Tuesday talk: the ambiguous IATF step rule, and a few suggestions

Earlier today, I published a post about the value in pausing before your throw (to get an actual read on your position, making for a more accurate throw). I knew that pausing for too long (or, maybe at all?) was a violation of IATF step rule.

but what I was suggesting (poorly) was a very quick sort of recalibration. At any rate, I communicated it poorly/it wasn't good advice/it was straight up bad advice, so I pulled the post.

But, ever chasing that drug-like rush of having readership, I've decided to replace that post with a look at the IATF rules. Namely, how a few of the federation's rules are a bit, I dunno, easy to interpret a few different ways.

Namely, that very same "pause after the throw" rule we've got going. Let's take a look at more of that section: 2. During the throwing motion, the player may take one step and one step only, once past the black line

1. This motion applies to either foot (lead foot or back foot),

2. Once the stepping foot is taken completely off the ground, or slid forward and replanted, the player must make an attempt to ensure that the toe of their trailing foot does not surpass the toe of their stepping foot, however, so long as the heel of their trailing foot does not surpass the toe of the stepping foot, that throw will be considered legal.

3. The axe release may happen at any point during the motion, however, must be released before pausing at the end of the stepping motion.

The thing that gets me about this section is the use of "pause" and "stepping motion." Like, Okay: what is a stepping motion? Not to get Ministry of Silly Walks about it, but there's a lot of interpretation to be made.

Is a step including any forward movement of the body?

Does it mean you have to start your arm's throwing movement before your lead foot touches the ground?

If my upper body is still in movement, have I not paused, and therefore I can wiggle my way into waiting a second or two before throwing? I'm being hyperbolic in my argument, here, but for a reason: I think there needs to be a bit more definition of what constitutes a pause, and what the "stepping motion" is (if it's just the movement of the legs, the final placement of the feet, or whatever else)? I guess there's the generic answer of "it's up to league/tourney runners to decide if your step, throw and pause are all in order," but as was pointed out to me, what's okay in one venue might not be okay in another - and that is kinda a problem, right? For a ruleset to work, it needs to be standardized across every venue. I don't think it's a fault of any individual place if they interpret the rules differently, but that does indicate (to me) that something needs updating with the ruleset itself.

So, what are my suggestions?

Well, dear reader, I think it comes down to (surprise surprise) removing ambiguity. While it's a complete downer to be ultra-specific about things - especially when it leads to pages and pages of clarification - sometimes it's needed to make sure a player's experience is the same everywhere they go.

So, if I were gonna rework the "Foot Placement and Throw Motion When Using a Standard Throwing Axe" section of the IATF rules, I'd start by looking at any language open to interpretation, and clarify it to be, you know, clear. Devoid of possible interpretation. Easier written than done, but that's part of what any sport's ruleset is supposed to do.

I can't say I know exactly what the writers of the IATF ruleset meant (exactly) to communicate in the foot placement/throw motion section, but I'd love to know. Much like the IATF did with clarifying axe dimensions (not a perfect fix, but leagues better than what was previously in place), it might come down to rewriting that section AND providing visual demos of "legal" steps, throws and pauses. Have gifs or vids of throwers demonstrating "legal" and "illegal" throws/steps. Make it something newer throwers can understand and experienced throwers can reference.

And OF COURSE there will still be arguments about what constitutes a pause, or a step, or whatever, because axe throwers, despite evidence to the contrary, are humans - and humans love to argue. But what we have right now feels, to me, requires absolute interpretation, and that's not super swell.

If this all seems to be a lot of effort for something that rarely (in my experience) comes up, I get it. But having a ruleset that can only be interpreted in a single way helps create a more seamless experience for throwers all over, and that leads to more equitable play.