Pistols mean nothing to me; has never said anything to me and probably won't in the future either. It's not the gun as a weapon that I mind. It is just one more among many other weapons in the Shindenkan that we are introduced to many types of weapons through the multi-track approach to karate. It is not for ideological reasons either. I myself work in the defense industry with far larger and more dangerous weapons than pistols. So why this reservation towards the accursed weapon? The answer is simple: It's because they say BANG!

The fear of sudden loud noises has been with me all my life. It can best be described as an unpleasant physical reaction to sudden loud noises or the anticipation thereof; the last is actually the worst. In such situations, the automatic response can best be described as a fight-flight response. Exactly as we know it from other aspects of life, when we are in unpleasant situations where one's life feels threatened or otherwise seems to be in danger. For me, the reaction is the same whether it is pistols, rifles, balloons, fireworks or other potentially noisy objects.

With this inherent fear, it has been difficult over the last few years that the POMW course has been running to raise enthusiasm above average when others in Shindenkan have spoken of the project in laudatory terms. It just hasn't told me anything… at all.

So why sign up for POMW when the psychic baggage has put the human defenses on alert and everything inside the body is screaming that it is a wrong decision? First of all because there is no one but yourself who can take up the fight against your self-imposed fear. There is only one person who is responsible for doing something about one's weaknesses, and that is oneself. That's why I didn't need much time to think, since the POMW invitation had been circulated before I had signed up. Here was finally the chance, under controlled conditions, to do something about it - even if it was with some nervousness.

The POMW project is much more than pistols and shooting techniques. POMW is largely about working with yourself. The mantra in POMW also reads that it is not the gun itself that is dangerous, but rather the person behind the weapon. This does not only apply to a possible assailant with a gun in his hand, but that also applies you when you standing with gun in hand. You are dangerous, not least for your surroundings, if you do not learn to master the weapon both technically and mentally.

We are often asked in Shindenkan whether we are settled. It may be a difficult question to deal with when you don't really know what the question actually is. It is natural to say YES! But what does clarity actually cover? After POMW, I can safely say that I am undecided. Conversely, I have also realized that I can become that through hard work and expert guidance. The main thing that I got out of POMW I is that I have now become familiar with a significant part of the concept of "being clarified".

The POMW course works on two levels, which are prerequisites for each other: The external competence (omote) and the internal competence (ura). The external competence consists primarily of learning shooting techniques, i.e. the whole methodology and practicality of handling a weapon. The inner competence works with the mental aspect, in the form of attitude and clarity.

A central thesis in the POMW course is the concept of DO-MICHI. To be an elite warrior, a person must possess both an external (omote) competence such as weapon handling and technique as well as an internal competence (ura) in the form of clarity and understanding. Both aspects are important to being an elite fighter, but the only constant factor that determines whether a fight is won is the human development process - not the technology!

That is that whether we fight with spears, swords or guns, technology will at any time give the person who possesses it a significant advantage. The more advanced the technology, the greater the advantage that will accrue. But if two possess the same technology and fight under the same conditions, then the one with the highest internal clarification will draw the longest straw.

This contrasts with many modern wars, where technology is what decides the battle. Asymmetric warfare where one side is vastly superior to the other can lead an outsider to believe that combat is only a matter of having access to the biggest and most modern weapons. But given the same conditions, the one who is settled and has the right attitude will win.

What can we use this insight for in our karate? The multi-track means that we can use POMW to illuminate new aspects and angles of ourselves. Both external and internal competences. All POMW shooting techniques are taken directly from karate, but they are used in a new context. That is that we are technically at home, but multi-track helps us to expand the toolbox and gain a greater understanding, not least of ourselves. One of the advantages of using the gun as a training tool is that the results are there immediately. Did you hit the target? Did you hit the target where you aimed? Why did you hit and why didn't you hit?

In relation to my own situation and learning, I must admit that even though Airguns are only used during POMW 1, there is enough realism in this that it constantly elicits the aforementioned fight-flight reaction in me. The situation seems real enough to me. When we stand with hearing protection and goggles and "the drill" is started and the gun is pointing at the target, the adrenaline pumps. So much so that the automatic fight-flight situation occurs to me. The inner lack of clarity; if I really want this, all of this is revealed directly on the dial. The technique is there and there are many joints where shots are tight. But there is not just one collection, there are many collections scattered around. It rattles inside the head.

All these external things mess up in my head, It shows me that the clarity is not in place. For me, the gun is a foreign weapon, in a foreign situation (the shooting range), a lot of effort must be used to control the inner nervousness and initially anxiety.

At the same time, there is external pressure. Safety is a priority. This is expressed by the fact that the safety level is on par with that which must be during IPSC shooting. This is equivalent to the fact that just a single breach of security results in a so-called DQ (disqualification).

The big redemption came when we tried IPSC in Airgun format. During the shooting here, there were no slings in the drum. All discs were hit while moving. The gun jammed along the way, but even this was handled. Magazine changes went smoothly, cardboard targets were hit, all figures downed on the first try and a flurry of shots was delivered on the electronic target at a furious pace. All without getting DQed!

It has confirmed to me that there is no point in thinking too much about things. When we think, we limit ourselves and the chance of failure increases. Big changes happen when we as humans let go of control.

Karate has always been within my comfort zone - many of the other competence courses we have in Shindenkan, I have perceived as a natural extension of karate. POMW, on the other hand, is perpendicular to everything I feel good about. Already after the first module, POMW has shown me that the multi-track approach to karate can reveal new layers that must be worked on in order to become a whole person with a realistic approach and understanding of oneself. That challenge has now been taken up!