Rise and shine and head out into the countryside near you where you will find a warm welcome, and a hot drink, at one of our many clay shooting venues. It may be nippy, but that bracing country air will soon have you raring to go, and, as the clays fly, you will be smashing them out of the air like a pro in no time.

Beginners and crackshots all catered for, as are younger members of the family.

Join us in the countryside for the sport of kings (and everyone else really).

Click here to book a shoot close to you.

The post Traditional Boxing Day Clay Shooting appeared first on ADRENAMAG.

Research by the country’s foremost activity provider, The Activity People, reveals a combination of tougher economic times and Government spending cuts are steering employees and companies away from traditional office Christmas parties towards more action-based activities.

The Activity People monitored corporate bookings for Christmas parties over a five-year period. The figures reveal a dramatic increase in the last two years in the number of companies booking activities such as paintball, go karting or clay pigeon shooting.

Research by YouGov in 2009 revealed that only about 40 per cent of office workers were guaranteed a Christmas party, with one in six employees contributing to the budget themselves.  Rebecca Rudkin, Corporate Manager at The Activity People, believes this pressure on the Christmas party budget is forcing employees and companies to rethink their party plans.

‘More than ever before companies want value for money for their Christmas party and they want to be sure that employees enjoy it. Therefore, they are being more creative in what they are doing,’ says Rudkin.

Although the latest Government economic statistics revealed higher growth figures than expected, the planned Government spending cuts mean 2010 is likely to be another Christmas where budgets will be tight for parties.

Mark, who runs a small engineering firm in the West Midlands, is taking his team of 25 for a corporate shooting day. ‘We just wanted to do something different. We had a vote amongst our team and shooting come out top,’ says Mark

Angela, who runs a hairdressing salon in London, said: ‘We are all going karting, and having some food and drink afterwards. We are a young team and didn’t want to sit around with paper hats on. The guys are really looking forward to it.’

Rudkin says: ‘Our research shows many companies like to do something active because it relaxes people and it is simply more fun.’

The Activity People are giving every participant a £10 voucher to spend on an activity of your choice after Christmas, with Christmas and New Year bookings of 20 people or more. Just quote ref: adrenamagfreevoucher, when you book your group into any activity, and the vouchers are yours.

The post Office Christmas party: why the economy is changing the annual office bash appeared first on ADRENAMAG.

‘Where can I do clay pigeon shooting?’ was a question asked by Steve, a 49-year-old fireman from the West Midlands, who has been reading Adrenamag’s articles on clay pigeon shooting. Steve, who has always wanted to shoot clays, and would like to organise a day’s shooting to celebrate his 50^th birthday, also asked: ‘What simple tips can you give me about clay pigeon shooting. And should I have lessons before we go?’

Adrenamag took these queries to Tom, a 25-year veteran in teaching novices to shoot on stag-parties and corporate days out. Tom said: ‘I always say to people have a go at clay pigeon shooting – after all that’s the best lesson there is. Get the feel of the sport and see if you like it.’

‘Do you need a shot gun licence to shoot clays?’ Steve asked. ‘No,’ said Tom. ‘If you buy a gun and shoot regularly, then you will need one, but you will not need a licence for a day’s shoot.’

Tom’s tip for better clay pigeon shooting

1.     Listen to advice. Very basic, but we get a lot of guys – and it is guys – in stag parties who just want to blast off. Take the time out to listen and you will be a better shot.

2.     Keep an eye open. Find out which is your dominant eye – your instructor will help with this.

3.     Put your whole body into it. The skill of shooting is moving smoothly – not snatching. This means moving your whole body.

4.     Line up the clay. Watch the line of the clay – or bird as we say here – see how high it is above the trees, etc. That way you can track the line of flight.

5.     Calm down. Shooting is about lowering the pulse and being clinical.

If you want to do clay pigeon shooting, click here.

The post How can I start clay pigeon shooting? appeared first on ADRENAMAG.

1. Motor sport star Alice Powell. In January Alice Powell was named the British Woman Racing Drivers Club Elite Gold Star Winner for her success and achievement in 2010. It is the second year in succession she has won the award.

