1. Standard Match Format

1. Every regular season match outside of playoffs consists of 3 rounds:

2. Each round consists of 5 throws per player, per round;

3. Players must win 2 of 3 rounds to win the match;

1. In regulation competition players always throw all three rounds, regardless if one player has won the first two rounds, winning the match;

2. Tracking of total points over the course of 15 throws is mandatory in all regulation matches;

3. If a player wins a round and ties the other two rounds this is still considered a match win as they have won the plurality of the rounds in that match.

4. Players switch lanes between each round (after every 5 throws);

5. If players are tied in rounds won at the end of three rounds, a Big Axe tie breaker occurs to determine a winner. Ties in rounds won can occur if;

1. Each player has won 1 round, lost 1 round and tied 1 round;

2. Players have tied each of the three rounds.

3. Scoring breakdown for Big Axe Tiebreakers is found in Section 1.3.7

2. Scorekeeping

1. During league play, each player is responsible for relaying their scores accurately to the scorekeeper and their opponent.

1. A league runner may device any throw at any time to confirm its accuracy.

2. Each player must confirm the score of any throw spanning more than one point value with their opponent before relaying them to the scorekeeper.

1. If players cannot agree on the value of a throw, they must call for a third party measurement using the device.

3. A third party league member is encouraged to keep score during any given match, however, players are ultimately responsible for keeping track of which throw they are on within a round and how far along they are in a match.

4. Players may pause to check their score, throw number, or rounds won at any time during a match with the scorekeeper.

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1. Handling Your Axe

1. The blade must be covered or sheathed while carrying an axe, regardless if that axe is in a bag, holster or outside of the thrower’s hands;

2. Sound isolating devices are not permitted while throwing axes unless specifically required due to a medical condition;

1. e.g. including, but not limited to, headphones and earplugs.

2. Lane Choice (Rock-Paper-Scissors)

1. Players may use Rock-Paper-Scissors (or another randomizing method) to choose their starting lane if there is any disagreement:

1. Winner = best 2 of 3 rock paper scissors;

2. Players may ‘opt out’ of Rock-Paper-Scissors effectively giving the lane choice to the other player.

3. As noted, players may choose another random, time effective method of choosing a lane (eg: a coin flip)

2. Players get 3 practice throws before their first match of the session;

3. No practice throws are allowed once a player has completed their first match.

3. Signaling Match Start

1. After warm up throws are complete but before a match officially begins, players may perform a courtesy clinking of axe heads, side against side;

1. If this does not happen, there is no penalty: It is strictly a courtesy and sign of sportsmanship that harkens back to the beginning of the sport.

4. Changing Target Wood

1. League runners may change a target’s face boards at any point in between matches or otherwise deemed necessary.

2. Any player may request a change of a target’s face boards but that request should be made before the match begins, before players determine their starting target choice

3. Board changes must be approved by the League Runner or a match official and may be denied if the board is considered ‘fine’ to throw on by either of those people.

1. If a player has completed their warm up throws then requests a board change, those boards may only be changed if the request is approved by the League Runner or Match Official, and not once the match has officially begun.

2. If a large piece of wood falls from the target during match play, creating a void or large gap on the target, it is acceptable for the League Runner or match official to add screws to reattach this piece and repair the target;

3. Similarly, if the corner of a board pulls away from the backboard during match play, screws may be added during the match to re-attach that board to the backboard by a League Runner or match official;

4. Keep in mind: Only a League Runner or Match Official may decide mid-match to change a faulty board (ie: when axes aren’t sticking, there are too many knots, the board is too dense, etc.) If that decision is made;

1. It can only be made at the discretion of the League Runner or Match Official and cannot be simply at the request of either thrower.

2. Can only occur once both players have thrown an equal amount of times on the board in question. (Eg. after round 2 when both players have each thrown 5 axes on the board in question, before continuing to round 3)

5. Target Interference

1. No spectator or thrower, whether involved in a match or observing, may interfere with any in-play target, be that striking the target, chopping at Clutches, adding screws to said targets, etc., outside of their official counted throws.

1. A player may use the back of their axe to hammer loose target wood back into place in between throws.

2. Should a target require maintenance or any outside manipulation, the throwers will request the League Runner and/or Match Official to make any necessary adjustments. This could include replacing boards, hacking out knots, screwing in a split piece of board, repainting an errant target line, etc.

3. This does NOT include wetting or watering the boards, which can be done at any point during the match by either thrower involved in the match or any third party.

