VIDEO: A look at axe and knife throwing at the home of the 2024 World Axe and Knife Throwing Championships

It was announced last week that Back 2 Bear, located at Kenwick Park, will play host to the World Axe and Knife Throwing Championships, much to the delight of owner Spencer Kennedy and the team.

Back 2 Bear offers a huge range of outdoor pursuits and activities including archery, adult and junior crossbow, whittling, Laser Tag and Nerf Wars, and much more – including their now legendary axe and knife throwing.

Owner Spencer Kennedy said that the team are expecting more than 250 people from around the world – including competitors and teams from countries including the Czech Republic, USA, France, Germany, Italy and more.

Just some of the heats include throwing knives at spinning pendulum targets at distances from 3metres up to 7metres over three rounds, and then the same with a no-spinning target.

There will be target throwing for double-headed and forestry axes, before moving on to long-distance axe and knife throwing in a sudden death situation, starting at a distance of 4metres and gradually increasing until the competitor who throws the most precise throw at the biggest distance is left.

Another event will see ‘Snooker’ knife and axe events, where targets are made with the colours of snooker balls and competitors have to start with the largest, red targets and gradually they get smaller according to the scores accorded to snooker balls, with black the highest scoring.

I went along to Back 2 Bear have a go myself at wielding some axes and knives to see what all the fuss was about, and discovered it’s not only very satisfying, but a lot of fun.

Spencer and his second-in-command, Tom Wood, first showed me the correct grip on the beginner throwing knives, called ‘angels’, which involves ensuring your hand holds all of the handle with none protruding from your grip, and firm enough to be able to release it.

The trick then is to hold it up and bring your arm down as you throw, aiming to have your hand pointing where you want the knife to land after it leaves your hand.

I’m very pleased to say I managed to stick six out of the nine knives I threw, which was incredibly satisfying as the blade ‘thunked’ into the targets.

The axe technique was similar but different at the same time, obviously somewhat heavier, and this one proved harder for me but still so much fun – bringing out my inner Viking!

Spencer and Tom then correctly demonstrated how some of the events in the championships, including the impressive spinning pendulums and the snooker event with different coloured targets, and we’d like to extend our thanks to the team for their hospitality.

Spencer said that the championships are a great opportunity to show what Louth and Lincolnshire are all about and I couldn't agree more – plus the thought of hundreds of people from around the world coming to see our beautiful corner of Lincolnshire can only be a good thing.

To find out more about the World Knife and Axe Throwing Championships, visit Back 2 Bear’s website at https://www.back2bear.co.uk/