You might be new to axe throwing and want to know the axe throwing rules for safety and scoring. Obviously, it is important to know the rules and regulations of any sport before playing it. This will not only help you to build your skills according to the rules but will also ensure your safety if you know the safety rules.

To ensure all participants, including you, are safe, axe throwing has a predefined set of safety precautions and rules that must be followed when participating in this sport, just like any other sport.

In this guide, we will take a close look at axe throwing from all perspectives in order to get a better understanding of its rules, safety precautions, and scoring criteria. Consequently, you will be able to play better and keep yourself safe at the same time.

Axe Throwing Rules For Safety & Precautions

Considering the sharpness of axes and the activity of throwing, the first question you may think about is whether axe throwing is dangerous. Remember, it is axe throwing not axe catching, as with any other sport it also has predefined rules and safety precautions that must be followed. This will ensure the safety of everyone including you.

• Under no circumstances should you engage in axe throwing if you are under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
• Always make sure to wear closed-toe shoes in order to prevent injury if you accidentally drop the axe.
• Only throw the axes with good conditions and that is sharp, as this will ensure the axe to stick onto the board. Otherwise, it could go in any other direction after hitting the board.
• Make sure you cover the entire area of the playing field so that no one can walk in front of the board when you throw the axe.

Axe Throwing Scoring Rules

A good grasp of the scoring rules and challenges associated with axe throwing is crucial to maximizing the scoring opportunities. 

Considering the popularity of axe throwing, many local leagues are being organized and they define their own scoring rules. However, there are two standard scoring criteria of the World Axe Throwing League (WATL) and the International Axe Throwing Federation (IATF) that are followed in most leagues. This is because the target board’s dimensions of both of them are different so does their scoring criteria.

Let’s take a look at their scoring systems in order to understand the differences.

World Axe Throwing League (WATL) Scoring

WATL scoring criteria for the bullseye is 6, for the outer rings, it starts to decrease by one and goes from 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1 as you move away from the bullseye. The kill shot is worth 8 points.

International Axe Throwing Federation (IATF) Scoring Rule

In accordance with IATF axe throwing rules, the points for the bullseye are 5, the innermost ring has 3 and the outermost ring is worth only 1 point. Same as the WATL, IATF also has kill shots which are known as Clutches and it has 7 points.

Axe Throwing Distance and Height

You should be approximately 12 feet distance away from the board while throwing, in accordance with WATL rules. IATF, on the other hand, requires the backfoot to be behind the approximately 14 feet line in order to comply with their rules.

One of the reasons behind this distance is to ensure the safety of throwers so that if the axe bounces off, the throwers are safe. Although this rarely happens, since the axes are sharp enough to stick into the board, very close proximity may still result in an injury due to the too-close distance.

Furthermore, when standing too close to the target board, you may not be able to rotate the axe at least one time so it may not stick to the board.

In order to meet WATL criteria, the center of the bullseye must be approximately 60 inches above the floor. The board must be 36 inches above the floor (excluding the footer), and while building your target board make sure the distance of the bullseye from the bottom of the board must be 24 inches, resulting in a total of 60 inches.

Ideally, this will align your height with the target board, but if it doesn’t, you can adjust the height of the board as required.

Target Board Dimension

A better understanding of the target dimensions of the target board is the crucial element to maximizing the scores. Just like the scoring system, the target board’s dimensions also have two standards: WATL and IATF. 

According to both WATL and IATF, the length of the entire board is 4ft wide and 4ft long (excluding the header and footer) approximately.

However, the dimensions of the painted area differ for both of them. According to the IATF, the diameter of the bullseye is 7 inches, and the red inner ring, the outer ring, and the clutches have a diameter of 17, 27, and 2 inches respectively.

WATL, on the other hand, has more outer rings. The bullseye and killshot are 1.5 inches in diameter, which offers a little more challenge to throw at them.

Conclusion

To conclude, just like any sport, axe throwing has also been governed and regulated by its own rules and regulations. These rules include safety precautions, a point scoring system, the size dimension of the target board, and the weight limit for the axe which are essential and core elements of this sport.