In keeping with our goals to expand axe throwing and give the world the best axe throwing experiences possible, we have two additional Axe Throwing Disciplines to compliment Standard Hatchet Leagues: Big Axe League and Duals League.

The World Axe Throwing League would like to officially welcome the Big Axe League and Duals League into our official Axe Throwing Rules!

Big Axe League

Check out our short introductory video on Big Axe:

The WATL Big Axe League is a competition where competitors must throw their Big Axe, starting behind the 17ft line, but not ever crossing the 15ft mark. Standard WATL Gameplay, Regular Season & Playoff rules apply with exception to the below additions/changes:

• The total axe weight must be at least 3.00lbs, but no more than 4.25lbs
  1. The axe head must weigh at least 2.25lbs, but no more than 3lbs
     1. As stated by the manufacturer total weight, not including the wood in the eye of the head
  2. It is the player’s responsibility to provide evidence of the head weight at any time during league or tournament as long as there have been no material modifications to the axe from when the original picture was taken
• The handle must be made of wood and handle length must be at least 23” inches & a maximum of 30” inches
  1. The measurement includes up to 1”inch above the eye of the axe head (in case a handle is pushed up)
     1. For example, if there’s 1”inch of wood sticking out from the eye of the head at the top of the axe, the length of the axe handle would be measured from the top of the handle, to the bottom and must be at least 23 inches
• The axe blade cannot be more than 4 5/8″
• Double bit axes & Fireman axes are permitted as long as they meet the specifications outlined herein
  1. Only the forward facing blade will count for scoring purposes
  2. If there’s an over rotation, and both blades stick to the target, then it will be marked as a fault
• Axes that have a stated manufacture head weight of between 2.25 and 3lbs may not be grossly modified to change the head weight above or below standard specifications.

WATL Big Axes

Qualifying for the Big Axe World Championship

1. The Big Axe World Championship will be comprised of 64 competitors
2. Cannot be eligible for more than 1 Big Axe World Championship placement in a year.
3. Throwers may participate in as many sanctioned Big Axe leagues as they wish, but only one league will be considered for circuit points, which will be capped at 55 points; 50 points for a victory and 5 points for participation.
   1. Throwers participating in multiple sanctioned Big Axe leagues may use the same profile and Player ID to compete in all leagues.
   2. Circuit Points will automatically be assigned to the league that gives the player the most Circuit Points.

Sanctioned Big Axe Leagues

1. A sanctioned Big Axe League is the axe throwing league hosted at a participating WATL affiliated venue that follows the rules and regulations of the World Axe Throwing League
2. Big Axe Targets can not have Footer boards protrude further than the target boards.
   1. The Target boards may protrude over the footer boards
3. A sanctioned Big Axe League winner in a season is declared Local Big Axe Champion and earns seasonal league points for the yearly circuit.
4. A WATL Sanctioned Big Axe League must have a minimum of 4 players.
5. A WATL Sanctioned Big Axe League may not have more than 30 players. If recruiting more than 30 players at the WATL Venue, then they must host Multiple Sanctioned Big Axe Leagues.
6. Sanctioned Big Axe Leagues must begin within 1 week from the official WATL start dates for each season.
7. Sanctioned Big Axe Leagues must end within 1 week from the official WATL start dates for each season.
   1. WATL must be notified at least 2 weeks in advance, before the end of the season, of delays to the end of a season tournament due to acts of God or national holidays.

Multiple Sanctioned Big Axe Leagues

1. A WATL affiliated venue may host more than one Sanctioned Big Axe League per season.
2. If hosting more than one Sanctioned Big Axe League, each sanctioned league must have a minimum of 6 different players not participating in another WATL sanctioned league.
3. The winning player of each Sanctioned League is a Local Champion and is awarded the appropriate amount of circuit points.
   1. This will allow one location to potentially have multiple Local Champions who earn circuit points.

Duals League

Check out our short introductory video on Duals League:

Duals is a partnered competition where both competitors must throw their standard axe (hatchet) at the same time, from the 12ft line, at the same target for each throw.

Standard WATL Gameplay, Regular Season & Playoff rules apply with exception to the below additions/changes:

1. 1. Standard gameplay rules of open Killshots will apply for Duals throwing with the following changes/clarifications:
      1. Individual throwers on each team may call Killshots at any time, and do not have to call Killshots on the same throw as their partner.
      2. Once a Killshot has been hit, throwers are not required to switch Killshots as in Standard play.
      3. A third Killshot attempt will not be awarded for any drops during Duals throwing.
   2. Big Axe tiebreaker does not apply for Duals throwing.
   3. Each league week allows every team 4 games, 10 throws per game.
   4. Official televised Duals tournaments will consist of best 2/3 match sets, 5 throws per game.
      1. For all other sanctioned tournaments, venues may decide which format they wish to use.
   5. If one teammate throws their axe and it hits the target before the other teammate has let go of their axe, it is an illegal throw and no points are awarded
      1. This call is in the hands of the active Judge and not the competitors
   6. As a safety precaution, players must generally be in unison, standing at approximately the same distances with each other during the duration of the throw
      1. For clarity, one player cannot stand at the 12ft line and another at the 15ft line as it introduces a potential risk during the throw
      2. Players must stand side-by-side with each other, at the same general distance, or if stepping towards the target to throw, their motion must be in general unison
   7. All axes that stick in the target are awarded points accordingly:
      1. ie. Team “A” throws their first throw at the same time, one axe lands in the 4 and one axe lands in the 6, giving them a combined score of 10 for that throw
   8. The total score wins the match
   9. Axes must be embedded in the target to count for points as per standard rules.
   10. Once an axe is scored, the presiding Judge may ask the thrower to remove the first scored axe to determine the score of the second axe. If removing the first axe causes the second axe to drop, the lower score threshold will be given.
   11. For an axe that is embedded into another axe (a Robin Hood), both axes will receive the points of the first axe embedded in the target.
   12. Sudden Death Rules:
       1. In the event of a tie after 10 throws in a single match, the match enters into sudden death.
       2. ONLY Killshots are allowed during all sudden death throws.
       3. In the event that all players hit the Killshot, an additional sudden death throw is required, and teammates must switch Killshots, on the same target.
          1. Teams will remain in their respective targets for sudden death throws (no switching of targets required).
       4. In the event that all players miss the Killshot during Sudden Death, a measuring tape or accurate measuring device will be used to measure the distance from the closet valid scoring area of each axe head to the closest edge of the Killshot.
          1. The single axe with the shortest distance on either team will be awarded the match in favor of the team who threw it.
       5. In the event that 1 player from each team hits the Killshot and the other players on each team miss, a measuring tape or accurate measuring device will be used to measure the distance from the closest valid scoring area of each axe head, that missed the Killshot, to the closest edge of the Killshot
          1. The single axe with the shortest distance on either team will be awarded the match in favor of the team who threw it.
       6. If a player touches their axe before a measurement is made, the match is awarded to the opposing team.

Qualifying for the Duals World Championship

1. The Duals World Championship will be comprised of up to 64 teams
2. Cannot be eligible for more than 1 Duals World Championship placement in a year.
   1. Players can compete for circuit points with multiple different teammates.
   2. If a player earns a bid via circuit points with multiple duals teams, the player must notify WATL via [email protected] immediately to declare their official team that will be receiving the bid. All other teams which the qualified player is a member of will not be eligible for a bid.
   3. Failure to communicate with WATL regarding official teams will result in a disqualification for all teams in which the player is a member.
3. Duals teams may participate in as many sanctioned Duals leagues as they wish, but only one league will be considered for circuit points, which will be capped at 55 points; 50 points for a victory and 5 points for participation.
   1. Teams participating in multiple sanctioned leagues may use the same profile and Team ID to compete in all leagues.
   2. Circuit Points will automatically be assigned to the league that gives the player the most Circuit Points.
   3. Once teams choose their official league, they cannot change the decision.
4. If a Duals partner cannot attend WATC, the attending partner may team with someone else who has also qualified for a Duals bid but also had their partner drop out from WATC during the current championship year.
   1. The newly formed team will take the seed of the lower of the two previously ranked teams and the original higher ranked team will no longer exist
   2. This is only applicable to Duals teams where one player of a team cannot attend the World Championship in any capacity, for any discipline
   3. Existing teams may not be re-arranged for any reason and combined with others
   4. This exception is strictly for Duals partners that cannot attend WATC
   5.  If there is an odd number of Duals throwers that do not have a partner, meaning, there is 1 person who had a partner that could not attend, they are able to select a Duals participant that did not qualify for WATC but played an official Duals League during the current year.
      1. The new player must have a WATC official jersey
      2. This must be done no later than 2 weeks before WATC and WATL must be notified immediately of the new thrower by emailing [email protected]

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Sanctioned Duals Leagues

1. A sanctioned Duals League is the axe throwing league hosted at a participating WATL Affiliated venue that follows the rules and regulations of the World Axe Throwing League
2. A sanctioned Duals League season winner is declared Local Duals Champion and earns seasonal league points for the yearly circuit.
3. A WATL Sanctioned Duals League must have a minimum of 2 different teams (4 people) to be official.
4. A WATL Sanctioned Duals League may not have more than 30 teams. If recruiting more than 30 teams at the WATL Venue, then they must host Multiple Sanctioned Duals Leagues.
5. Sanctioned Duals Leagues must begin within 1 week from the official WATL start dates for each season.
6. Sanctioned Duals Leagues must end within 1 week from the official WATL start dates for each season.
   1. WATL must be notified at least 2 weeks in advance, before the end of the season, of delays to the end of a season tournament due to acts of God or national holidays.

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Multiple Sanctioned Duals Leagues

1. 1. A WATL affiliated venue may host more than one Sanctioned Duals League per season.
   2. If hosting more than one Sanctioned Duals League, each sanctioned league must have a minimum of 2 different teams not participating in another WATL sanctioned league.
   3. The winning Team of each Sanctioned Duals League is considered to be a Regional Duals Champion Team for the sake of determining who is eligible for the Duals World Championship.
      1. This will allow one location to potentially have multiple Regional Duals Champion Teams for the Duals World Championship invitations.

Upcoming Big Axe and Duals Leagues

We’re extremely excited about these upcoming leagues and to see who will be crowned the new Big Axe League and Duals League Champion this year!

Check your local WATL Venue to find out more about Big Axe and Duals Leagues.

As always, for updates on everything axe throwing around the World Axe Throwing League stay tuned to our News Feed, check us out on Facebook and Instagram or join our discussion group on Facebook to chat with the WATL community!

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