Presenting the award to the former karting star was the BBC1 Formula One TV presenter Jake Humphrey. Jake said: ‘I really do think it’s about time that women who are making waves in motor racing are recognised at the very top. So good luck in 2011.’

This year Alice hopes to compete in the Formula Renault UK Championship, which receives LIVE ITV coverage and crowds at the track that match figures of attendance at an average Premier League Football game. If you are a woman who is interested in karting and would like to know where Alice started click here.

2. Italian women clay pigeon shooters. Italy is home to some of the world’s top women clay pigeon shooters. Katiuscia Spada won the Skeet Women ISSF World Cup Final in Izmir, Turkey, in 2010. It’s not the first time the Italian police officer has been seen on the medal winners’ podium in the last three years; she won the Olympic silver medal in Beijing behind fellow Italian Chiara Cainero. Skeet is a clay pigeon discipline where clays are thrown by two machines for the shooter to kill. If you want to try clay pigeon shooting, click here.

3. Water sports super star, Kristin Boese. German Kristin Boese is a legend in women’s water sports. Twice women’s world kitesurfing champion, she has been nominated for world sailor of the year. The author of several books, she has also recently launched a modelling career. If you want to try water sports, click here.

4. Archery hot shot. Twenty-six year-old Nicky Hunt is targeting more medals in 2011. Finishing 2010 in number one position in the FITA world rankings, she helped the English team win the women’s compound team event then added the individual gold medal a day later. If you want to try archery click here.

5. Women skydivers. It’s known as the world’s biggest pink cloud with 181 women skydivers filling the Californian sky in 2009. Led by Kate Cooper-Jensen, one of the foremost skydivers in the world, Jump for the Cause was co-founded with Mallory Lewis, after her mother, legendary puppeteer Shari Lewis, lost her battle with cancer in 1998. Events in 1999, 2002 and 2005 raised a combined total of over $1 million and broke the previous world records with 119 women in 1999, 131 women in 2002,151 in 2005 and 181 women in 2009. If you want to try a sky dive or another extreme sport, click here.

The post Women in extreme sports. Can extreme sports show football the way forward? appeared first on ADRENAMAG.

Back in 2011, West Ham United spent most of the football reason firmly rooted to the bottom of the English Premiership table and they decided to reverse their fortunes with a day’s karting and clay pigeon shooting. The team bonding session was revealed by the then England international striker Carlton Cole on Twitter.

Avram Grant, West Ham’s beleaguered manager, no doubt hoped to sharpen the striker’s shooting skills with a day hitting clays. No one at the club was available to comment on whether the karting laps got the team motoring or whether the team’s star player Scott Parker used the go-karting day to practise his corners. After the team-building event, West Ham achieved their best result of the season with a win over Liverpool, to lift them off the bottom of the table for the first time – they even ended up surviving relegation!

If you want to try karting click here, or clay pigeon take a shot here

The post West Ham in need of another team-building day out! appeared first on ADRENAMAG.

Like a lot of top sportsmen Andrew Strauss, who was once captain of the England cricket team, is a big believer in visualisation. His maxim is ‘you should never put your body in a place your mind has not already been’.

Many top clay pigeon competitors argue that the same principles apply to shooting. Few sports so closely rely on the interaction between mind and body as pigeon shooting. Tom, a clay shooting instructor for over 20 years, says: ‘The mind and body are inseparable in shooting, the moment people tense up, their ability to shoot is dramatically reduced.’

He argues that controlling the mind is a big part of shooting. ‘Shooting is not just about where you put your feet but how you approach the target. It is about being instinctive and aware.’ The above video illustrates how visualisation can be used to focus on the target. Like Andrew Strauss, the shooter is putting his mind in the place to fire the trigger before he actually puts his body in that position.

Visualisation may have played a part in helping Andrew Strauss’ team win the Ashes in Australia, and it could well make you a better clay shooter. Why not give the theory the practical test and have a go yourself, click here.

