Houston, We Definitely Do Not Have A Problem

Review of BATL Houston, Houston, USA

Given that Houston is the furthest South location of the BATL axe throwing chain, I was curious to see if the BATL model varied at all from it’s Toronto origins – it didn’t. It was a bona fide replica of their established blueprint and I can’t see any problems at all with that model. As the saying goes: if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

Like most league-oriented outfits, BATL Houston is located in a large warehouse-size unit. There were 8 dual-target lanes along one wall and a spacious spectator area behind the lanes. All ideal for league play, and also great for a larger work/social group (they can host groups of up to 100), or even just a couple of folks like us popping in for a quick session.

It was a quiet afternoon, so there were just the two of us (and the host), with the odd regular dropping by now and again. The host was chatty, although not obtrusive, and it was all a very relaxed vibe. I like that BATL don’t cater and encourage you to order food in (they are licensed though, and serve a wide selection of beers). We ordered in a couple of pizzas, which all added to the lazy Sunday afternoon feel.

Our host was friendly and competent, and talked us through the safety and hatchet instruction initially. He demonstrated a two-handed throw with the standard IATF step in from the 15ft line. A pretty safe bet throw, but personally not my favourite. However, once he was happy we could hit the board, he left us to it (and we just carried on with our preferred style). We opted for the Axe & Knife Classic session, but if you want a dedicated coach for the whole session you can opt for the Premium session.

The hatchets were the IATF fibreglass house hatchet. Even though I do have a sentimental attachment to wooden handles, I really like this hatchet. It is a well-balanced axe with a smooth. narrow grip for a good release. It took us a minute to adjust to it, but then we found it a consistently good hit.

The targets were the standard IATF three ring and clutches layout, painted on planks. Good condition boards generally, but maybe a bit dry and therefore splintery (although it is Texas!).

There was a paper sheet with various suggested game options on it and space to record scores (Premium gives you digital scoring). After a bit of time playing the games with the hatchets, our host came over to talk through the knives, and then a while later the big axe. He did admit he wasn’t so great on knives, but we muddled through ok.

We had a 90mins session, which was plenty of time for two of us, particularly as our host was generous with the timing. The addition of knives and big axe also kept us busy. My knife throwing substantially improved by the end (albeit from a low bar), so I was particularly happy. I like the simple model, with no-frills on the food, games etc, but with the emphasis on the axes, boards and instruction – just where it should be in my view.

Disclaimer: “The Axe Inspector” receives no payment or benefit of any kind from either TheAxeThrower.com or from the venue, for this review. The review is the subjective opinion of one person (albeit as objective as possible) and we encourage throwers to try out the venue to make their own mind up.