My grandmother would send us out to pick a switch off the willow tree, with the caviat that if we didn't pick a "good" one, she would pick a "better" one. Quite an effective deterrent, for an afternoon, anyway.
We had the same grandma!
Black walnut trees were abundant in our region. Nasty little switches would leave nice bright welts. Kept my sorry little ass in line though, and in all honesty I never got a lickin' that I didn't deserve.
Five minute prep time - I'm with Jim. Gun. That's plenty of time.