The post How to be a better clay pigeon shooter appeared first on ADRENAMAG.

Kathy is a 28-year-old recruitment executive from London. She took up ‘pigeon shooting’, as she calls it, after her company did a clay pigeon shooting day. ‘I loved it from the off,’ she says. ‘It is a terrific challenge, and being able to beat the men is an added bonus.’

Kathy’s instructor Andrew, who has been teaching people to shoot for over 20 years, is not surprised by the rise in the number of women interested in clay pigeon shooting. ‘Women are often better at shooting because they listen more and therefore they learn faster,’ he says.

‘Women are invariably surprised by the how good they are at shooting clays. I think this acts as an encouragement,’ adds Andrew.

Lesley Goddard, former English, British and World Universal Trench champion, says: ‘There’s no reason why a woman can’t be as good a shot as a man. The top women prove this all the time.’

Daniel Wroe, at The Big Shoot – the UK’s largest network of clay pigeon venues – has noticed an increased interest from women in clay pigeon shooting over the last few years. ‘There’s definitely been a rise in the number taking part, and feedback from women is also more positive than ever. Clay pigeon shooting is a very social day, which women enjoy,and it is a more technical sport than people realise, so female guile is an asset,’ says Daniel.

If you want to take a pop at clay pigeon shooting, click here.

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One in three UK workers is too shy to get sweaty in front of colleagues according to a British Heart Foundation (BHF) survey. The BHF study, which looked at UK workplace exercise trends, revealed that over half of UK workers are desk-bound for most of the day with nearly 50 per cent eating lunch at their desks. According to the findings 81 per cent of UK workers fail to get the recommended amount of exercise a week.

With the UK government predicting that 36 per cent of men and 28 per cent of woman will be obese in five years, what’s the answer? The BHF survey suggests the workplace is the perfect location for keeping fit and active, with half of UK workers admitting they won’t travel more than 10 minutes from work or home to exercise.

Lisa Purcell, project manager for the BHF’s Health at Work Programme says: ‘Embarrassment shouldn’t prevent people from being healthy at work. You don’t have to don a lycra leotard to get fit and healthy, the payoffs from even simple changes like taking a walk at lunchtime are too great to ignore. Getting healthy during the working day means you are less stressed and better motivated.

‘Bosses need to understand there’s a massive return on investment here. Simple measures to improve the health of your workforce – like swapping tea-break biscuits for fruit, or getting the team together for a lunchtime kickaround in the car park – can improve productivity, reduce staff turnover, and mean fewer sick days.

‘We are calling on businesses to take their employee’s health and wellbeing seriously, and start reaping the rewards,’ she said.

The BHF Health at Work programme, sponsored by Legal & General, has already signed up more than 800 organisations. Employees from bin men to bank tellers are finding there’s no need for blushes when they’re all in it together.

Apprentice star

Claire Young has lost four stone since appearing on the BBC’s Apprentice. She says: ‘All companies need a fit workforce – a healthy mind is a productive mind. The more employers look after their staff, the better they will perform. It’s a great way to ensure a happier and healthier workplace.’

Five corporate sporting events for shy employees

1. Paintball. No need to worry about getting sweaty in front of work colleagues when playing paintball: the protective clothing will hide your blushes and save your face. If you want to fire your work colleagues into action, click here.

2. Karting. Karting is another sport where the more retiring office worker can hide behind the crash helmet and the overalls. Put your foot down and get your colleagues away from the desk for some exercise. It may be sitting down, but the blood is pumping. More and more offices have having their Christmas parties on the track. Check it out here

3. Clay pigeon shooting. Here’s a sport that’s more swanky than sweaty. Green wellies, tweeds, picnics, oh and there’s also the shooting. Clay pigeon shooting is the perfect mix of social and sporting for lots of work colleagues. Take a shot at it, click here.

4. Segway. Segway racing is a popular corporate event that doesn’t have to embarrass anyone. With the average British office worker spending so much time chained to their desks, a whirl in the countryside maybe just be what the doctor ordered. To take a ride, click here.

