Tips for learning a new axe throw: A half-assed series of lessons.

For those of you who keep track of my adventures, you likely recall (or, if you're more like me, you don't remember at all) a post I did not too long ago talking about how I started developing a new-to-me throw. This throw, perfected by Dr. Ketamine, involves resting the axe on yer sholder like a foppish dandy, and then throwing from there.

It took me about a season to feel comfortable in it, and maybe a half of a season after that to commit it to the flabby muscle memory of my body.

But it's not always the case a freshly-developed throwing style pays off. Point in fact, I think there's a case to be made around really taking your time before switching up your throw completely.

Camera-shift to a conversation I was a part of featuring P.K., PA's wunderkind pride and all around axe-throwing philosopher. We were talking about how one might outgrow their throw and the value of having enough awareness to, you know, be aware of that happening. We also spoke about incrementally changing one's throw to properly identify what's working and what's not.

So, with that conversation and my own noodley-brain thinking, I offer up for (the consideration of the midnight society) a few tips and tricks I've picked up, thought about, or think are good to implement if you, like me, are trying to refine how you throw axes in such a way that you don't get worse.

Oh, I guess that's something to bring up: I deffo got worse these past few seasons. I'm not saying it's my throw, but mayyyyybeeee?

First things first: Don't change everything in your axe throw right away.

Patience is important in this sport. Whether it's doing a lil' mental checklist with every single throw, or finding your flow state, or simply remembering to breathe - giving yourself space and time to, as Pops would say, respect your throw, is important.

P.K. said he picked this up from Rander, and while I'm loathe to recognize the good advice of a tippy-top thrower, it's pretty good: change only one thing about your throw, give it 10 or so tosses to get a feel for it, and then change the next thing.

I'm likely paraphrasing incorrectly, there, but hear me out: if you change absolutely everything right off the bat, you're not going to have any idea what parts of a new throw are working, what parts need to be adjusted, and what parts are simply not right for your sweet, sexy body.

It's important here to recognize that sometimes a new throw requires a number of changes (foot placement, step, starting axe position, hand placement, etc. etc.), but that doesn't mean you should try to accept all of it at once. Instead, try to isolate each element of the throw and understand how it's different, and why it does or doesn't work. To put it simply: you gotta understand each element of the throw before the entirety of the new throw starts working for you.

Make sure to understand how your axe's in-flight rotation has changed.

A lot of newer throwers or, in my case, throwers who aren't good at thinking about stuff, don't consider rotation as an isolated element of their throw. But it's important.

You guys.

Hold on, listen.

You guys, it's so important, tho.

Rotation dictates how your axe lands, as scientists agree that how your axe lands has a big impact on whether your axe sticks to the target (and if you're getting the kinda coverage you want).

If you're changing your throw, make sure you understand how your rotation has changed. Especially if the position of your axe starts with the blade pointing in a different direction than you're familiar with. It may be that you're kinda starting the axe at a different rotation point.

By way of self-example: My axe-on-shoulder throw meant I was essentially halfway through a rotation before even letting go of the axe. If I started from a more traditional axe-in-front-of-me position, that's quite a bit of a difference.

Naturally, a new rotation (if it's not what you want) can be counteracted with starting foot placement, which is the next big thing: your feeties are probably gonna shift, so make sure to pay attention to that, too.

Give yourself time to forget your old throw and lock-in your new one - or even allow yourself something in the middle.

Like I said before, I spent about four-ish months (maybe more, come to think of it) learning a new throw. My overall goal was to stop bringing my axe behind my own gottamn head, flat against my neck.

My new throw allowed me to, you know, lower the potential for self-decapitation. It also allowed me to forget (muscle memory wise) the way I was throwing.

This past Sunday, I wanted to try out a different throw - one where I wasn't gripping my axe as tightly (my CP makes gripping stuff over a long period of time problematic) while still keeping the wind-up ahead of my ear (that is to say - not winding up behind my head).

What I discovered was something I wasn't expecting: because I had trained myself to not let the axe go so far back (again, resting on my shoulder), I was able to keep it pretty much in front of me - and that made my throw accurate, powerful, and...I dunno...more open? It felt great, I was landing where I wanted, and my hand wasn't cramping up after a few rounds.

But it took time to forget what I had locked in. I think had I gone from my initial throwing style to the one I'm experimenting with now, I wouldn't have been able to take to it so quickly. The Dr. K shoulder throw allowed me to have an intermediary step that made the pokemon-like evolution possible. My stats took a dive, to be sure, but I'm very hopeful about what I might be able to accomplish in the next season.

So if you're trying out a new throw - or just are keen on experimenting to see how your own throw could be polished up, give these tips a try - or let me know your own tips for refining/redefining your throw.

Why do I feel like I need to put a button on this post?

Uh.

See you out there, I guess? Go...Go get 'em!