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1.Target – Either a wall-mounted or free standing (eg: A-frame) wooden apparatus constructed along the lines of IATF specifications (with room for small variations based on venue requirements) 

2. Backing Boards – Generally, several wooden boards (either 2x4s or 2x10s) sandwiched behind OSB or plywood and attached to the target subframe in order to create a solid backing for the face boards with no gaps between each layer.

3. Subframe – A wooden frame either wall-mounted or free standing attached to the target in order to house the backing boards. While face boards need regular replacing over the course of a week and backing boards sometimes require yearly replacements, subframes are meant to last.

4. Face Boards – Wooden boards (generally 2x10s) mounted vertically to the backing boards facing the thrower. These boards are recommended to be soft wood such as spruce, pine, poplar or cottonwood, but can be substituted according to availability within specific geographic areas.

5. Lane – A single target playing area available for axe throwers.

6. Half Arena – Sometimes referred to incorrectly as a ‘lane,’ this is the two lanes where a match generally occurs between players.

7. Arena – A four target area consisting of two lanes. A ‘double arena’ would consist of 4 lanes (8 targets) and so on.

8. Hatchet – A hand axe, between 1.5 to 2.5 total pounds (among other specifications) used for regular competition play.

9. Big Axe – A heavier, longer axe, between 2.75 and 3.75 total pounds (among other specifications) used for tie-breakers in regular competition play.

10. Blade – The honed or sharpened surface located on the face of the axe. If multiple edges have been forged on the face of an axe, each edge must be measured individually and meet IATF specifications.

11. Throwing Line – The black line at X distance from the target over which players are not allowed to take more than one step past while throwing an axe during regular play.

12. Fault Line – The red line at X distance from the target on which players are not allowed to tread nor pass while throwing an axe during regular play.

13. Big Axe Line – The ‘throwing line’ at X distance from the target over which players are not allowed to take more than one step past while throwing a big axe.

14. Device – A colloquial term for the calipers used to measure axe blades against the face boards of the target to determine how that axe should be scored.

15. Throw – One attempt to throw an axe at the target.

16. Drop – The failure of an axe to stick within the target.

17. Round – Four regular throw attempts culminating in the throwers ability to call clutch on the fifth throw attempt.

18. Match – A typical game in axe throwing consisting of an uneven number of rounds resulting in a winner and a loser. There are no ties in axe throwing matches, a match will run until there is a clear winner.

19. Clutch – Two 2” circles to the top left and right of the target rings which are only callable on the 5th throw of each round.

20. League Runner – The venue staff member nominally in charge of league operations for that particular session.

21. Match Official – An officially appointed scorekeeper by the venue or referee during playoff or tournament play.

22. Session of Play – Generally, one ‘week’ of games in a sanctioned IATF league played continuously through the AxeScores software in one period of time.

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Throughout the past year, the IATF has been working on options for hosting IATC in 2021. The largest issue of course was the safety of throwers and spectators during COVID. Border closings and travel restrictions didn’t help. On top of that, League play has been severely impacted with many members only running limited seasons through both 2020 and 2021. We solicited feedback from members and throwers and went back to the drawing board multiple times to try to fit IATC into this year… However, we have concluded that IATC 2021 will not be possible under the current circumstances.

But… There is a plan that we want to share with you now. We have decided to host IATC in June, 2022. We have also decided that IATC will be held in June in Toronto in the years to come. Better weather, guaranteed! We are very excited to host you all again, and planning for IATC has already begun.

In light of the ongoing pandemic and in an effort to be as fair as possible, we have made a few changes to the qualification paths. These revised paths are needed in order to take COVID restrictions into account; many players were unable to throw more than one season in 2020, and 2021 has not been much better as the world continues to experience gathering restrictions, travel restrictions, and even lockdowns.

To highlight the key differences between regular qualification paths and COVID-revised qualification paths, here is a look back at how players qualified for the last IATC, held in February 2020 in Toronto.

A Look Back at IATC 2020 Qualification

For IATC 2020, held in February 2020 in Toronto, there were four qualification paths to IATC Round 1:

IATC 2020 Qualification Paths were:

1. Win a Regional tournament
2. The 70 Rule – Compete in IATF leagues and register 3 non-concurrent seasons with an average of 70 or better
3. The Top 4 Rule – Compete in IATF leagues and end the year in a league’s top 4 ranked by most Champs Points earned in one league
4. Win a Wild Card tournament

A player would only qualify by ONE path. The first way to qualify was to win a regional tournament. If a player qualifies through winning a regional tournament, they would be ineligible to qualify through any other path. First, the IATF determined who qualified via regional tournament. Then, we remove them from consideration for the other three paths. Next, we determined who qualified through the 70 Rule and removed those players from consideration from the remaining two paths. Next, we determined who qualified through the Top 4 rule. Lastly, players who had not yet qualified through any of the first three paths were eligible to throw in a Wild Card tournament. Once we knew who qualified for Round 1 in Wild Card tournaments, we notified players of their acceptance to Round 1.

