Team Building Blog

A blog about team building events in the UK and further afield in Europe.

Friday, September 11, 2009

Falconry and Archery

Falconry and archery are good events for relaxed social team bonding. They can be part of a larger day and provide a moment of more sedate tempo. They are also very interesting. Experienced instructors can go into a bit of the history of archery.

Did you know that it's still written into the law that men of fighting age (over 14 years) must practice longbow for two hours every day under the watchful eye of the local clergy? More disturbingly it's still legal to shoot a Scotsman on sight with a bow and arrow in England (except on Sundays) and in certain cities you can shoot a Welshman within the city walls after midnight. I'm not sure how well your defence would stand up in court!

Archery has affected modern language with phrases such as bolt out of the blue, fast and loose, straight as an arrow, brace yourself and highly strung coming from the sport. Having more than one string to your bow is a sensible precaution for anyone, but particularly an archer.

Falconry also has interesting tales to tell. Stoop so low and one fell swoop are phrases from the sport. A 'fed up' bird will be reluctant to perform and when it's under control in the falconer's hand it's 'under the thumb'.

These activities suit certain types of events. They are enjoyable, fun and very interesting.