Tomahawk throwing at Cart Wood
The Cart Wood team is excited to be able to offer this activity to members of Tonbridge & District Scouts. The range was constructed in 2020, almost entirely from timber harvested from the wood, and is big enough to run 3 targets at the same time. Young people can wait in the purpose-built seating area, just outside of the range, easily rotating in and out when it’s their turn to throw.
Why throw Tomahawks?
This may seem a strange activity to some, however safety is always the primary concern and the team of instructors ensure that the activity is run correctly. Tomahawk throwing can generate health competition between participants, and can be a real sense of achievement once the techniques are mastered. This open air activity gets our young people outside, and promotes hand eye coordination, with what could be perceived as a exhilarating, dangerous activity, but in fact when run correctly has relatively low levels of risk.
How do the sessions run?
An initial session will involve a thorough safety briefing, including looking in detail at the Throwing Angels and Norse Hawks the young people will be using, as well as instruction on correct throwing technique. The majority of young people will be consistently ‘sticking’ the hawks by the end of their first session, and dependent on the individuals may then start to work on accuracy. Subsequent sessions will see the young people practice their techniques with various games and competitions to work on their accuracy.
What does the throwing team consist of?
In a normal session, the throwing team will consist of a range master, and an instructor. The range master controls the range ensuring that hawks are thrown in the correct manor, safely and at appropriate times. An instructor will be analysing participants technique and making suggestions to improve results.
How long does a session last?
A session consists of a 10-15 minute briefing, followed by 45-60 minutes of throwing, this will be tailored for the age of the participants and the group size.
What size group can participate?
Simply the smaller the group, the more throwing each participant gets. We are able to run 3 targets in the range so multiples of three work best, and experience has shown us that group sizes bigger than 12 mean that young people can get distracted as there is too much dead time between throws. Larger groups have simply split their members in half and run another activity at the wood in parallel, then swapped the groups over.
What do I need to provide for my young people to take part in a session?
The throwing team can provide all of the equipment required for a session, and will run the activity, however leaders will be needed to supervise those not actually in the range, as well as marshal the arrival/departure from the wood. The throwing team are all first aid trained, and we can provide a risk assessment for this activity.
Does this sound like something your young people would like to do?
If you are interested in this activity and would like to run a session, please get in contact with the team: cartwood@tonbridge-scouts.org.uk We are happy to answer and questions you may have.
Interested in joining the Tonbridge District Throwing Team?
Give us a shout and we can have a chat about the training required and get you along to a few sessions.
