By Martin Hansen, Member until 2018
At 8.30 the second module in the POMW TSM course series was kicked off, which this time, in addition to the theoretical part, was also supposed to introduce the practice of handling firearms.
There are always participants who arrive in good time, who could then enjoy a roll and a cup of coffee, while there was a bit of small talk, probably mostly about what was going to happen during the day, and at the same time you could observe that most people's eyes flitting between shooting discs and other materials that had been set up during the night so that it was ready for the start of the course in the morning. A perfect setting to set the stage and arouse curiosity. In particular, the large oblong suitcase with code lock got curious looks. But first course leader and Honbu chief instructor Kimu Sensei took the participants through a recap from the course in January, i.e. why and how the POMW course series came to be, which you can read a lot more about here on the website, especially in the 3 POMW articles by Kimu Sensei, and the official article from the first TSM A course by Søren Renshi. As you know, POMW was created when Kimu Sensei decided that it could be extremely interesting but also controversial to test Minouchi Sensei's theory, whether the ancient warrior could learn something from the modern warrior and vice versa. What does it mean to have trained in martial arts in a multi-track system and bring this knowledge to a completely new area of expertise – firearms. Most modern soldiers do not have a long mental training behind them with a build-up in attitude and clarification as we have in Shindenkan, which is based on 1000 years of knowledge and methodologies for self-knowledge. Does this matter when you have to learn how to handle a weapon that can kill easily and very effectively - yes, it is not the weapon that kills, but the person behind it. It has been like this for millennia, weapons have undergone a technological development, but the result depends on the trainable person behind, in his attitude, clarity and purposefulness. It could be quite interesting to test whether a schooled karate-ka with his attitude, clarity and training experience can learn to handle firearms optimally, efficiently and in the shortest possible time - the Shindenkan way.
After a recap and a break, the participants continued on the mental journey through the POMW theory. Do we then have the necessary skills in Shindenkan to teach the use of firearms so that it becomes efficient and optimal? What you don't have you must get. In a very short time, Kimu Sensei has acquired skills in shooting that most in the established shooting world would envy or envy. When you look down at the shooter's CV, which has a start date in autumn 2011, it contains, among other things, DSF A license, DSF A+ license, DSF range officer, IPSC matches at the most famous shooting ranges in the world (Norco, Mesa, Florida, Thailand, Denmark J etc.). The source of these skills are some of the best instructors in the world who also teach operational elite soldiers and have won several world championships, of which Rob Letham can be mentioned as the latest (Read the article here on the website). Kimu Sensei is a true grand master of martial arts and totally uncompromising and perhaps the only one who can achieve those results in such a short time. Of course, he has not come to this sleeping, on the contrary, he has put a lot of time and lack of sleep into the project to test and find the best methods, in order to finally boil it down to the essence - The practical part of POMW - in a unique process manual, which in old Japan you would probably call Hiden or Makimono for shooting J It is this process manual that will help prove Minouchi Sensei's theory when it is practiced by Shindenkan's students and served to them on a silver platter.
Firearms are here to stay, or to put it another way, the image that emerges of the violence in today's Denmark is increasingly colored by firearms, and there are actually a great many firearms in Denmark, both legal and not least illegal. It is almost daily that you can read in the newspaper that, regrettably, there has been another shooting incident. Therefore, as a martial artist, you also have a duty to keep up with the times and know the skills needed to operate a weapon and what the person behind it can do. Kimu Sensei showed this beautifully in his presentation both through videos, but also by commenting that it could just as well be us or our children who one day faced a "Breivik", mentally ill, gang member or rocker or as a soldier or diplomat must be deployed to a war zone. PTSD (post traumatic stress syndrome) is widespread among returning soldiers worldwide, but certainly also among civilians. If you are clear and know the consequences and the handling of firearms, it may save your life or that of others. Can you look at a person facing you with a loaded gun to see if he can figure out how to use it or not? Can you shoot him yourself when it comes to your or your family's life?
The process manual for POMW marksmanship and how to handle a gun was the last theoretical topic of the day before it had to be tested in practice. Of course, the most important thing about firearms is safety, safety and safety. But there is also common sense and the rules - which actually also apply to all other martial arts weapons, e.g. that you always treat a weapon as if it were loaded, never have your finger on the trigger before the target is in sight, are sure what is behind the target you want to hit, etc. The most important thing in shooting is, as with other skills in Shindenkan – basic technique . With his usual good clear slides, Kimu Sensei showed what the do's and don'ts are when holding a gun, operating the sights and not least pulling the trigger, which in itself is one of the most difficult things about operating a gun, revolver or rifle.
After the good 2 hours of theory with a break, it was time to get serious about all the talk and test the POMW process handbook in reality, or almost reality J As with all other skills, you build yourself up in Shindenkan step by step realistically, therefore the first step is on the road beyond the essence in theory to test the technique not with a wooden gun (could be used for grip training etc.) but with the help of Airsoft guns. It was now that all the participants found out what was in the large oblong case, when it was opened it revealed an otherworldly arsenal of Air-guns which were to simulate the real thing for the rest of the course. Most of the Airguns that Honbu has purchased are the CZ75D compact CO2 of the non-blow back type, which looks almost like the original 100% and has the necessary features to practice correct basics and shooting technique. The gun is also one of the most powerful and shoots with 2 joules, which is enough to send the small 6mm plastic balls precisely against a protective wooden veneer plate from a distance of 5-20 m. CO2 weapons are not to be missed, as IPSC world championships are actually held in this weapon class as well.
