Beginners welcome: Push yourself at these 5 extreme sports venues

Ask anyone about an Olympic sport that originated in Massachusetts and basketball or volleyball are likely to come to mind, but the Bay State is also where skeet shooting first evolved.

Born near Boston, skeet shooting is a sport that combines precision, skill, and a deep connection to the region's history.

Popular with corporate events, birthday parties and bachelor parties, Archery Games is more strategic than paintball and involves padded arrows that move much faster than dodgeballs.

Their Boston location offers public games, private games and events. They also have an escape room, food and drink available.

"It's a game played like dodgeball, but using foam-tipped arrows to shoot at each other," said Brian Seto.

"Most of our guests have never thrown an axe before, but it is something that anybody can learn how to do. It's a ton of fun," said Chester Domoracki of Revolution Axe Throwing in Everett.

Rob Mariano, better known as Boston Rob, visited to test his throwing arm for an episode of his Very Local show.

Domoracki showed him the proper form for ax throwing and, within minutes, Mariano was hitting the bullseye.

"The best part about this is that it is so accessible. A lot of people think coming in that it's going to be a bunch of big, burly lumberjack guys, but we're not really like that. We're sort of a rag-tag team of local people," Domoracki said.

Bring the waves to you on your next staycation with a trip to an indoor surfing facility in Nashua, New Hampshire.

Surf's Up has North America's largest surf stream, with a 32-foot channel that drives waves up to six feet high. The facility maintains a tropical warm temperature every day, with palm trees dotting the indoor space to make you feel like you're on the beach.

While the sport itself might not be extreme, it's following certainly can be described that way.

The game, often described as a combination of tennis, Ping-Pong and badminton, is one of the fastest-growing sports in America.

If you want to learn or play the game in Boston, there's a place that pairs the growing sport with nightlife. PKL Boston also has other bar games and bar features, such as trivia night and live music.

-----

Very Local is your best source for shows about New England communities, bringing you 24/7 access to news from your trusted local news source, weather updates and more. Very Local also brings you fresh, untold stories from your very own city and communities like yours, with exclusive original shows and local stories specific to where you live. Get the channel to stream Very Local FREE on Roku or Amazon Fire TV.

Follow Very Local on Facebook and @VeryLocal on Instagram for more.

Very Local is a subsidiary of WCVB's parent company, Hearst Television.