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My first IDPA match

3K views 26 replies 18 participants last post by  raytracer 
#1 ·
so i had my first idpa match today. i must admit, it was a lot of fun :yup:. i didnt do well at all. came in more than last place. i really dont care what 'place' i came in. im not one for competition at all, but i didnt do anywhere near as well as i should have :twak:.
friday night i was at the range practicing drawing from the holster, 'rapid fire', etc. and did GREAT. on the silhouette i had every hole in the +0 area, and just about all of the wholes touching, if not inside each other.
but ones you through in a timer and a bunch of people watching me, all my good habits fly out the window and i cant do anything right :aargh4:
oh well. i guess i just need more practice.
i also realized that i cant shoot worth a crap one handed. and really really cant shoot just left handed. that did not go well at all. although i think that one had a lot to do with strength, not just practice (although that too). theres just no way i can keep my left wrist from breaking. o well.
hopefully ill do better next time. until then ill be at the range. :image035:
 
#3 ·
Ahhh, one more has fallen into the dark side!
Welcome!
 
#4 ·
Yep - fun huh??!

True - the pressure aspect is in its own way useful even if the whole deal is basically a game. It does IMO help hone draw skills .. plus finding that speed you personally can shoot and stay accurate.

Always tempting when watching the guys who shoot well - to try and match their speed .. not worth it! Slow down as much as needed and get them hits - then over time the speed aspect will come along on its own.

I have to wait until April for my first IDPA comp shoot at the club I use for that - looking fwd to it.
 
#6 ·
IDPA is the most fun I've ever had with a gun. Like you friesepferd I came in dead last at first, but now after a little over a year since starting, I am only near the bottom. But I have learned more about guns than I ever had before. I don't see giving up this new sport for a long time.
 
#8 ·
OK, here is a trick lots of us use in IDPA matches.

First, extend your shooting arm & lock the elbow.
Second:
Strong Hand Only: Make a fist with your weak hand and place it right on the fold where the arm & the shoulder join right above the armpit. Sort like the roman salute to the Caesar we seen in movies.

Weak Hand Only: The above in reverse.

Shoot slow, the wrist will absorb the recoil so they need to be flexible but not too much. If you go to the range and practice, shoot at least 10 strong hand and 20 weak hand using the drill above. It will come a time that you will not need the support of the non-shooting hand.

And, Of course take your time and aim!
 
#9 ·
My last experience with IDPA:

Ref: "You can't load your gun like that"
Me: "o. k."

"You can't reload like that"
"o. k."

"You can't load your gun like that"
"o. k."

"You can't reload like that"
"o. k."

"You can't load your gun like that"
"o. k."

"You can't reload like that"
"o. k."

"You can't load your gun like that"
"o. k."

"You can't reload like that"
"o. k."

Ref: "No, I said shoot each target 2 times in the chest and then one shot in each head. That's a 5 second penalty."

Ref: "Why do you reload like that? I've never done it that way."
Me: "There's probably a lot of things I do that you've never done."

Ref: "You need to keep the weapon pointed down range. Straight up in the air is not safe."
Me: "Are you serious?"

Ref: "Oh, I was supposed to make this stage? Give me 2 minutes and I'll come up with something."
Me: "I thought you did this every week..."

Ref: "You're fast. What kind of work did you have done to your gun?"
Me: "Lots of dry fire and range time. I don't... oh! no, this is stock, not some gamer gun. You?"
Ref: "<silence>"
 
#10 ·
Do IDPA matches cost anything to enter or is it just 'run what you brung' with a sign-up sheet? I've been wanting to do this for a long time but I've heard similar sentiments to the above post before. If they have certain rules about reloading and I get penalized in the middle of a run I think I might just turn around and leave.
 
#11 ·
Do IDPA matches cost anything to enter or is it just 'run what you brung' with a sign-up sheet?
There's a match fee, usually about $10--$15. Most clubs will let you shoot once (or twice, maybe) without an IDPA membership, but if you keep going after that you need to join.