5. High Ropes. Tree walking is a corporate sporting event that is rising in popularity. And just like Tarzan and Jane, it is possible to still look cool, although the loin cloth is optional. To book, click here.

The post Employees shy away from exercise. Blush-proof ideas for corporate sporting events appeared first on ADRENAMAG.

2. James Cracknell OBE. The former Olympic gold medallist is the ultimate extreme sports adventurer. After rowing to gold in Athens, he’s been a full-time, full-on action man. He rowed the Atlantic with fellow celebrity Ben Fogle for Children in Need, was knocked out by a New Zealand boxer, attempted the Norwegian polar explorer Amundsen’s Omega3 South Pole Race and competed in the 2008 European Triathlon Championships for GB. In April 2010 James became the highest placed Briton ever in the 25-year history of the Marathon Des Sables – a six day marathon across the Sahara desert. In August, he was involved in a horror cycling accident in the US, in which he fractured his skull but is, hopefully, on the road to recovery.

3. Eddie Izzard. Stand-up comedian Eddie Izzard is an unlikely convert to the world of extreme sports. In the summer of 2009, after a couple of weeks’ training, the transvestite comedian decided to do seven weeks of back-to-back marathons for Sports Relief. In all he ran 43 marathons in 51 days, keeping fans posted about his progress on his blog Eddie Iz Running. He received a special award on BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year in 2009.


4. Steve McQueen. With a dad who was a stunt pilot for a flying circus, it’s maybe not surprising that movie legend Steve McQueen was drawn to extreme speeds. In his day job in Bullitt, McQueen shot one of film’s most famous car chases and off-screen he was a real-life racer, driving motorcycles, and cars both on and off-road. On-screen, of course, he’s famed for jumping fences on motor bikes in the Great Escape. If you want to try a range of McQueen’s favourite motor sports, click here.

5. Sir Jackie Stewart. Three times winning Formula One racing champion Sir Jackie Stewart went from one extreme sport to another activity. Not content with becoming perhaps the UK’s greatest ever racing driver, he represented his country at clay pigeon shooting too and now runs a clay pigeon shooting school at Gleneagles Hotel in Scotland. If you want to try clay pigeon shooting, near to where you live, just click here.

The post Flintoff kicks off extreme sports show appeared first on ADRENAMAG.

Claire Tyler, CEO of Relate, commented on the report’s findings: ‘It’s when life gets really hard – you’re starting a family, pressure at work can be immense and increasingly money worries can be crippling. We cannot afford to sit back and watch this happen.’

Lisa is a professional woman in her early 40s with two children, is she happy? ‘Yes. I believe it is important to have time for yourself. Of course my priority is the family, but I make time for exercise because it makes me feel good, and renews my energy.’
Tristia Clarke of TalkTalk, who were partners in the survey, said: ‘People in their late 30s and early 40s are a time-poor generation. Long hours at work means they have less time to spend face-to-face with friends and family.’

Robert, a 49-year-old engineer, agrees: ‘I think you need to retain a balance, after a bad day at work I like to do something different. Then I can come back refreshed.’ Robert’s colleague Peter, 48, who works in IT, thinks friends are an important part of happiness. ‘I enjoy active sports with friends, the banter, the competition, are all part of the fun.’

Relate’s report says that 27 per cent of people feel lonely a lot of the time. Robert believes this is an easy trap to fall into. ‘I know for me it is an effort sometimes to join friends but I think it’s worth it.’  Ben, who together with a group of friends, has recently cycled the length of the country to raise money for charity, said: ‘I feel a bit of a fraud because although we have raised a good sum for charity, I have personally got a lot out of it. It was great fun and really boosted my self esteem.’

So what’s the secret of midlife happiness? ‘Balance,’ says Lisa. ‘Health, fun and challenge,’ believes Robert. ‘For me it’s having something that recharges my batteries. That can be friends or exercise. Whatever turns you on, really,’ says Ben.

If you want to try a range of adrenalin activities with friends, which may or may not tackle a pending midlife crisis click here.

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