Marco’s Sunshine Sisters “Axe-perts” in Axe Throwing

Twelve members of the local Marco’s Sunshine Sisters social club tried to dust off the “doldrums” of a hot and sticky summer by booking a one-hour slot at the Swamp Axe Co. in Naples. How difficult can it be to throw a small axe at a target 12 feet away and make it stick?

If you’ve never thrown an axe before, it can be pretty intimidating. As our group entered the venue, there was a tournament of expert axe throwers. But we were told not to worry, it will be fun after a brief lesson on safety precautions.

As part of the tutorial, the instructor showed us two simple techniques of a two handed or one-handed grip. The instructor also told the group, that “you want to grip the axe but you don’t want to white knuckle it.” And he added, “it does not require much force” to throw it at a target that is 12 to 15 feet away from you.

This axe was meant for throwing according to the instructor. I don’t think it is an axe that you can go to Home Depot or a hardware store to buy. It is not meant for splitting wood – it was meant for sticking to wood for indoor sports.

Which is better? The one handed or two handed technique? Actually, two handed was my personal preference. The instructor barked, “stand at the throwing line facing the bullseye target and keep a firm grip on the axe handle. Hold the axe at arm’s length in front of you, blade facing toward the target. Line up your shot with the axe head and keep the axe straight, pull it back and over your head.” If you remembered all that you are now ready to throw the axe.

Just remember three things: Stance is important; grip your axe handle firmly and try not to flick your wrist; and try to stay relaxed. Holding an axe over your head is not exactly a Zen or yoga style position. 

What about the four rings and bullseye target? Yes, there are score points to be made as the axes are thrown! You hope to be in the winning circle. And though you are among friends, you’d like to go home and tell your grandkids proudly that “grandma went axe throwing today and hit the bullseye.” 

As the fanfare of the event slowly faded away came the reality that axe throwing is not simple at all. Too many things to remember all at once. You’ve thrown that axe multiple times at the target and it has yet to stick to the target.

The four rings and the bullseye is the target with the outer ring worth one point per axe thrown. Most of us will settle for one point. Each ring going towards the center increases the score by one and as you move towards the bullseye the value increases by one point. There are three circles painted in black outline between the outermost ring and bullseye and these rings account for points two to four. Six points are awarded to axe throwers who perfectly hit the center for the target. Wait - what are those blue dots on the outer ring opposite each other? They did not bother to tell us – I would imagine those dots would concern the tournament players.

So how did we do? Practice makes perfect bullseyes and pretty soon, everyone is getting their groove hitting closer to the bullseye and racking up their scores. The more we spent throwing the axe, the better we got – or at least we thought we did! The best part is that we were amongst “very forgiving friends.” Axe throwing is a fun game that can test your upper body strength, concentration and serve as a stress reliever. For this group, it was about trying something new and having FUN with friends.