and protect us) “…My love of competition and drive to succeed bring me back, that and the community…I’m always excited to see everyone again after a break.”
Don’t your dual needs to take breaks and to succeed / improve contradict each other, when you return from a break haven’t you backslid and lost form?
“For the most part no, the break refreshes me and the more relaxed and content I am in all aspects of my life, the better I throw. I’ve often come back from an extended break to achieve my best result in a while. I threw my first Prem 81 after a 3 month break, in my first match of the day in a marathon.”
A Test of Faith
Wait WHAT? The Almighty Clutch didn’t turn his back on you, but instead bestowed upon you the Holy Trinity?? This is shaking my faith. You’re not suggesting it’s all good, surely there are some downsides?
“Yeah the lack of regular practice means some things aren’t muscle memory as much as I would like, and when I’m fatigued or stressed can lead to some gremlins in my throw, and as everyone has seen sometimes my throw just breaks down.”
Like earlier this year I think when I saw you struggling at Battle Axe Open in the Big Axe comp?
“Exactly. That was my first ever podium for Big Axe at a major event and to come back after some shaky stuff early made it even sweeter. A couple of conversations and a tip from the legend Stagger (Sister of the Ordained Battle Axe) was enough for me to change things up enough to find my flow again.”
Praise be to the Sisterhood!
A Renewal of Passion
I’ve heard you say coming back from breaks you feel you have a clearer sense of where you need to focus, can you expand on that?
“The breaks definitely help give me perspective and what I might need to work on next. I think now that I can look back on it with the knowledge I have learned about AuDHD and nervous system regulation / capacity, taking breaks and listening to what my nervous system needed better was my way of ensuring that I had the capacity to show up in the world as the best version I was capable of.
“And by allowing myself and my nervous system the time and space needed to come back into a more manageable baseline, I am then able to handle adversity better, take feedback and have a higher capacity to learn than other times when I’ve pushed myself and my nervous system closer to max capacity.”
A Gracious Parting of the Ways
Brother you’ve helped me out a great deal thank you and thank you for your trust and openness about your neuro-spiciness, I know that will resonate with a chunk of the congregation. Before we say goodbye though, I would be remiss with one of the Region’s best throwers to not ask if you’ve got some general advice for the readers?
“Firstly is Be Gentle with Yourself. I know more than most that can be harder in practice than in theory but it’s the best way to give yourself the space and opportunity to work through issues when they arise.
“And secondly Keep It Simple Stupid 😊I’m currently rebuilding parts of my throw because it was always the bits that weren’t easily repeatable that would fail under duress.
“If I can take a second as well for a personal note, I’d also love to give a big shout out to #Legday and The Heckler for their unwavering support at this year’s APATC and for continuing to be amazing models of masculinity and male friendship.”
Thank you again for your time and wisdom Brother Artogenus, may the Lanes guide your path, and your Axe fly ever true.
Discover more from The Axe Badger
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
