The Range Rules and Safety Protocol

Look its simple folks these axes, hawks and knives are sharp or pointy instruments and it is easy to drop them by accident so goofing around with them makes it even easier to get injured. These rules are based on common sense so let’s have fun and throw some axes at targets but let’s not be bone-heads and make it a hospital road trip. No matter how funny you think it would be to scare your friend think of how much worse it would be if you cut off their finger, hand, arm or even worse.
Why would you even want to risk that, and even if you would risk it and don’t care I do and you can’t risk it here, go to your house because here safety not ego comes first.
When it comes to being able to throw knives on the range you have to be approved to do so by me. You have some knives and watched a youtube video, especially a WKTL video, is not enough!

Knife throwers around the world adhere to one constant saftety rule at every club, organisation, and competition which is

1. WE NEVER THROW KNIVES WITH A LIVE EDGE!!

THIS IS ABOUT AS UNSAFE AS IT GETS FOR BEGINNERS AND NOT TEACHING SAFETY IS NOT A PART OF KNIFE THROWING AS A SPORT.
ANY RANGE THAT SAYS YOU CAN ONLY THROW THE KNIVES THEY SELL AND THEY ARE LIVE EDGE KNIVES THEY ARE NOT LEGIT AND ONLY WANT TO MAKE A SALE,ESPECIALLY IF THEY ARE AN AXE RANGE. THEY ARE DISHONEST AND NOT SAFE AND THEY DO NOT CARE ABOUT THE SPORT OR YOUR SAFETY ONLY MAKING MONEY, PERIOD.
You may not need much training to teach people "good enough" where you work but you do when teaching knife throwing, and you especially need proper training longer than an hour for teaching throwing with live edges!

Too brag that you are ALL about safety but NO LIVE EDGE KNIFE THROWING is not the FIRST THING you teach, and it is not a rule at your axe facility then you are not in it for the sport and new throwers and instructors should beware and walk out or refuse to teach.

Private one on one lessons from a profesional thrower, such as myself, who knows how to properly handle a live edge weapon on a range they setup which has safety protocols in place is ok, but make sure they are a profesional which means they understand what it means to throw a live edge, and that this is not part of knife throwing as a sport. Noone should think it is ok for beginners to throw live edge weapons before learning the basics with a non live edge knife, and just putting up a cyclone fence that will hopefully stop a knive does not change the fact that live edge knives are not safe without proper training and even then it is dangerous! This is not part of our sport as knife throwers.

Rule 1: WE DO NOT THROW AROUND OR NEAR PEOPLE!!!

Rule 2: We throw together and walk together at all times in our respective lanes no exceptions. Again, you can do what you want at your house but not here. This is something that the throwing community adheres to for every group throwing event because bounces and misses happen even for professionals and people have been hurt. Participants can throw one at a time or at the same time but you cannot retrieve your hawk, hatchet or axe until both players have thrown in your lane period.

Rule 3: These are not toys but sharp implements. Yes we have fun with the axes’ but they have what we call live edges which means they can cut you. We do not play or joke around with them by any means which includes pretending to throw them at each other or cutting off someone’s head or any other body part, juggling or flipping them or throwing them to each other to catch even for a “selfie” or as I call them selfish picture. I have seen people grab an axe blade while someone is taking a picture of them and oops, now they cut themselves and may need stiches so don’t be selfish.

Rule 4: You must throw only at the targets in your lane and you cannot throw at other lane targets from another lane. If there is a group of you and you have reserved 2 lanes you can use both lanes by switching out and moving to the other lane but you cannot be in one lane and throw at targets in a different lane.

Rule 5: Whatever I - JW – the range master or your safety instructor says it is the final word. I am the only one who can override a range master or safety instructor so if you disagree with what your coach, instructor or safety instructor says you come to me. I can’t watch everyone and if someone from The Range sees you being a knuckle head or unsafe in any way we will end your throwing for the day, we may not throw you out, but there will be no more throwing for you.