How Throwing An Axe Can Bring Your Team Closer Together

By | Axe Throwing Insights, News

Group activityFinding That Balance Between Fresh, Friendly Competition & Team Building

Every so often, the boss rallies the troops and the office gets together to do a little team building. But what do these off-site events actually do for the team?

Sometimes, they entail working together to find a common solution, smiling for a photo at the end and having a little fun along the way. But other times, they fall flat. Employees become disengaged. They start thinking about all the other things they could be doing with this time. While the main goal is to get your team to socialize, build bonds, think together and decompress, the end result can be quite the opposite.

If you want a team-building exercise that will truly engage your team and become a memory they talk about for years to come, you might want to start thinking outside the box – and down the lane.

The Effectiveness of Thinking Outside the BoxUnique Team Building Ideas Columbus

When your team catches wind of an upcoming team-building event, the last thing you want to hear in response is a chorus of drones or the disheartening “ugh, we’ve already done that.” The word “workshop” can evoke feelings of “please don’t make me.” This is supposed to be a good time, not a long, drawn out, cringy affair!

Playing “three truths and one lie” loses its luster, scavenger hunts only work if everyone is invested and seeing which group can solve a puzzle the fastest is only fun for the winner. It’s time to do something different with your squad. It’s time to throw an axe!

Because axe throwing is still a relatively new concept to a lot of folks and will certainly catch them off-guard in the best way. When you hear “team building workshop,” you don’t think throwing an axe at a target – and that’s exactly the point. Pique interest. Throw axes. Get competitive. Watch your team thrive as they aim to smash the bullseye!

You Don’t Need a Leader of the Pack

Team building exercises are designed to bring people together – but they can also push people apart or even alienate some team members, especially if the normal cast of leaders starts to take too much control. The beauty of axe throwing is that it’s an individual’s game that’s unfamiliar to most people. This mitigates the risk of forming cliques and gives everyone the chance to be the best instead of just falling in line. Everyone is learning together, while still trying to outperform each other. And, even if you’re not that great, there’s no pressure because it’s your first time!

Get Out Of The Office & Step Down the Lane

When your team gets together to throw axes down a lane, they’re not worried about work. They’re all trying to catch on faster than the next person to see who can throw an axe the best, while sipping a beer and eating pizza. It doesn’t get much better than that during or after office hours! This is exactly the type of thing they’ll post on their Instagram and talk about with their friends.

Team-building exercises don’t always have to bring people together in the conventional sense. You can get the same effect with some healthy, fun competition, especially if no one on your team is already an expert axe thrower! You’re focusing on how you can better your own throw and discussing newfound techniques with coworkers, all while realizing Jane from Accounting has a freaking cannon for an arm.

When you’re throwing a sharpened axe, there’s never a dull moment.

Dueling Axes: Where Team-Building Becomes Team-Bonding

Get out of your office and out of those stereotypical team-building exercises and step down a lane. Dueling Axes can host events as large as 120 people and allows catered food/drinks. Book your next out of the ordinary corporate team event today!

Start Team Bonding With Just One Throw!
Is Axe Throwing Safe

Is Axe Throwing Safe?

By | Axe Throwing Insights, News

All The Axe Throwing Questions You Want Answered

We really can’t say it enough but to ease your mind – YES, axe throwing is safe. We get that it might be an intimidating sport or game to some people, but you have nothing to worry about as long as you’re working with professionals. You have a better chance of getting hurt at a bowling alley or even a driving range than at an axe throwing bar. We’re here to prove it’s safe with even more answers to the worried questions that we get every single day!

Other Axe Throwing Questions Answered Here

What Happened In The Viral Axe Throwing Video?Axe Throwing Viral Video Screenshot

You’ve seen that one video, right? The viral video of a girl throwing an axe and it bounces right back at her?

Well, if you haven’t, luckily she moved out of the way of an arrant axe throw and didn’t get hurt. But not lucky for us – everyone thinks that’s going to happen to them. The problem in that video starts with the rubber mat vs. rubber axe handle. It’s okay to use a rubber mat but combining the two can make for one big bounce coming right back at you. You can see in the video that she was ultimately aiming at the floor not at the target. When the rubber handle and rubber mat gave it a bounce, it hit the wall first, amplifying the bounce back at the thrower.

Moral of the viral video – wrong axe, very bad throw and poor supervision. Dueling Axes doesn’t use rubber handled axes but we do use rubber mats – which is perfectly fine when not combining the two. We use a wooden handle axe which would very rarely bounce back to the thrower, it might just slide on the floor.

Have There Been Any Axe Throwing Accidents At Dueling Axes?

We’ve been operating for more than a year now which means we’ve had about 24,000 – 25,000 people walk through our door and throw an axe. We haven’t seen a single accident with the exception of someone getting a splinter. You will never have to worry about an axe coming back at you because safety is our number one priority here at Dueling Axes – and we enforce that principle heavily.

What Does Dueling Axes Do To Enforce Safety?regulation throwing axe

For starters, Dueling Axes never sacrifices safety for the inexpensive costs. Other companies use rubber handle axes because they don’t break as easily as wooden ones – if your axe lasts longer, you don’t have to replace it as often. We prefer wooden ones that may break and we may have to replace but they are the safest axe to throw. Many axe throwing places usually put two targets in one cage, Dueling Axes is individually caged on the top and the sides with one single target. It is always one person per lane and one axe per lane. You can’t hand the axe to the next person, you need to hang it up and then the next person has to go get it.

Each patron receives a safety briefing and technique throwing lesson prior to being allowed to throw. You then must go up with the coach individually and practice a throw until you hit the target. You have the option for your coach to be with you as much or as little as you want during your reservation and even if our staff isn’t near you, we can hear a bad throw. Our eyes may not be on you, but our trained coaches have ears like no others. We’ll go over to you as soon as we hear something we don’t want to hear!

Tips For People That Are Still Scared Of Axe Throwing

If you’re still intimidated by axe throwing, we’ve got a few more tips to get you ready for your first time. Don’t worry about the axe’s size – you’re not going to throw a fireman sized wood chopping axe or a hatchet. You’re throwing an axe the size of a hammer. You also aren’t throwing it too close or too far away; you’re throwing it exactly where you should, which is about 12 – 15 ft. away from the target. For reference – you’re a little bit farther away then from where you would throw a dart.

It may be tempting, but for safety reasons, it’s best to not throw the axe as hard as you can. Like with anything, being accurate takes practice. So come on in, throw some axes and have a good, SAFE time.

Book Your Reservation Today!

Sign our waiver