Combat Challenge Jasna 2025 - Part 1

Mid-September was the big moment. The Combat Challenge Jasna, organized by the TACTICAL COMBAT ACADEMY, took place for the second time. Twice as long as in the first year and twice as many stages await the participants. Of course, we were there again this year and would like to tell you all about it.

Registration for the Combat Challenge started very earl, at the end of 2024, you could already register and benefit from an early bird discount. Many took advantage of this, and even a small group of Austrians formed, some of whom wanted to test their skills in such a competition for the first time. 

Friday – arrival day. A leisurely drive to Jasna, where the headquarters are located. There, you complete the registration and receive information about where to find your sleeping quarters, provided you have registered in advance. We opted for the cheapest option, having had the luxury of staying in the main building last year. This allows us to make the best comparison. Once registration is complete, our group is accompanied to the house. 

Here are our accommodations. You can choose between single, double, and shared rooms. Each has its own bathroom facilities. Warm and comfortable – ideal for a restful night's sleep. Provided your bed neighbor doesn't snore. 

We opted for the full meal package, with extra dinner and breakfast. So we headed back to headquarters, where the catering for dinner was already being set up. In addition to various juices, there was also a beer tap, including non-alcoholic beer.

Ideal for kicking off a wonderful evening and an exciting competition. 

The catering is really top-notch and unparalleled in terms of both quality and variety. Kudos to the chef and the team on site!

Later in the evening, Ondrej welcomed all participants and provided some advance information about the schedule and times for the next day. We ended the evening on that note and went to bed full of anticipation for the first day of competition. 

The next morning dawned, the weather was excellent, and of course we fortified ourselves with breakfast.

Yes, we know, so many photos of catering and such, but we don't want to keep it from you that there is also a lot of eating going on here. We are definitely enjoying it!

Before we know it, we're already on our way to the range. It's only about a three-minute drive from our accommodation, and as soon as we park, a military vehicle comes towards us. We'll see this later on a stage and it's provided by the Slovakian special forces. 

First step on the range – registration on site. Then you receive your stage card. 

The number of participants is growing by the minute. The number of participants has also increased compared to last year. We meet old and new acquaintances from many European countries. 

Then things happen in quick succession. The crew gathers and rounds up all the participants. We join them and listen to the welcome speech. However, it is in Slovak.

No problem, there is a translation into German for the many German participants. English speakers were in the minority here, but there was also a translation for them. 

After the welcome speech, there is also a safety briefing. New this year – most of the possible targets are hung up and Gabo briefly explains how to shoot at them. Hardly any other competition offers as many different targets as this one. From paper to cardboard to steel. Everything is there, of course. But the paper targets were also subdivided, including photorealistic targets that had to be identified to determine whether the person posed a threat or not, as well as other targets with special hit areas. 

Afterwards, the participants were divided into squads. This was a good opportunity to take a group photo. There were around five people per squad, sometimes more, sometimes less. Half of all participants started in the morning, while the rest were allowed to start at noon.

Now it's finally time to get started. We begin at Stage 2 – a stage sponsored by Beretta.

In the morning at the start, there was a big surprise. After the timer signal, you have to carry a dummy weighing around 90 kilograms to a stretcher. 

The dummy also has a magazine that we need. On this stage, you don't shoot with your own weapons, but with a 92F pistol and a 1301 shotgun from Beretta. Steel, paper, one-handed – everything is included. It takes some getting used to, especially after the physical exertion. 

All stages in the competition are shot as so-called blind stages. You do get a short briefing beforehand, but you don't see the stage setup until you get there, if at all. So it's important not to talk about a stage once you've completed it. We therefore move on to stage three and read the next briefing.

Unlike last year, physical training is much more prominent in the stages. That's why this stage also involves carrying heavy ammunition boxes from one point to the next. 

In between, there are color-coded platforms where you have to stand exactly on the marked areas and shoot at the appropriate targets. 

We continue with stage four. A short stage where only the pistol was used. In a fixed area, you had to shoot at the targets as quickly as possible, and at the end there were two swinger targets. On these – a little surprise to test your attention and tunnel vision. We really liked that!

If you're wondering how we were able to take photos when we're participants ourselves, given that all the stages are blind stages, the answer is simple: we shoot in the morning and take photos in the afternoon. However, this isn't always easy, as access to some stages is limited due to the stage design. This was also the case here in Stage Five, where we were only able to photograph the start. No big deal – we don't want to give everything away anyway.
Here, three ammunition boxes had to be moved from one position to the next, after which the shooting course began. A few quick targets and then it's off to the bay, where cars, steel, and more paper targets await. Here, too, you have to look closely and not be too fast, otherwise you might miss a target!

At Stage Six, we meet an old acquaintance again. The car from the parking lot is the starting point here. From the turret above, a limited number of shots are fired at the targets and safety is checked.

Then pick up the ammunition boxes again and carry them to a point. Then climb over a wooden wall, through a tunnel, and shoot at the targets from defined positions.

This is what we've been waiting for – we love obstacle courses and shooting together, it's a real treat. 

That's it for the first stages of the first day, and we pack up our stuff for the lunch break. 

There is a delicious goulash with various side dishes. Whether you want to fortify yourself before or after the stages, there is enough for everyone. We end the rest of the day with a leisurely shower, relaxation, and equipment checks, because there is more on the agenda in the evening. 

When we arrive at headquarters in the evening, the barbecue is already in full swing. 

There are all kinds of tasty treats from the grill for everyone. Everyone can put together their dream menu. There is a large flow of hungry participants, so food is constantly being replenished. Here, too, there is a wide variety of dishes, so it's worth not filling your plate too much the first time around, but rather coming back for seconds. 

Later in the evening, the big raffle begins. Each participant received a goodie bag with raffle tickets upon registration. Additional tickets could be purchased for five euros. Most of the prizes are merchandise such as mugs, caps, and T-shirts. But equipment such as shoes from BOSP, knives, and even a Stribog weapon are also raffled off. 

In the evening, freshly baked croissants are also served by the caterers. We helped ourselves to a huge number of them while we placed our tickets and listened eagerly to the numbers being called. We were lucky and won T-shirts and a Nalgene bottle. Thank you for that!

A successful first day comes to an end and we go to bed exhausted. The second part continues with more stages, different weather, and a big surprise at the award ceremony!

COMBAT CHALLENGE JASNÀ on the Internet

TACTICAL COMBAT ACADEMY on the Internet