The sport for anyone who is lazy but still wants exercise
In this week’s edition of Exploration of Sportation, I went axe throwing with Savannah, the incredible features editor at the Fulcrum, Anchal the outstanding news editor at the Fulcrum and Alex, the guy who planted his butt on Nick’s face last week.
Being somewhat of a klutz, I was pretty nervous to try this sport. I already have trouble keeping myself alive doing normal human things, so I was reasonably terrified of combining that with sharp and heavy objects.
We met Skylar Mills, an axe throwing coach at Bad Axe Throwing. He explained that axe throwing started with a bunch of lumberjacks throwing axes to avoid boredom. Bad axe throwing popularized the sport by bringing it into a modernized warehouse. “We opened up about two and a half years ago in the summer of 2015, but we started in Burlington a few years before that.”
We started off by trying one and two-handed overhand throws. The challenging part was getting the axe to dig into the wood. As it turns out, wood isn’t very soft. It took a few tries in addition to getting angry in order for me to get my first axe to stick. The group next to us were there as a work social and had put what was presumably photos of their bosses’ faces on the targets. I think they had the right idea.
After we got familiar with the feel and weight of the axes, Skylar showed us how to do an underhand throw, which is when I had my first brush with death. Honestly, I was mostly just proud that it wasn’t sooner. As I was distracted during the explanation (not recommended), I missed the part about not using your wrist when you throw the axe.
When it came to be my turn, my badminton instincts jumped in and I flicked my wrist upwards. The axe flew almost directly upwards, coming down a little closer to me than I would have preferred. In that moment, I saw my life flash before my eyes.
If you’re lazy and hate going to the gym as much as I do, axe throwing might be the activity for you. (Side note: think about it, what is running on a treadmill? Just doing the same repetitive motion over and over again without actually getting anywhere.) It didn’t feel like a heavy workout while I was there, but my arm was definitely sore the next day.
For anyone who wants to try their hand, Skylar gave us a few tips. “Do wear closed toed shoes, don’t wear sandals. Bring a good attitude and an open mind. A lot of people come here and they think it might be dangerous but we play it very safe, we’ve never had a major incident.”
Next time you’re planning an event, maybe you can kill two birds with one stone by having fun time with friends while getting your anger out by throwing axes.
Bad Axe Throwing has walk-in sessions for $20 per hour. Lanes can also be booked for a private event with a coach. More information can be found on their website.