IDPA is very much oriented around stock weapons, mags, holsters, &c. In fact, competition-only gear is specifically not allowed.

Rules on reloading are pretty simple. Most times, you just shoot to slide lock, drop the mag, reload and go. If there is available cover on the course (barricades, barrels, and such) it's a penalty to reload out in the open.

Some stages will specify a 'retention' reload, which means you pull a partial mag and stow it, live round in chamber, then put the new mag in. Again, needs to be done behind cover. You can always do a retention reload yourself if you'd prefer to top off before slide lock, but you have to stow the mag.

The comment about avoiding high muzzles is generally specific to the safety rules of the range you are using. My club is muzzle-low, because the only truly safe direction there is the berm behind the action range. If your muzzle is high, you end up aiming towards the slew of car dealerships and McMansions off in the direction behind the berm...

As for the rest, well, there are jerks everywhere. I find the safety officers at my club to be pretty well behaved towards the shooters. Other places, this may not be the case.
 
#12 ·
Friesepferd, something to try when shooting one handed, either strong or support side: cant the gun in about 10° or so toward the center of your body. Not full on gangsta style (unless you're professional enough) but just a slight tilt. You can see and feel the bones in your wrist and arm line up. This will help absorb recoil better, and it will allow you to get more of your pectoralis major behind pulling the sights back on target.

I can empathize with merging IDPA allowed techniques and what you learn in combat oriented training. I was always trained to bring the gun in close on reloads keeping the muzzle between my eyes and the target, but consequently pointing up at a 45° angle - ideal for fast reloads in a bad situation, but not so safe for shooting on the bottom floor of a two story range - or, as you say, where an ND might drop over the berm on a schoolyard. I've modified my reloads to keep the muzzle level - it's slowed me down somewhat, but I figure the benefits I get out of IDPA more than compensate.

One thing I think is funny as heck; IDPA is completely obsessive compulsive about using cover. Now I don't necessarily disagree, but to a person - almost everyone I see shooting IDPA rubs up against that cover like it was a stripper pole! Muzzle plus a foot folks! If you're leaving your cologne on the cover, you're too close.

Joe
 
#13 ·
Honestly, there's decent reasons to do a muzzle level reload, too. It isn't just a 'game' mechanic. You can reload with the gun pretty much still in a muzzle downrange firing position, which means the time from reload to aim and shoot is a little faster then reloading from high and tight.

I guess I never learned muzzle high reloads so I didn't have anything to unlearn for my IDPA range. I am pretty happy with my reloads anyway. :smile:

Friesepferd, it sounds like you are already off to a great start and you should have a lot of fun. You can treat IDPA as more realistic practice and training, or you can just treat it as a game that gives you something other than shooting down a fixed lane at the range. Either way you will get something out of it, probably meet some very nice people, and have a great way to spend a few days a month. Keep up your aim and your technique, and the speed will follow!
 
#16 ·
You have rules and, as any other game, you must follow them.
What and how you pay depends on the club.

BTW Tony, can you be more specific about the loading you were doing?
 
#17 ·
BTW Tony, can you be more specific about the loading you were doing?
I should have prefaced my post by saying that those exchanges were during one specific match...

We were on a small dirt range out in the middle of a farming community in RURAL North Carolina. Quite possibly the literal definition of "middle of nowhere".

I was reloading the way I'm sure many of us do: pull the firing elbow down and into the side of the body so that the weapon is pointing up and away from me, just to the right of my sight line. Given some of the 'techniques' that I saw that day, safety was paramount in my mind at all times.

I think the problem was that the ref was pretty set in his ways and wasn't too familiar with the 'tactical' side of pistol work. His house, his rules; I adjusted.

I am actually a fan of IDPA. In fact, myself and my training partner are going to set up a chapter in our town. (LOL... thousand of Marines in this town and no IDPA chapter.)
 
