In recent years, axe throwing has become an increasingly popular pastime that has brought together families, friends, work colleagues, and social groups for a few hours of fun that is different to what most people might think of doing.
As well as being good physical exercise and lots of fun, axe throwing also throws up ( no pun intended) an opportunity to get competitive with those who are with you. Now, you might play ‘highest score wins’, but you can devise several alternative tournament options if you use your imagination. However, we will save you that effort, as we have outlined no fewer than seven axe-throwing competition formats below.
Tournament Format #1 – Knockout Competition (Open Draw)
This first format can also be described as single elimination, where each match between two players will mean the individual who wins proceeds to the next round, whilst the loser is eliminated. Eventually, two players will meet in the final, where there will be a winner.
Each match can be a one-off set of throws, but it is better to do it over several games, such as a best of seven or eleven games, depending on the time available. The open draw means everyone’s name is placed in a hat, and each match is drawn without seeding based on skill levels, which can mean the two best players play each other in the first round.
Tournament Format #2 – Knockout Competition (Seeded Draw)
Alternatively, you can do a seeded draw where players of a similar skill level are kept apart early on, as in tennis tournaments like the Australian Open. This is done by placing names in seeded groups that cannot be drawn to play together. Seeding can be done by past games or by each player throwing their axe and the highest scorers being the top seeds.
Tournament Format #3 – Axe Throwing World Cup
This can be based on tournaments such as the FIFA World Cup or Cricket World Cup. Players are drawn into several groups and then play each other once in their specific group, with three points awarded for a win and one point for a draw. Once all the group games are played, the group winners or runners-up proceed to the knockout stage, which culminates in your ‘Axe Throwing World Cup Final‘.
Tournament Format #4 – Mini-League
This allows everyone in the group to try their axe-throwing skills against everyone else. The league format can award three points for a win and one point for a draw. As each game concludes, you update the league table to show who is top and bottom, with the final top spot player deemed the league champion.
Tournament Format #5 – Handicap Tournament
This can be utilized in any of the four previous tournament formats, akin to how some amateur golf tournaments use a golf player’s handicap. Based on past results, you can allocate everyone a handicap, giving them a points advantage over a better player. This will make games more competitive and give less skilled players a chance of winning.
Tournament Formats #6 & #7 – Pairs/Team Tournaments
Again these should work well with any of the above tournaments, but instead of using individual scores, the games are played in pairs. To make it more interesting, you should pair up two players that, include a known axe-throwing master and one who is considered less than good. Otherwise, if you have the two best players pair up, it could demotivate everyone else. Alternatively, you can have players play in teams of three or four with alternate throwers scoring.