The History of Axe-Throwing

Historic Background

Ax throwing was started as a pastime for lumber workers during the 1800’s. In the 1940s, lumberjacks began showing off their skills in lumberjack competitions. These competitions became official events in the 60’s.

Modern Axe-Throwing

Over time, it has become a competitive sport, with venues offering ax throwing throughout the world and several different organizations promoting it. The idea of an ax-throwing venue first started in 2006, when Matt Wilson and some friends got bored and decided to start throwing axes at some wood in the backyard of the cottage they were staying in. They opened their first building location in 2011. Since then, axe-throwing locations have started popping up everywhere, from Singapore to Melbourne, Australia.

Axe-Throwing Organizations

BATL, or the Backyard Axe Throwing League, was quite literally started in a backyard in Canada. This group has expanded and taught many different people, groups, and even celebrities how to axe throw.

The founder of BATL, Matt Wilson, has also started the IATF, the international ax-throwing federation. He founded it in 2016, to create more standardized rules across continents.

The WATL, or World Axe-Throwing League, was started by Mario Zelaya in 2017. Zelaya had noticed many axe-throwing venues opening up around the world and decided that they needed a formal organization to standardize the rules.

Axe Throwing Rules

The WATL and the IATF have different rules.

IATF only allows axes with wooden handles, while the WATL does not have any restrictions of that kind.

IATF targets have 4 zones: 3 main and 1 extra – the clutch. WATL targets have 5 main zones and 1 extra.

They both agree that the throwing like to the target should be 4 to 5 meters or 13 to 16 feet.