A Look Back at IATC 2020 Qualification

The IATF has adapted to the pandemic by extending the timeframe of the qualification paths for IATC 2022. We have decided that all league play in 2020 and 2021 will count towards IATC 2022 qualification. 2022 league seasons that conclude before March 30, 2022 will also be eligible for qualification.

Additionally, this year the IATF introduced Premier Leagues. As you’ll see below, we have outlined the qualification path for these new leagues. The Top 8 players, ranked by Champs points, from every Premier League Season will qualify for Round 1.

We decided to make the Premier League qualification path quite broad because the Leagues are new, and players are still adapting to the new rules. We are happy to see many of our high level throwers participating in Premier Leagues this year!

Regionals and Wild Card will take place before IATC 2022; we will be announcing the timing of these tournaments in October.

In order to make IATC 2022 as fair and inclusive as possible, we will be including all league play from January 2020 – March 2022.

The four paths to qualify for IATC 2022 are as follows:

1. Win a Regional Tournament – The IATF will run Regional tournaments ahead of IATC 2022, so this path remains the same.
2. The 70 Rule – The 70 Rule remains as a qualification path; play three non-concurrent seasons during the extended timeframe
3. The Top 4 Rule – the Top 4 Rule will be relaxed this year to allow for the top 4 players, ranked by most Champs Points, from every league season to advance to IATC 2022 Round 1. This will mean that more players have the opportunity to qualify for Round 1.
3b. The Top 8 Rule – The top 8 players, ranked by Champs Points, from every Premier League season, will qualify for Round 1.
4. Wild Card Tournaments – The IATF will run Wild Card tournaments ahead of IATC 2022, so this path remains the same.

FAQs – So what does this mean for you?

Q: Why did you change the qualification path for the Top 4 Rule?
A: Because so many members were unable to host League on a regular schedule due to the pandemic. We changed the rule to make sure as many players can participate in Round 1 as possible, and won’t be left out due to circumstances beyond their control.

Q: Since there’s a bigger time period for qualifying, does that mean that more people will be competing for the 256 spots in Round 2?
A: We are opening some streams up to more people in order to be as fair as possible to all of our players. There may be more players who qualify through one of the streams. However, so many players weren’t competing in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID restrictions. Leagues were much smaller and had fewer participants than in previous years.

Q: Where and when will the Regional Tournaments be held?
A: We will announce the timing for Regionals and Wild Cards within the next few months.

Q: Where and when will Round 1 of the IATC be held?
A: Round 1 is hosted locally at every sanctioned IATF venue that ran IATF Standard or Premier leagues during the previous calendar year.

Q: Will Wild Card Tournaments also happen?
A: Yes, each local IATF venue that hosted IATF Sanctioned leagues will have the opportunity to host their own Wild Card Tournament. Wild Card dates will be announced within the next few months.

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The IATF exists to develop and grow the sport of axe throwing. Our rule set has continued to develop over the past 14 years and we believe it’s time for the next evolution of the sport. All rule updates will take effect May 1, 2021, and will be rolled out as new league seasons start.

The IATF is fortunate to have an involved and engaged community. We solicited input on the changes below from our members, throwers, and key focus groups through surveys and a series of virtual meetings. 

The following is a high-level overview of the rule changes. The complete IATF Rules and Guidelines can be found here.

1. We support different levels of difficulty.

We’ve introduced our Premier ruleset in AxeScores (more detailed rules available here)
Both Standard rules and Premier rules will send competitors into Round 1 of the IATC. Premier rules leagues will send their top 8 champions points finishers at the end of each full league season into Round 1, while Standard leagues will send their top 4 finishers.
Both Standard rules and Premier Rules will continue as supported options for all levels of competitors within the IATF.

2. Our game needs to continue to evolve as it becomes increasingly popular and the community grows.

We have eliminated the ‘3 paint then points’ rule for big axe tiebreakers for all levels of competition, instead allowing 1 practice throw before a player’s first big axe tiebreaker in a given day of matches.
Clutches will be shrunk by ⅝ of an inch to 2” in diameter for all rulesets moving forward. 
We have codified our hatchet and big axe specifications by adding minimum blade face sizes for both, minimum head height for both, and shifting to an inclusive ‘total’ weight to continue to allow varied equipment for our competitors (more detailed rules available here)
We have clarified the wording surrounding throw motion and a player’s step, adding the requirement for throwers to pause in order to establish themselves as a thrower prior to beginning their motion (more detailed rules available here)

3. The highest levels of competition are more exciting when we push our top competitors to their limits.

Both Round 1 and Round 2 of the 2021 IATC (as well as all IATCs moving forward) will be played using the Premier ruleset.
The IATF will be developing more tournaments for competitors of all skill levels throughout the year.

