Tomahawk throwing is taking the health and fitness world by storm, as I’m sure you've noticed. As spring wiggles its way out of winter’s grip, health-conscious folk across the Midwest are hauling their arsenals out of the shed. College students are sharpening their tactical hawks, stay-at-home moms are polishing their fast hawks, and professors are sanding the handles of their replica trade hawks. Indoor ranges are getting quiet as people take to parks and back yards to collectively celebrate the sailing of steel through the spring air. Some will join local throwing leagues, some will flip burgers on the grill between throws.
Some will throw alone, simply enjoying the clarity and peace of that reassuring tempo: the slow kiss of metal on wood. These few know that a well-thrown hawk is a manifestation of the will; it seems to sprout from the target, and presage the successes of the day to come. The axe meeting the target is the echo of achievement, in reverse. It is a warm, willful sound, wholly of the earth, both immediate and eternal.
All right, so throwing tomahawks isn't a new fitness craze. It has yet to develop the martial-fitness hipness of Tae Bo or cardio kickboxing. The above is an indulgence, a montage of an Americana made richer through embracing my favorite spring discipline. For years, I’ve been reaping the boundless physical and mental benefits of throwing tomahawks (and other sharp things). In a typically magnanimous move, I’m going explain how and why you should do something truly unconventional for the sake of fun and health.
Here are 6 benefits of tomahawk throwing, in brief:
- It’s good for your muscles. Skepticism is natural, but tomahawk throwing is a great workout. It’s obviously not intended to be comprehensive. But as an entertaining supplement, you can’t beat it. Throwing properly utilizes the whole body, so stretching first is essential. Throwing involves much of your core. It asks a lot of your triceps. Tomahawks on the ground can be retrieved with lunges. If you force yourself through the initial awkwardness of off-hand throwing, and lunge-retrieve with both legs, you’ll feel it the next day, and perhaps the next.
- It is “real” exercise if done vigorously. Imagine pitching a baseball or serving a tennis ball for a couple of hours. While your heart rate (probably) won’t approach that of running or calisthenics, a good rhythm of throwing and tomahawk retrieval is demanding. The uninitiated begin casually and quickly transition to sweating and layer removal.
- It is meditative and calming. Any marksman can tell you about the timeless bubble that hangs around the moment of release. Having an objective, no matter how transitory, is a great way to turn down head chatter and practice focus. Objective-based training/exercise improves attention, lowers stress, and builds confidence. Please just imagine I’m citing studies for those claims. Come on, you know it’s true.
- It forges positive personal traits. Whether you stick with the thrower’s simplest goal—get the tomahawk to stick in the target—or challenge yourself immensely—throw 8 different weapons from 30 feet away—there’s always a new frontier of personal challenge to be had with throwing. Feeling yourself ramp up a tangible skill (especially such an unusual one) is satisfying. Becoming a pendulum between the unattempted and the achieved sharpens the will and hardens one against adversity.
- It’s fun, social, and inclusive. It’s like horseshoes, "Baggo," lawn darts, and many other vestiges of summer Americana, except it makes you feel like a Viking or a Cree warrior or Daniel Day Lewis, instead of someone named Doug with a mortgage and a Subaru. People of most athletic abilities can participate, and throwing is just novel enough to promote an atmosphere of “Aw, heck, I’ll give it a shot.”
- It’s “primal,” which is hip right now. Your devoted “paleo” friends will be very impressed when you use actual paleolithic technology to unwind.
If you would like to get started, simply find a tree you don't value, or construct a target. Some simple and charming instruction on making a target can be found in this video.
There is an wide array of options for throwing. These can be purchased on the internet, or in sporting goods stores.
Here are a few options from my own collection:
The traditional/trade hawk.
This is the Ed Sullivan of tomahawks. This weapon was commonly traded with and among Native Americans during the seventeenth century. While Native American tribes used stone or even antler heads, European settlers quickly began producing metal-headed versions for trade with indigenous people. Its two-part construction makes the inevitable handle replacement quick and easy. Great for the traditionalist or mountain man, but comes with a steeper learning curve than modern equivalents.
The tactical tomahawk.