All participants were then introduced to safety, which also involved safety glasses to be worn for the rest of the course. Of course, there was also security around the weapons, which is why there was a separate weapon table (Safety Zone) where all pistols were stored and a separate loading table where magazines, bullets and CO2 cartridges were stored, all this to simulate the real security around weapons . Also on the "shooting range" in the hall, the normal safety rules and commands that are used in e.g. terrain shooting, Steel Challenge, IPSC matches (Practical pistol shooting) applied. A breach of security meant that you got a DQ (Disqualified) and 2 min. on the bench, which in the most literal sense meant the bench, as there was a wooden bench set up next to the weapon table, where you could sit and think about what you had done wrong J. This was not meant as a punishment but as a lesson, as breaches of security with real weapons can have fatal consequences. A breach of security can e.g. be that you have your finger on the trigger before it points towards the target.
All participants were split up so that they were assigned a partner and a target, i.e. either a shooting box or a suspended shooting target on the wall. At the same time, the chief instructors were divided over the hall, where 12 couples were now lined up. Each partner pair was assigned an Air-gun and 2 magazines, which they each picked up in the 2 zones again to practice safety. There was an intense atmosphere in the hall for the next few hours, as no one really wanted a "DQ" and there were a few at the start due to nervousness. It was with sweaty palms that everyone fired a lot of shots at the targets and tested POMW shooting technique. Kimu Sensei had carefully planned the shooting course so that all participants got the maximum benefit, first familiarity at a short distance, then increased distance to test whether the technique is trained correctly, again a greater distance and then finally moved back to the short distance and see if there was an improvement compared to the start of the shooting session, and indeed there was, a huge difference, suddenly everyone could hit and even within a pretty good spread. The 4 hours with the CO2 gun in hand went very quickly and the nervousness and concentration had clearly sapped all the participants of their strength, when the course was rounded off half an hour later than planned with a group photo. This TSM B course was just the start of the practical course which continues at home in the small homes and the local schools, where the participants have been encouraged to practice at least half an hour a day on POMW shooting technique either with their own purchases of airguns or just a simple toy gun which can be used fine and with which Kimu Sensei coped well in the beginning, as it is fine for training the basic and incredibly important hand technique. On the next course, what has been practiced must be put to the test and it will also be clear to see who does not get the practice!
Status on POMW after 4½ months;
POMW promises to be a great success. All the learning from the best shooting instructors, civilian and military, has been boiled down and implemented - as everyone says the same thing "Shooting is relatively simple - once the basic shooting technique is in place, then everything else comes through constant training towards the target you now have sat. In addition, the following, which totally overlaps with martial arts; It is the person behind the weapon who kills, not the weapon”. Based on this, our martial arts background and as elite athletes; After 4½ months, 50 % of the chief instructors shoot over 273+ out of 300 points, the other half in the group 250-262 uout of 300 points, all at 25 m.
POMW has created quite a bit of discussion in the shooting, like martial arts, world - and lots of rumours! some more fantastic than the other, - and some are totally out of whack, and are more suitable for a fictional TV series on the really great intrigue blade. POMW has also generated international attention, which is mainly positive, curiosity and praise for this innovative, documented, pioneering project. POMW has met with great interest and support from military personnel in particular, but certainly also among civilians such as ourselves and from police officers.
Epilogue;
In the Shindenkan organization, the multi-track martial arts system is taught; Yakami Shinsei-ryu, which consists of both armed and unarmed martial arts techniques, all of which have over 1,000 years of history and experience behind them. Shindenkan has revealed all the values in the complete martial arts system and made the ancient martial arts system more understandable by training the main system and laying out professional competencies in a course. A course which, step by step, builds up the student as the master, - on the journey he has to embark on, has the will and talent for and completes over time - a time which can often take a lifetime.
At Shindenkan, we are uncompromising in terms of quality, even if we do not yet possess a competence, but have to build it from scratch. This was the case with POMW – Project Old Modern Warrior.
World history has shown that no matter what weapon is used, there is always a person behind it, and it is the clarification, competence and attitude of this person that determines the result - it is the same in martial arts. Minouchi Sensei has also previously described this and the background for POMW has previously been described in three articles on the website.
The practical POMW is a comprehensive competence course over approx. 12 months, which consists of a basic to practiced course with so-called "Dry training", using basic history, course and development, as well as air and laser pistols, which the world's elite civilian and military also use. This course is then replaced by a so-called "wet training course", where everything in the "dry training course" is tested with salon and heavy weapons pistols. Step by step, the teaching is built around; Range shooting against one target, against multiple targets and practically used shooting in motion against multiple targets.
The POMW concept is that the course must be as optimally skill-building as possible according to POMW's purpose - the straight path, where of course both Denmark's and the world's best shooting instructors have passed on and contributed the essence of their shooting skills - and experience through a long shooting life. We have been very actively seeking this out both nationally and internationally, and fortunately they all wanted to contribute and draw on their knowledge, skills and experience during intensive training and courses, for which we are very happy and grateful. But on the other hand, we have not arrived at results, competences, experience and knowledge sleeping either – it has been hard work and toil. But we still do not compromise in Shindenkan with our competence base, neither before nor after TG4, to which POMW belongs.
It must be strongly emphasized that ALL shooting instruction with sharps takes place according to the letter of the law and in sports shooting associations, and with correct and as optimally well-trained shooting instructors as the task requires.
POMW is a compulsory curriculum for TG4, recommended 1st dan, multi-track Yakami Shinsei-ryu and 3rd dan, single track Bujutsu Kodosokukai Karate-do, and will be maintained continuously on an equal footing with all the other competency courses for the TG4 group (1st kyu – 1st dan Sr. Yakami Shinsei-ryu).
