Who would win: A Samurai or a Hunter soldier – Luke Skywalker or Lucky Luke?
We have heard the above question many times, and it is a question that both adults and children ask themselves - it is eternal, and is found again and again in books, films and stories.
POMW – Project Old Modern Warrior
Another way to ask the same question is through a Minouchi Sensei's thesis.
Minouchi Sensei's thesis was that at all times it was the quality of the person behind the weapon, and the quality of the person's clarification, that was the decisive factor. Minouchi Sensei was our Japanese Soké Sensei Tonegawa's meditation teacher, and POMW – Project Old Modern Warrior, is a test of Minouchi Sensei's thesis. Yamana-Itotani Sensei – Kimu Sensei, set out to conduct the testing. If successful, it would also provide a tool for Shindenkan's toolbox, which is used for the development of the members.
POMW has been a huge project, carried out totally without compromise, with learning from the very best shooting legends, i.e. world champions with 30-50 world championships behind them, both civilian and military, and a 7-figure investment from Kimu Sensei and Shindenkan, and up to 200,000 good shots fired, and 10 times as many shots in dry training.
POMW I – Theory and initial training
Weapons are designed to win war, survive and avoid extinction – a matter of life and death. The simpler (Idiot-proof?) they are, the shorter the training the soldiers need to have. With firearms, technology has made it simple to shoot, hit and neutralize your opponent.
As the weapon becomes more and more simple to operate, the man behind the weapon becomes more and more crucial, and the clarification of the man behind the weapon becomes more and more crucial.
Now the weapon is made as optimal and good as possible at this time. The purpose of Shindenkan is to create whole and happy people, through the use of the Yakami Shinsei-ryu Taijutsu & Karate-do (YSTK) system - to empower people to become the best version of themselves.
POMW Ia – Ryugi – Theory and Philosophy
Minouchi Sensei's thesis was reviewed and explained. The development of weapons was reviewed and explained, from clubs to spears, bows and arrows, gunpowder and bullets in the form of cannons, portable cannons (rifles) and pistols - and the simultaneous technological development, optimization of bow types, development from wooden cannons to metal cannons, development of rifling to rifles that provide better precision. All the while with the motivation and purpose to survive, and win the right to resources that offered better opportunities.
Here, comparisons were made between military degrees (where weapons are typically used) and YSTK degrees, and the attitude, experience and clarification that is achieved.
A key question here is: How settled are you?
The example was given. You are in an unpleasant and very dangerous situation, a number of thugs and thugs are threatening you and yours. You see there is a gun. Do you pick it up? What do you do with it? Do you use it? To defend yourself?
Here, the very few are clarified. There is a long explanation that "We live in a civilized society, there is no reason for violence - I am actually a pacifist, and only go to karate to get to know myself better. I could never dream of…”
What if you have your partner and your children with you?
Then a few more will consider actually using the gun to protect family and children.
Few people say - that if you threaten me and my family, I will do EVERYTHING I can to protect us. I pick up the gun and use it.
We would rather preserve our self-image as highly developed people in a modern society, and then it may well end up with our partner and children becoming the victims of our fear of touch, with possible life-long but, physical and psychological, severe injuries (fractured skull, broken limbs, teeth knocked out, agility in danger). There are always news stories about senseless violence - can I accept that my family and I can become part of the ugly statistics?
Here the situation goes from theoretical to really ugly!
If you don't recognize reality, you can't do anything about it!
POMW Ib – Dry training and range shooting training
Here, everyone has done dry training, now it's time to test the process, still with the end goal in mind.
Safety, Safety, Safety!
Safety is reviewed, theoretically and practically. There is no shooting here, or shooting with plastic bullets - but the learning received here must be able to be applied directly with real firearms, so that all weapons are treated as if they were sharp and potentially deadly - no chances must be taken. If you relax the security, you get a DEQUE and smoke on the bench.
The participants are taken on a journey where they practice the safety, and the process, during range shooting at different distances. First without ammunition, then with plastic bullets. Safety glasses and hearing protection are used so that it is as close to reality as possible.
And all the time with a focus on the process. Trust the process and the results will come.
It's super simple, exactly as it sounds.
But here many begin to be weighed down by their ego, inferiority and buried dogs. Because now all shots hit the target crookedly, or maybe even outside the target, it becomes harder to trust the process. Even if the message is: Follow the process, Create a uniform result, and when it's there, it's just a matter of setting the sights and you'll hit the bull's eye.
Because it's about programming a movement pattern until I do it 100% the same every time, and get predictable results that can be fine-tuned to perfection.
It's easy to understand - until it is myself who must accept and reproduce results that do not look perfect, and still function optimally and follow the process.
Here, the temptation to go after the result and blow the process is great.
POMW Ic – Dry training and training of shooting with transition and in motion
At POMW Ic, the participants have had another week to dry train and get the process fully programmed. If the daily training of at least 20-30 minutes has been completed, they have gained much more experience and the process sits much better. Of course, the dry training at home has been WITHOUT ammunition and plastic bullets, because the result is not the most important thing - we focus on the process.
Here they go through a repetition of range shooting - where you still shoot with both eyes open - so we are ready to be able to shoot in motion later - we keep the end goal in mind.
The POMW shooting technical process is reviewed, and where disturbing elements come in, it is corrected
Hold:
- Correct aiming devices
- Correct double grip
- Correct extraction – Press and squeeze
- Correct recoil control and aiming
- Correct breathing and posture
After this, there is training in transitions – shooting at several targets, but stationary – again at different distances.
Shooting in motion – walking back and forth, walking to the side, running forward and shooting, shooting around, under, between and over obstacles, and finally against IPSC discs, poppers and steel plates.
The shooting day ends with a review of an IPSC course – a shopping course with shooting and 100% compliance with the safety rules.
It's just great fun - but still - one mistake and it's DEQUE and you're done for the course. It creates a focus, also during a competitive situation, under pressure, and must be observed 100%
This course day contained an extra element, as we used the lunch break to see King Frederik the 10th being proclaimed. We couldn't postpone that 🙂
The essence is:
- Can I forget myself, follow the process, learn the 100%, and accept corrections and follow them?
- Can I trust the process, and myself.
- Am I good enough in myself to accept the knowledge that Kimu Sensei has collected from the shooting legends, systematized and presented on a golden platter, or am I driven by results, one that I would rather "cheat" and do as I see fit is the best!
If I can do it, and have trained it, I am now on my way to a tool where I can measure my status today, because the gun always shoots straight – only I can influence the result – the person behind the gun 🙂
After this initial learning and training, participants are now ready to move on to POMW II, where live ammunition will be fired.
