By Oliver Shidoin, Jokokan Dragør, 1. Kyu Yakami Shinsei-ryu Karate-do, 1. dan. Kodosokukai Gensei-ryu Karate-do, September 2013

POMW!’s (project Old Modern Warrior) third course, began 01 September, with the first of three parts. The first of the three parts was a short recap, about 4-5 hours, about POMW! II. During these hours we practiced what we had learned at POMW! II, which meant distance shooting at different distances and the use of reset while shooting. The most important point of focus that day, was learning to create a rhythm during shooting with reset. As always, dry training as well as the SDK-Skyts Skydetekniske handbook, are both essential for a good result. This can not be emphasized enough, since the difference between POMW! and regular Yakami training is, that you during POMW! get an immediate result relating to how you trained and your ability to focus.

Even though there has been a time of adjusting, then the first shot with the 9 mm, can still be overwhelming. It was in my case. During POMW! III, the first 9 mm shot was still overwhelming and not comfortable. Later I have learned, why I am not comfortable with the first shot. It is about the ’double action’, which I am not at ease with. I do not feel that I have full control over the shot with ’double action’. I don’t feel that I can use ’press squeeze’. Because of that, my first shot was uncontrolled and nervous. But with the aid of, SDK-Skyts Skydetekniske handbook, I got better control during ’double action’ shots, as the course continued.

For the second training session we met early in the morning, scheduled for about 10 hours of shooting. During this training session we began to train transitions (shooting at several targets). This meant shooting at different heights and shooting side to side. Here your hips come in to play. For example if you must shoot from left to right, then your hip must turn, not just your arms. This way the recoil will not affect your arms, and it is simpler to re aim. All the mentioned shooting was done with changing distance and speed. The further back the more difficult it was both to hold the focus and to hit the target. Again I can only emphasize the importance of dry training and the use of ’Skydehåndbogen’.

All of this and the training the prior week, had taken place at ”the Hole”, where we had shot at IPSC targets, where the target had been within the Alpha zone. So it had been a pretty large target to hit. So when we moved inside ’Skyttehuset’, and began shooting at precision targets with 9 mm, then we really had to use competence.

Here we are talking about, having already shot standing up for 3 hours, from the early morning hours. So already, the attitude was not at the best level. Once again I emphasize to bring ’Skydeteknisk handbook’ to the forefront of your mind, turn up the attitude, and be 100% ON. I can not remember my results, but can almost guarantee, there has been a big spread on my target. This is a clear sign of an unfocused shooter… But with already to POMW! courses completed, then you also know not to let this bring you down. It is simply something to work on! Although it is difficult to maintain that attitude, after 5-6 hours of shooting. Precision shooting at distance 25m with 9 mm, became the round off, after 9-10 hours of shooting, and if anybody has any doubts, then I can guarantee, that after that many hours of shooting, then you are tired body and soul.

The last of the three shooting sessions was 22/9. The first shot sounded about 09:00, and began a 3 hour shooting session with transition and distance shooting with reset. As an extra, we tried out barricade shooting. Which simply means, transfer of weight to shoot offset from your center. Rounding of the shooting at ”the Hole”, we shot 45 meter distance with transition, where we got the assignment to empty 2 magazines in a fast rhythm.

So the first 3 hours of POMW! III’s 3. day, was a fine polish and repetition of the last two times of practice at ”the Hole”. After the first 3 hours came the big test with 0.22 mm at precision targets. But first a little lunch break, followed by a Power point show with information about the making of POMW, the effect, foundation, etc, to give us a better understanding of, how big a project POMW! really is. Before we got started with 0.22, the 9 mm had to be cleaned, which we all had to learn how to do. And there is no better way of learning, than doing. So, 4 guns were laid out, and with instructions from Martin Renshi and Jens Hanshi-dai, all the POMW! attendees joined up to clean the 4 guns.

Finally we were to shoot the 0.22 mm, which is a strange feeling, having shot with 9 mm, which has a great deal more fire power, than a 0.22. You can talk about recoil control, reset and split time, to master the 9 mm, but in my understanding, you get the real gun control by shooting with 0.22. This demands an explanation which Søren Renshi gave, following the shooting. The projectile of the 0.22 moves in a sphere, so if you do not have the perfect hand technique and attitude, then it will show at the target, with a large spread. In my case, I shot my first 3 rounds, with a small spread, which made me think, ”super, this is going well!” And from there, it just went down hill. From there my attitude failed, and for the next 2 rounds, there was an enormous spread on my target. A prove of both bad hand technique and attitude.

So all I can recommend right now, is lots of dry training, and optimal attitude, which is a lot harder than it sounds. Beyond that it is of great importance to remember, not to let a bad result bring you down, but to remember, that it gives you something to work on.
In POMW! you do not work on bad shots. All shots, is fired to be optimal, and will just show whether something right or wrong is being done. But it is a direct result, of your amount of work, and your attitude at the given moment.