A new addition for this year’s APF Exhibition, Anastasia Gandzha had a go. 

NOWADAYS, the development of outdoor sports disciplines is progressing rapidly, and while climbing, archery, or shooting ranges have become commonplace, activities like axe throwing are just starting to hit the mark.

Similar to target sports like darts or archery, it is based on the principle of hitting the bullseye as close to the scoring area as possible, using an axe (of course). 

At APF 2024, the outdoor activity organiser Axes and Arrows offered a unique opportunity for event visitors to try their hand at axe throwing. I was among them. 

Axes and Arrows was founded by Martin Hubbard and grew out of his personal passion. “Martin, who owns the company, used to do archery as part of a club and then, through COVID, he was a bit disenfranchised with his job and decided then it was time to do something he enjoyed,” Liam Andrews explained as he showed me the ropes.

Despite the common assumption that axe throwing requires exceptional strength, Liam said: “You get some people who are trying to throw ridiculously hard, but it bounces off.” 

That is exactly what happened on my first throw – while trying to hit the target with my maximum power, I overlooked the importance of correct positioning. 

It took me three throws to be confident in my targeting and it is truly impressive how accessible this activity is to someone who does it for the first time. In the near future, Axes and Arrows plans to open an activity park that will make the sport even more accessible to the public.

In response to the question of the potential inclusion of axe throwing in the Olympic Games, Liam simply replied: “They managed to get break dancing into it ... so you never know!’”