By Tommy Hansen, Member until 2021
POMW II D
After a successful POMW I course, at the end of August it was time for POWM II, which is divided into two modules. I had been looking forward to getting started for a long time. Now distances had to be set, and we had to see the result that our training air guns had borne fruit, when shooting with cal. 22 pistol.
We met early on a Saturday morning at Hanebjerg Shooting Center in North Zealand, where Kimu Sensei started with theory and focus areas, including hand position, leg position, hip position, breathing. In addition, we had to emphasize the process and not the result. If you follow the process, the results should come. We also reviewed the most important thing, safety. When shooting, whether at POMW or as a member of SDK Skyt, safety is always paramount.
After the introduction, we were ready to go out and shoot. First, however, we should have just handed over ammunition. Then we were divided into three teams, so that there was always one team that shot, one team that stood by and loaded magazines for the next shoot, and one team that paused and counted points after the shoot.
Then we had to start the process. However, there was just the surprise that we had to shoot at 25 m. At POMW I we have shots at max. 15 meters. Although the discs are somewhat larger than the discs for POMW I, there is still a long way to go. Then we got down to business. We had to have the aiming point at the bottom middle of the black part of the disc. When we had shot, we went out to the targets to see how we had shot. Depending on where we had hit, Kimu Sensei gave criticism, which should be taken positively, and corrected us, whether it was our concentration, breathing, exhaust or attitude that was wrong. The important thing was to listen to Kimu Sensei's feedback, adopt the feedback and implement it in the next shooting. In this way, it becomes the person behind the weapon that becomes the decisive factor and not the weapon.
We shot approx. 110 shots with cal. 22 and I think I had understood that the result was not important, but that it was the process that was important. I also think I had become familiar with the gun, but I think I had a hard time finding the sights. While we were shooting, we were continuously pressured by Kimu Sensei who was shooting with a 9mm pistol. The background for that was to get used to the significantly louder bang than a 9mm. Pistol gives. The day ended with cleaning the guns and then we were given homework. We had to practice aiming with our air guns and then we had to strength train our arms to get used to the weight of a 9mm. Pistol.
POMW II E
For the brown belt training on September 5, we received additional feedback from Kimu Sensei, including guidance on what to focus on. I had to continue to focus on listening and adopting and making sure to work with the process. One Sunday in September we had to shoot again, at Hanebjerg Shooting Center. Up early again and off. Remember to dress appropriately. It can be incredibly cold in the morning on such a shooting range. We had to continue our process and the shooting with cal. 22. We fired 110 shots in a series of 20 shots and 3 series of 30 shots. The first 30 shot series went really well but the next two didn't go so well when you talk about the results. But now it wasn't the results I had to focus on, but the process and POMW shooting technique. On the last 30 shot series, I was given a new aiming point by Kimu Sensei and I followed that for the first 10 shots. When I could see that most of the shots hit the white part of the target, I got annoyed and corrected my point of aim, because I wanted to do well. It was a big mistake though. Because I removed my focus from the process and directed it towards the result. So you don't get praise for that, and I was obviously not the only one who had focused on the result. We thus received a collective reprimand from Kimu Sensei, and then the course was clear again. Focus on the process! We have to be good at ourselves, and we are only if we follow the process, and we are much better than ourselves and others tell us to be!
Just like during POMW II D, Kimu Sensei fired again with the 9mm pistol to continue getting used to the noise.
Then we switched to having to shoot with the 9 mm CZ 75. A gun that weighs approx. 2 kg. when loaded with 18 rounds. So there was a reason we had to train our arms. In addition, a CZ 75 has a relatively strong recoil. We completed 4 firings, and had to shoot two magazines per firing (36 rounds). With the reprimand in the bag, we got down to business. All in all, it went really well. I completed 4 firings where on all 4 firings I put the majority of the shots in clusters in the lower left quadrant. I was becoming consistent in my shooting but there was one thing I had to take with me and focus on as homework and that was my trigger and again POMW shooting technique. My homework was extremely important, because already the following Sunday we were going to POMW III F, which I will write about in a subsequent article.
