– Will I press the trigger, if it is a life or death situation?
TLUS POMW 1, TSM B by Christian H. Olsen, 2.kyu Yakami Shinsei-ryu, 1.kyu BKK. Spring 2012

Another man with a loaded weapon makes it clear, draw, aim and shoot with the intent to kill you. Would you shoot first and would you train on the risk to stand in a realistic situation. Would you pull the trigger on your gun to survive or to die? I cannot answer the question for you; just decide what I will do. Hopefully I will not be in this situation. Go the peaceful way if possible.

Maybe the right thing and the easiest decision are to go in the non-violent Gandhi a path. If everyone decided to live this way there would probably be no wars, killing or conflicts. A beautiful thought most people would probably think.

But is it realistic or just a romantic, unrealistic view of the real world? The reality is that harmful conflict, killing and war exist between peaceful coexistence, survival and peace.

It will require only one man, woman or child, one thought, word and action to break this peaceful, loving life. Survival of the fittest in nature is also, who is best to kill if necessary and in any case only if possible. And it’s not necessarily the need or opportunity that arises from the strong mind or out of the strong body.

So would you let your survival depends on others’ mercy, or will you be 100% responsible for your own life and train for survival in a realistic situation that you hopefully never would come into, but do anything to avoid?

Very few people will never take another person’s or others’ lives, even if it means that they or others are killed. Other people kill just for themselves to survive. Others will kill when they are about even being killed. Still others, when they or their family, friends, group or country is threatened or attacked. Some will kill to prevent other people from threatening them (again?). Some people in order to achieve power, money, or respect. Some people kill in effect, in revenge, to punish and simply because of a sick mind’s delusions, including the majority of suicide. Suicide does not reflect a sick mind, think of the legend of Noro Sensei and the Red Bridge.

Very few people will risk killing or be killing just to save the life of an even larger number of people alone. Quite a few (even among ‘The Good’) kill ‘by mistake’, mostly because of an accidental shot, sometimes even himself. Few people who have killed, even if it was to survive, will probably live on unaffected.

So when would you kill and what is the difference between using a weapon (egg a gun) and not to use a weapon? In my opinion, the decision to be able to survive even if it requires to take another person’s life, not about weapons or not. That said, it is not just important but today well almost necessary for a modern martial arts practitioner to have broad and in-depth weapons knowledge and ability to survive and prevent one and others from being killed when a realistic situation may arise.

Imagine you are the civil, military, electric police man / woman who have the chance to stop a cold blooded killer, perhaps even dressed in police-power military uniform, like Hitler or Breivik, right in his cold-blooded shooting of a number of innocent people. Would you have the wisdom and courage to recognize and stop this insane action? Would you dare to shoot a mentally ill, dangerous man and cold-blooded murderer to save a lot of good people’s lives. Most people would say yes, especially if one of their family members were among the victims that have been shot or could be saved by this action. But what if the mentally ill person is someone you know? Or if it was a pregnant woman? And if you know her as a good person (perhaps better than yourself)? Or if the pregnant woman was the Virgin Mary with baby Jesus, as Son of God would liberate humanity for all its sins and heaven would be done on earth. And you stood in the way? What if she was the last woman in the world, and would kill you from a variety of other, better men in a battle for survival. What if it was your son, father, daughter, mother or wife who threatened or intended to kill you. Would you give your life for the benefit of saving the lives of others? And can we decide it in advance?

Just remember, it’s not the weapon or the absence of a weapon that kills, it is the man behind it! And who decides whether killing or survival is bad or good. It all probably depends on the situation you are in.

As always, words, appreciate, and it is action that counts and creates the future!

I will therefore now focus on describing the Project Old Modern Warrior (POMW) the project brief so we can focus on practicing the fundamentals of shooting, whether we are going to use it or not to use it. Hopefully it will be for the most part never need to use what we learn, like the rest of our training.

Nevertheless, it is worth doing, the more worth doing well. The principles of shooting is shown actually completely equivalent all weapons handling and dealing with potentially dangerous / hazardous machinery or potentially innocuous / harmless people in general.

Or vice versa, and also on the way information disclosed by Kimu Sensei great value, even for us ordinary mortals, who also then want to be immortal 😉 but do not do what it takes.

Basic sliding technical handbook ground rules:

1.Security
2.The correct and optimum sliding basic technique.

Point 1 is repeated in Section 3.5 7 and 9, Section 2 is repeated in section 4.6 and 8

Completely in line with the Native Americans, Indians, says that the universe is based on safety and value. If our decisions are based on this we will be supported.
POMW was created by Kimu Sensei in order to prove the truth of the old master Minouchi sensei. He claimed that the master can always decide to walk the warrior’s path. The warrior can in rare cases go to the master track, but can rarely be expected to do so.

The five basic steps:

1.Proper dual hand position (70-30%, left / right, leading-/power-hand)

2.Properly designed facilities – every time

3.Properly vent – Press (fast), Squeeze (slowly), not knowing when the shot goes off is correct

4.Proper recoil control, correct posture (Heiko dachi foot till meant, tekane legs and arms, upper body leaning forward, elbows in towards the center, gun raised to his eyes), proper breathing (end expiratorisk firing), intention (100%) every time, correct timing (depending on distance 5-8 sec 3-5 m, 11-14 5-7 m, etc.)

5.Evaluating each time, learning step by step troubleshooting. Safety and proper basis. Remember successes and learn from mistakes. Check the shot only after arms pointing towards the ground, and the procedure is over

Remember:

Proper handling of weapons based on safety and rules.

“Keep your eyes on the front-sight”, i.e. front view in sharp focus, goals blurred in the background.

Every shot counts.

Treat weapons with respect

D.Q. given in case of security breach or failure to correct the base resulting in dangerous, potentially malicious situation leads to two minutes of thinking and learning rest on the bench.

example, a finger on or near the trigger,

when not firing at the right time and place,

or student has not gone through the three steps at

discharge of the cartridge case

shown clearly (cartridge / ammunition ran empty or

that cock is stretched over safely put down with the thumb in a controlled manner with weapons pointing at the target or shoot field away from yourself and others.

My personal learning POMW TSM A & B:
When I listened to my ‘little I’-ego telling me how good my shooting instinct was, did I NOT just hit past the black field, but barely hit the sliding plate. When I did as I was told by Kimu Sensei, and followed the essence and the simple ground rules for shooting deduced by observing, learning and shooting with the best in the world, I shot at or at least very close to the Bull’s Eye after only two hours internship.

Time will tell where the level of inner development, i.e. at which the TG group, the curves cross, because civilian combat sports / martial arts practitioner loss to be able to walk the warrior’s path. For Menkyo or more, it is easy or in each case, the decision proved possible, and even in a very short time. Probably it is also possible for Renshi Joden or, less likely to Shidoins and Shidoin-dai’s’, unless one such is heading towards Menkyo or already possesses Menkyo home and intentions and have the ‘all-or-nothing’ intent’.

It remains only to wish good luck with the daily half hour of training toward POMW C. Time will tell if we are only training for Shoot to thrill, not to kill or survive. Good luck to you all and may the force be with you all. See also the POMW articles from Kimu Sensei and higher graduated in Shihan-kai’et. Thanks to Kimu Sensei for having demonstrated Minouchi Sensei words, and to exercise great charity by developing and disclose the essence of the doctrine, even with long-term investment of their own personal and financial resources. May it come back in ten-or 100-fold.

The friendliest Shindenkan greetings, Christian Shidoin-dai