Intro
POMW, what is this? Yes, it is a course in learning to shoot and thus handle a gun. Without entering into that debate, I must confess that I can see why the course is relevant. For me, it's about survival, and it's easiest to do that when you have a lot of skills. If you are assaulted and the perpetrator or the woman has a gun, so what? And what if YOU suddenly find yourself with the gun in your hand? More on that later.
I would like to start by saying that I am very happy that I have participated in all the POMW courses. I had thought before POMW that it might be cool to try shooting with a real gun and now I got the chance. The fact that you then start to train the shooting technique just makes it even more interesting, I never thought that I would have to shoot at several targets so that you had to move. Nor that I had to shoot around barricades.
At POMW I we had the general knowledge about handling a gun, There we became familiar with POMW's technical shooting manual and emphasis was placed on technical training. In addition to the technical training, during all 3 courses great emphasis was placed on safety. At POMW II, we switched from airguns to real pistols and we got to shoot with sharp, mostly 0.22 but eventually also 9 mm. I did not experience the big difference from airguns to 0.22, I did, on the other hand, from 0.22 to 9 mm. It suddenly went BANG and recoil control suddenly took on a whole new meaning.
A step up
It was time for POMW III. But something was not as it used to be, like when I normally attend a Shindenkan course. I always tend to be either excited or very happy, but this time I was more nervous and my stomach... The only thing I could think was "what's going on?".
What happened was that on the POMW II I didn't manage to get comfortable with the 9mm and it was downright uncomfortable for me to pull the trigger. What happened in the morning was that I was seized with fear. I was afraid of the 9mm and I had no idea which leg to stand on (although it had been carefully reviewed several times). In reality, I had been afraid of the 9mm since I heard the first shot of the POMW II. That was perhaps why, after the course, I considered dropping POMW III. When this thought popped into my head I understood that this is why I had to participate. Therefore, I decided that I would not be afraid of the gun anymore.
This was easier said than done, and I thought a lot about what I could do to achieve my goal. It turns out that the answer is in the curriculum. This is what we say and mean about the students. Here I mean, in what it says "We believe in YOU, but YOU must also believe in YOURSELF" This helps to give an attitude called "I will not give in to my fear!" If that is not enough, you can think of what Kimu Sensei always says "You can do much more than you and others tell you". I don't think I would have taken the course if it wasn't for all the head instructors and Kimu Sensei. By that I mean that their professional approach to shooting guns, the constant attention and their focus on safety made me feel more secure and I needed that this time. It was great that there were people who could follow me on my way.
After that you just have to start shooting and I did that until the fear disappeared. It's no secret that it took me a lot of shots to get used to it, and that I only became completely comfortable with it on the last day at POMW III. The most important thing for me is that the fear disappeared and that now I know what it means to shoot with a gun.
I have learned from POMW what it means to handle a gun and see if others can figure it out. This helps me if one day I find myself in a situation where I use all my skills. POMW has also given me the opportunity to face my fear and overcome it. Just as it has confirmed to me that you have to believe in yourself and trust others. All this combined leads to a clarification about how far you are willing to go, and that it may become necessary to pull the trigger to defend yourself and your family. For me, it is easier to make a decision and be clear when I know what I can and cannot do. With the gun, it's "one stroke one kill" and you have to know that before you can be clarified. For me it was a really good and interesting course and like the other two. If someone now asks me if I regret having participated in POMW III, I can say with a smile "No at all", it was just a step up.
Even after POMW, I don't feel like I've shot the gun very much. I feel that there is room for improvement and that my technique can become sharper. Despite the short time I've been shooting, I'm still surprised that once you put the fear/uncertainty behind you, it's not terribly difficult to shoot with a gun. When I think about the short time I have been shooting and the results I have achieved, I am very aware that with just a little more training, I could increase my results significantly. I can't "just" do that through the grades in Yakami Shinsei-ryu.
Thanks again for a great course.