#19 ·
Speed is a perception. Slow down just a wee bit. It will seem like an eternity to you, but in reality you are right on pace and much more accurate. My training taught me to keep the muzzle pointed in the direction of your threat and reload - often (retention). I find it more enjoyable to practice my technique and enjoy the training session rather than try to win the match. The match isn't about anyone other than YOU vs YOU. With practice, you'll surprise yourself and move up in the rankings.
 
#21 ·
I remember my first IDPA match. I think I wrote a thread about it here. I know that I wrote a blog about it on my website.

Clickie Here


It was very tense and the whole thing was a blur. I was very surprised at how well I did despite not knowing what the heck I was doing and being a complete noob. I got a score right in the middle of everyone else.

It was a ton of fun though and great practice. I would love to get involved in a league here. The practice is great for any defensive shooter!
 
#22 ·
Miggy, I agree that use of cover is vitally important. I think my main concern with IDPA's obsession with it, is that no differenciation is made between cover and concealment. I realize that blue barrels and tarps are just props, but in all actuality, we encounter very little truly "hard" cover in our daily lives. We're conditioned by hollywood that residential construction, sofas, car doors and barroom tables will stop bullets, but we all know better.

Concealment is great as long as your adversary doesn't know you're there. But, if they've already seen you and you duck back behind it for a reload - they're just going to shoot you through it. You're much better off being somewhere else, quickly. If there's any "tactically" useful skill I've picked up from IPSC, it's reloads on the run.

Ideally, I'd love to see IDPA adopt a methodolgy of designating "cover" and "concealment" and guiding the shooter to respond appropriately.

Just my minor nitpicking. The current system is still a lot better than conditioning shooters to square off in the open and start blazing away.

Joe
 
#26 ·
I see your point very well, but IMHO the responsibility lies with the club and the course designers rather than headquarters. If you design a course of fire using a cutout of a car, make sure that the shooter understands that cover is going to be wherever the engine is located and nowhere else.
Also the area where you live must be take in consideration. In South Florida most of house are made of concrete block & concrete columns so you do have a decent cover in real life. Truth be told, for us once you are behind a wall, unless the BG is shooting 7.62 russian and above, we are covered and our CoFs reflect that. Maybe farther north the construction requires lighter materials and those of us down here would be up the proverbial creek thinking that we are behind cover.

And, as I always say, IDPA is the elementary school of defensive/tactical shooting. A good way to start but it is not enough. Every shooter must seek further training.
 
#24 ·
I would like to try this type of shooting. But I do not know enough about it. I watch a competition 2 weeks ago. Asked what each contestant was shooting. One contestant told me he had a used CZ bought for $370. He said I should be able to find one like it. Well, I thought I found one at a reputable sporting goods store. I fired it at the range and the gun was worn out and I couldnt hit a broad side of a barn. I got my money back. I may still be looking for something suitbale for a novice that will not cost me my savings account. But this time I hope for a new one. I like the 9mm caliber because the ammo is affordable. What would be an accurate, reliable, and economical pistol ?
 
#25 ·
Glock 19...awesome gun and the mags and parts are cheap. A new one will run around $500, used ones can be found for as much as $150 less if you find a good deal (there's not much that can go wrong with them so there's usually no problems with buying a used one).
 
#27 ·
Miggy, I forget that you folks in Hurricane Alley build 'em a little stouter than we do in the midwest!

PaulBB, I'm surprised you had problems with the CZ. They are a very good gun. A new CZ75 should only run you about $425 or so. If you shoot revolvers well, IDPA strives to be revolver friendly, so don't hesitate to run a wheelgun. If you carry a gun, or rely on one for home protection - you'll get the most out of IDPA by using either your carry gun, or one like it. You don't need special equipment to play - that's very much the spirit of IDPA; fancy race guns aren't even allowed!

Joe
 
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