By Pia Hornung, SDKSkyt, Ballerup
Team 6 has now completed the POMW I-III training (POMW, Project Old Modern Warrior), where through 3 separate courses you can achieve shooting skills at a very high level in a very short time through teaching at the highest level and lots of self-training.
I have participated in POMW teams 4, 5 and 6, and was part of the instructor team for teams 5 and 6. So I myself am on the course and through the same course content as everyone else, but I am also part of the delivery, which must ensure that the settlement takes place optimally for all participants.
In POMW I, new shooters are introduced to shooting through a theoretical review of the history of shooting, safety and optimal shooting technique via the POMW shooting handbook as well as practical shooting with gas and laser pistols. The course ends with timed shooting through an IPSC (International Practical Shooting Confederation)-like course with different types of targets, obstacles and challenges along the way, which everyone thinks is super fun.
POMW I prepares for POMW II where the real shooting starts. The participants have basic safety and shooting technique in place, and are now ready to receive training with real pistols, while everyone can feel safe. Because safety, safety and security is of course extremely important and the 1st priority of all instructors.
In POMW II and III 2024, a new concept compared to the previous courses was introduced; shooting with support. In order to eliminate swinging when shooting while standing with the gun held out in an outstretched arm, the gun should be shot with the stock resting on a surface. On the indoor range Tapeten, raising/lowering the tables made it possible to adjust the height for standing shooting, while the outdoor range at Hanebjerg with fixed low shooting tables meant sitting shooting. Here creativity came to work, as all participants were given the task of designing their own shooting position, so that they could shoot from a sitting position with the pistol butt supported and the sights at eye level. A lot of exciting and creative solutions came out of that. To some people's disappointment, however, the creative solutions did not come into play in practical terms, as a standardized solution model had of course already been decided in advance. Nothing in Shindenkan is random.
Another innovation has been more focus on shooting time. The shot must fall within max. 8 seconds from neutral position and then 4 seconds to rest. At Hanebjerg, there has been sound marking and calling out when each shot should or start/stop. In this way, you ensure the same rules for everyone, instead of someone spending a lot of time aiming and creating an advantage.
While POMW II is range shooting with cal 0.22, POMW III is also shooting with 9 mm from different distances, on different targets and shooting at transitions, i.e. more IPSC-like. The 9 mm pistol gives recoil and a loud bang, unlike cal 0.22, and is therefore something you just have to get used to. At the same time, it reveals whether you have trained correct POMW shooting technique along the way or whether you have jumped over where the fence is lowest.
The results speak for themselves! And with shooting, you can quickly see your result. After just 30 shots (6 min) your result is visible to everyone and therefore POMW can be used for quick learning. How good are you? Do you shoot together or spread out, do you repeat the same mistake every time or do you only shoot in black? Are you mentally in balance or do you allow yourself to be affected by performance anxiety? You can be a natural and constant or the opposite. You can be good in thought and words, but not in action. You can submit to the Jantelawen or allow yourself to be good. You can learn from your own and not least the mistakes of others. And see both yourself and your own results, but also recognize those of others. You can learn to handle being measured and weighed. Are you proud or disappointed in yourself and do you just want to achieve results to look good in the eyes of others? Everyone is judged and weighed, not only the participants, but also the instructors. And that's how life is, too.
For my own part, the results have been ok. But I would have liked to shoot better. I'm not consistent enough and I'm not really improving. This is due to several factors. I allow myself to be influenced to shoot faster than I should to avoid finishing last, because I don't like everyone to wait and have their eyes on me. I talk myself down, both before, during and after, which the shot-calling also shows. Dry training, i.e. home training of the shooting technique without actually shooting, could have been greater in terms of effort. All are parameters that I myself have an influence on and thus I decide for myself whether I want to improve. And I want to.
Focus points as part of the POMW instructor team:
How has the process been?
First of all, it has been great to see the new shooters develop from having no or limited shooting experience to being self-propelled shooters who shoot well and safely, feel comfortable with the process and with the weapons. I am happy to have been a part of that process.
The actual preparation and implementation of the courses is very time-consuming, but it is also exciting to work with the project in an intense process. We have developed some new practical solutions along the way, standardized and described the processes, and tried out new roles and partnerships.
I have greatly appreciated my partner's always good mood and positive attitude towards things and outlook on experiences. Being able to face adversity with a straight forehead, a little humor and self-awareness is certainly more inspiring than bringing yourself and others down by being a victim/martyr. I am grateful to have been given the opportunity to develop by others stepping back and making room, even if it doesn't come naturally to them. And having been given the opportunity, even if it goes without saying as a task setter, it is easier and more satisfying for the output, to give a task to someone you know can solve it quickly and efficiently, rather than to someone you know immediately cannot. It is frustrating and time-consuming for everyone in the group, but provides an opportunity for development.
Each role has had its importance and there is a need for both the specialist and the generalist (manager), depending on talent and preferences. If there is no leader to set direction, everything comes to a standstill and the discussion club starts. If there is no specialist, we will drive enough, but perhaps in the wrong direction. So it is important to respect our differences, because there are different roles to fill.
What has allowed for development is that some pages surface along the way, which I can then choose to work with. Some points of reflection have been:
- Do I want to step outside the "herd" or is it more important for me to be "popular"?
- Do I want to give myself away and allow manipulation – black or white?
- Why don't I just take adversity with a shrug and a good mood?
- Am I really shy of conflict?
- Do I only play well for myself or can I be a team player?
- Thought, word AND action, or vice versa?
- Martyr, victim or myself?
- Why does criticism only hit the mark and is it what I myself hit with?
- Do I trust that the process will lead to the goal?
- Is it the process or the goal that is important?
- Is it selfish to also take care of yourself?
- What makes a good leader?
- Should I be different than I am, isn't that good enough?
- Do I let others influence my actions, confidence and self-esteem, or do I take care of myself?
If I want to change something, the way is like the POMW process: A. A desire for new, B. Training and practice, C. Maintenance. So if I didn't quite succeed with my shooting, as a director or with anything else, then there is no reason to give up. I can always continue to practice until perfection if I want change.
What learnings have I made as an instructor? I can draw my resources into the role and use them when I have understood the task and am prepared.
What realizations do I have overall? I must accept things as they are, learn from them as much as possible, do my best and put the rest away. I have to practice being grounded and being able to be untouched in myself. I am grateful for true teachers who are one in thought, word AND deed. I have to remember that I myself am the cause of what is happening, that the process is more important than the goal and that you can enjoy the journey despite the discomfort.
What knowledge do I have as an instructor? I want to help with kindness, but that is not always what is required. If the instructions are not clear, there will be many questions, variations in execution and uncertainty, which no one wants from someone with a firearm in hand. If the director is unsure, hesitant or unclear, other self-appointed directors enter the scene to take over, which in turn creates questions, variation and uncertainty, not only for the task, but also for the director.
As a POMW instructor, I have therefore gained a lot from the courses myself, and I am delighted that we now have more skilled shooters in the club and hope we can look forward to many good hours together on the shooting range. Because shooting is really fun, especially the closer you get to the target.