Similar in weight to the traditional model, with notable modern innovations. A spike opposite the blade will affords the thrower another approach for especially resilient targets. A forged steel head is harder and more durable than the iron head of the traditional model. A fiberglass-reinforced nylon handle will stand up to years of throwing. The model pictured is the SOG Tactical Tomahawk.
The Fast Hawk (pictured with tactical hawk).
"Fast Hawk" is a brand name designation from SOG, the manufacturer, for what is essentially a miniature version of the above tactical model. The smaller size is provides the creative thrower with a wide palette of new options. It's a great option for those lacking upper body strength. It's also so, so precious and cute.
The Double-headed tactical tomahawk.
Besides having that ineffable quality of being "more Viking-like," double-headed tomahawks double your chance of a solid stick by multiplying the effective striking surface twofold. If the math is giving you a headache, look at the picture—two blades! The added steel does translate to added weight, so plan accordingly. This particular style is useful for extended excursions away from civilization: if you chip or ruin one blade, you've got another at hand.
The double bit or "Michigan" axe
We Michiganians are fortunate to have such a beautiful tool bearing our name. Make no mistake—this is an axe for felling trees and chopping wood, foreshortened for the purpose of throwing. With a 3.5 pound head, it requires care, strength, and dexterity to throw. The thunderous wallop of a successful throw with this axe provides unparalleled satisfaction. Not for the timid or careless. Caution: plan to replace your target after an afternoon with this powerhouse, unless your target is a tree. In that case, keep your ears perked for creaking timber.
The huge throwing knife.
There's a point in a knife's life when it is no longer merely a knife. This is a time when it bears so little resemblance to its kitchen drawer brethren that it transcends its origins, and joins the elite ranks of real throwing implements. The pictured knife is such a specimen. The Cold Steel brand Sure Balance Thrower is a knife with a weight and size approaching a tomahawk. Its massive size and solid metal construction gives it incredible penetrating power. Caveats: this weapon is much more likely to ricochet significantly than a tomahawk. The tip remains quite sharp, and should be treated with care and respect.
Throwing is a great reason to get outside, tone your muscles, improve your mind, have fun, and learn a skill that will almost certainly never come in handy. With a small initial cost and a gentle learning curve, throwing welcomes the brave and bored alike with open arms.
The tactical tomahawk.
Similar in weight to the traditional model, with notable modern innovations. A spike opposite the blade will affords the thrower another approach for especially resilient targets. A forged steel head is harder and more durable than the iron head of the traditional model. A fiberglass-reinforced nylon handle will stand up to years of throwing. The model pictured is the SOG Tactical Tomahawk.
The Fast Hawk (pictured with tactical hawk).
"Fast Hawk" is a brand name designation from SOG, the manufacturer, for what is essentially a miniature version of the above tactical model. The smaller size is provides the creative thrower with a wide palette of new options. It's a great option for those lacking upper body strength. It's also so, so precious and cute.
 |
| The "Fast Hawk" next to its larger brother. |
The Double-headed tactical tomahawk.
Besides having that ineffable quality of being "more Viking-like," double-headed tomahawks double your chance of a solid stick by multiplying the effective striking surface twofold. If the math is giving you a headache, look at the picture—two blades! The added steel does translate to added weight, so plan accordingly. This particular style is useful for extended excursions away from civilization: if you chip or ruin one blade, you've got another at hand.
We Michiganians are fortunate to have such a beautiful tool bearing our name. Make no mistake—this is an axe for felling trees and chopping wood, foreshortened for the purpose of throwing. With a 3.5 pound head, it requires care, strength, and dexterity to throw. The thunderous wallop of a successful throw with this axe provides unparalleled satisfaction. Not for the timid or careless. Caution: plan to replace your target after an afternoon with this powerhouse, unless your target is a tree. In that case, keep your ears perked for creaking timber.
There's a point in a knife's life when it is no longer merely a knife. This is a time when it bears so little resemblance to its kitchen drawer brethren that it transcends its origins, and joins the elite ranks of real throwing implements. The pictured knife is such a specimen. The Cold Steel brand Sure Balance Thrower is a knife with a weight and size approaching a tomahawk. Its massive size and solid metal construction gives it incredible penetrating power. Caveats: this weapon is much more likely to ricochet significantly than a tomahawk. The tip remains quite sharp, and should be treated with care and respect. 