Additional Updates:

Custom Leagues

IATF has officially launched Marathon leagues, Big Axe leagues, Youth leagues, and Recreational leagues in the Axescores software for all members under our Custom League module. 
Statistics for these leagues will be made available soon for all these new league types through a player’s profile, allowing them to track their progress across all rulesets.

IATC 2021

Instead of taking only the top 4 champions points finishers per individual league into Round 1 qualification, we will be taking the top 4 champions points finishers from every season begun during the 2020 league year to increase the opportunity for all league members who competed during the year.
Any Wild Card tournaments held prior to Round 1 of the 2021 IATC will be able to send their top 4 finishers to Round 1 rather than just the winner of the tournament in order to further account for players whose seasons may have been interrupted.

Your IATF member organization/league organizer will take you through all rule changes before the competition starts in May 2021.

We continue to grow the sport of axe throwing and are excited to see these new rules in action! However, we realize that you may have questions. We will be providing more resources to help implement the rule changes to answer as many of your questions/ comments as possible in the coming weeks.

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Due to the impacts of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the IATF is amending plans for IATC 2021.  Uncertainties around safe travel; regulations on physical distancing with large groups/events; and the US / Canada border closure, all needed to be considered - and would have made an event similar to 2020 almost impossible given the circumstances we all have today.  

Our goal is to host IATC in late spring or early summer 2021 instead of in February (the weather will be better anyway, eh?). We are hopeful that this will provide extra time to resolve some of the pandemic related impacts noted above.

In terms of event location, at this point we’re planning to hold IATC in Toronto. There are multiple venues within reasonable proximity, which is a strong option being considered to manage potential requirements for physical distancing. We will continue to assess all options as things develop.  

Impacts and changes in the pandemic from now going forward will influence how we make this happen - and we will keep members and players updated on progress and plans.  


Look for updates about IATC 2021 on IATF.com starting next week. Stay safe.


IATC 2021 Qualification Paths


A Look Back at IATC 2020 Qualification

Last year, for IATC 2020, there were four qualification paths to IATC Round 1:

  1. Win a Regional tournament
  2. The 70 Rule - Compete in IATF leagues and register 3 non-concurrent seasons with an average of 70 or better
  3. The Top 4 Rule - Compete in IATF leagues and end the year in a league’s top 4 ranked by most Champs Points earned in one league
  4. Win a Wild Card tournament

A player can only qualify by ONE path.  Qualifying by one path would remove a player from further consideration in subsequent paths; meaning, for example, a player who might have qualified under both the 70 Rule and the Top 4 Rule would be removed from the consideration of the Top 4 Rule, allowing another player to qualify in their place under the Top 4 Rule.


IATC 2021 Qualification

The pandemic has forced the IATF to adapt the qualification paths for IATC 2021. League play has been severely impacted by the pandemic with many organizations only having been able to run limited seasons through 2020. 

The four paths will remain in place, with some changes:

  1. Win a Regional Tournament - The IATF will run Regional tournaments ahead of IATC 2021, so this path remains the same.
  2. The 70 Rule - The 70 Rule remains as a qualification path, however, the reality is that many players likely did not have the opportunity to play three non-concurrent seasons this year.
  3. The Top 4 Rule - Because ~84% of leagues were unable to complete more than two seasons and to provide more opportunity to qualify for IATC 2021, the Top 4 Rule will be relaxed this year to allow for the top 4 players, ranked by most Champs Points, from every league season to advance to IATC 2021 Round 1. This will mean that more players have the opportunity to qualify for Round 1.
  4. Wild Card Tournaments - The IATF will run Wild Card tournaments ahead of IATC 2021, so this path remains the same.

At this time, all league play in 2020 will count. We are currently not planning to extend the league calendar year, even though IATC is held later in the year.  The rationale is that extending the 2020 league year would potentially negatively impact the 2021 season.

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Head’s up! We are launching version 1.2 of CRS on July 17th.  We listened to your feedback, made improvements, and are excited to launch the new version!

Main changes are :

A modification to the calculation will treat ties at 27 as follows:
It is no longer possible to tie at 81 and win the tiebreaker and have the rating adjusted downward.
Throwing an 81 against a better player can result in a positive adjustment, even if the tie breaker is lost. However, it also avoids the inflated rating adjustments of Version 1.1.

Click here to read more about CRS and our decision to make this change.

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