June 13th is International Axe Throwing Day. This day is dedicated to those around the globe who share our passion for axe throwing. The members of the World Axe Throwing League have this goal in mind—to raise awareness and unify the sport of urban axe throwing. It’s not surprising that axe throwing is trending and growing in popularity internationally. This sport is seriously fun and offbeat—it’s an inclusive activity everyone can enjoy, even children.
The World Axe Throwing League founded International Axe Throwing Day in 2017 to celebrate the growing, fun, and inclusive sport. Sharpen your blades! International Axe Throwing Day on June 13th encourages competitive and amateur axe throwers to pick up a handle and toss a few.
Once the pastime of loggers and lumberjacks, axe throwing has grown in popularity in more recent years. Across North America and spreading around the world, clubs and organizations provide places for enthusiasts to practice their sport. Designed to be family-friendly, throwers of all ages participate.
On International Axe Throwing day, clubs open up their facilities to friends and family members. This social event not only offers a chance to check out the tools of the sport, but it provides opportunities to learn about the culture of axe throwing, terminology, competition, and more. Each year, interest grows, and so does the equipment and the competition.
A throwing axe is a weapon used during the Middle Ages by foot soldiers and occasionally knights. Usually, they are thrown in an overhand motion (much like throwing a baseball) in a manner that causes the axe to rotate as it travels through the air.
Axe throwing is a sport in which the competitor throws an axe at a target, attempting to hit the bullseye as near as possible like that of the archery. Axe throwing is an event held in most lumberjack competitions. A skilled axe thrower will rotate the throwing axe exactly once throughout the flight so that the sharpened edge of the head will penetrate the target. Throwing axes are becoming popular among outdoor enthusiasts as a throwing tool.
Throwing axes have been used since prehistoric times and were developed into the Francisca by the Franks in the 3rd century AD. Although generally associated with the Franks, it was also used by other Germanic peoples of the period including the Anglo-Saxons.
The modern sport of Axe throwing started in 2006 in a backyard in which the competitor throws an axe at a target, attempting to hit the bull’s eye as near as possible. Axe throwing has historically been an event in lumberjack competitions.
