Axe Throwing: What is it? What is its origins? All answers here.

Axe Throwing: The Origins

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Axe Throwing: The Origins

The history of Axe Throwing, is a fascinating subject. Throughout history, axes have been popular as both a tool and a weapon due to their low price.

Axes are some of the oldest tools known to man. They were common in the Stone Age. Initially, they were made without a handle and the cutting edge was made of stone.

They quickly became weapons. However, they  weren’t “thrown” until 400-500 AD.

The francisca

 Probably the most famous axe in Axe Throwing history. It was used in the early Middle Ages as a weapon. Commonly associated with the Francos, for whom it was the national weapon, it was also used by many of the other Germanic tribes at the time.

One of the first axes used in Axe Throwing
The Francisca: One of the first axes used in Axe Throwing History

Some historians claim that the axe was thrown before close combat. They provided a psychological advantage to their war efforts. The Francisca often had a random trajectory, so it was difficult to predict where the axe would go. Therefore, after the axe throw, enemies often ran in fear that another volley would follow.

Other historians believe that axe throwing was not actually used in battles. They believe it would be folly to throw a prized weapon and then be unarmed in the face of your enemies. However, they believe it was used in hunting for food. It is difficult to get close to animals without scaring them away, so the axe throwing technique was often used to prevent this issue.

In the late Middle Ages, it was common to throw axes. They were made of iron and were often used by both infantrymen and knights.

Europeans brought them to the New World. They provided them as battle axes to the Native Americans.

First Axe Throwing contests

According to legends said within the history of axe throwing, the first axe throwing contests were organized by frontiersmen in North America. Although there have also been reports of these competitions among Celtic tribes. Many years later, axe throwing remains a popular sport at many lumberjack sporting events. In the last 20 years, it has become a popular urban sport in many countries, including the U.S., Canada, Thailand, Australia, France and, of course, Spain.

Nowadays there are establishments who do axe throwing leagues, there are championships and of course 1 or 2 hour sessions where people are taught to throw axes and then have fun with the different games that are proposed. Urban Safari is one of them 😉