If your recreational pursuits include axe throwing, you’ll be able to indulge yourself soon in Pacific Beach.
Bad Axe Throwing is coming to 1019 Garnet Ave., adjacent to Quicksand Escape Games, in late June or early July.
Begun in Canada, Bad Axe is the world’s biggest urban axe throwing club. Its mission is to bring the thrill of a traditional Canadian backyard pastime to urban areas.
“We started in 2014 outside Toronto and we ventured into the States in Chicago one year ago,” said Bad Axe spokesperson Melanie St. Amour, noting axe throwing is similar to other objects tossed for fun in games.
“It’s a lot like darts, only with bigger targets,” St. Amour said, adding the sport is mostly done in small groups with two people throwing simultaneously at the same target within fenced-off, chain-link lanes. “The concept is very similar to darts – hit the bullseye,” she added.
St. Amour said walk-ins will be welcome, while adding Bad Axe mostly caters to leagues, private parties and corporate team-building events.
It’s a “huge myth” that axe throwing is a male-dominated sport, said St. Amour.
“At our current locations, 60 percent of people who come in are women and 40 percent are men,” she said, adding women tend to strive more for accuracy, while males focus more on strength.
The company spokes woman discuss proper axe-throwing technique.
“We typically started with a two-handed grip, the dominant hand on top with arms straight out at eye-level,” she said adding throwers pull both hands back over their heads before releasing. “You don’t want to flick your wrist,” she warned. “If you release it correctly, the axe will do a rotation into the target and land on the bullseye.”
St. Amour said Bad Axe’s new space is about 6,000 square feet, “a decent size for us,” while adding groups accommodated “number nine to 15 people.”
Bad Axe Throwing was founded by CEO Mario Zelaya in the fall of 2014 in Burlington, Ontario. The company has since expanded across Canada with 16 locations in Toronto, as well U.S. cities such as Chicago, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C.
For more information, visit badaxethrowing.com.
