Shot my first IDPA comp today

Training Training and Tactics
1

I bought my first pistol a about 14-15 months ago, put 2k down the pipe, mostly at 25yds. Im at the point now where I think my static shooting is “good enough” and everything else that involves shooting/defense is EXTREMELY lacking. FYI, I shot this (and will do them occassionally) to show me where I’m competent, and where I suck. I had been feeling confident in my abilities lately(due to my personal improvement), so I knew it was time for a reality check. I found out the following.

My weapon manipulations for drawing and shooting were satisfactory. Smooth, fast, safe draw and I got almost all "0"s (-5 for a missed headshot and about 3 to 5 “-1s”)

Target transitions need a lot of work(but not terrible).

tap-rack-bang better become 2nd nature NOW cause I was about as fast as mother teresa clearing the malfunction I had… after I stared at it for 3 sec(exageration) wondering why the hell the slide was half open.

removing material from a mag takes off the heat treatment, causing the mag to deform causing 3 malfunctions today… long story.

I totally broke down mentally under pressure. I need to start practicing magchange w/retantion, utilizing cover, target transitions, and shooting on a non-linear range. I was so worried about safety and formality I put the safety on during movement and mag changes. I almost re-loaded with half a mag (because I was overthinking when to reload) while I had available cover… at least my faults errored on the side of safety for others, but some of the stuff was really stupid, which has me worried.

I remember in the middle of one stage thinking “OMG, if this was a shootout, Id get burned the hell down!”

Once I get more clear-headed during the stages, Ill speed up, but I was so worried about fucking up safety wise, it really distracted me, which made me more worried about being unsafe so I stayed slow but steady.:blink: One thing that messed me up was getting “corrected” about pointing the gun up on a reload.

Im posting this for constructive critisism, and maybe something for other new shooters to think about. You cant know what you’ll do under stress without being there. Knowing how to do something doesnt mean you will do it. The only way to know what you will do is by doing it and forcing pressure on yourself and working out the kinks. Im not at all saying this will prepare you for a gunfight (i wouldn’t know). But pushing yourself is always good, and if that day ever came, you will be that much more prepared.

Anyway,did I miss anything? Does anyone have any other suggestions? Im gonna get formal training (pistol, then rifle) after I graduate (next year). College budget and all.

I’ll post scores once I get them. Im interested to see how I did.

BTW I put this in this forum since I want to discuss tactics, not competition - Its just the vehicle I used today.

Also one thing I forgot. If your confronted by 2 equal threats, in the open… should you eliminate 1 at a time, or hit each one once or twice, then move to second. The “tactical sequence” thing got me thinking and I’d like to get other peoples opinions/thoughts on the matter. I had previously practiced to shoot until current target is down, then move to next, but after contemplating it, Im not sure its the way to go.

2

Congrats on taking the plunge. Slow is good at first. Slow is smooth and smooth is fast :wink: Speed will come naturally.

3

Regarding the sequence on equal threat targets. I’m far from knowing it all, but as a CSO and being involved in IDPA regularly at every monthly match I explain it to the new shooters like so : We feed each one first because they are equal threats and we have no way of telling what their reaction may be. One hit may take the fight out of an opponent (seems unlikely given history). I’m not saying I’m an authority by any means, but I recall reading Colonel Cooper and that he said shoot each opponent for that reason instead of fixating on one. I’m sure there are better explanations as well.

4

Most importantly, did you have fun?

5

It’s a rule…but a stupid rule. If you’ve decided that someone is worth shooting, shoot them into the ground/till they’ve stopped. The whole shoot them each once first strikes me as absurd.

If I’m in a position where I can stand and deliver, then I’m safe enough to service each one appropriately. If I’m not in a position to do that, I believe I need to be hauling ass.

6

I try to get to my local matches twice a month. Speed will come with time and practice. Its definitely a lot of fun and worth every penny spent on the hobby. That’s really what its all about anyway, having a good time while testing yourself under a little pressure.

7

I’m not going to get into the debate about tactical sequence/priority. That’s something you’re going to need to figure out on your own, but keep in mind that if you’re going to participate in IDPA you need to know, understand, and conform to the rules or just accept the penalty points. You’ll get a lot of people telling you it’s stupid (many of whom will have never, or rarely, shot an IDPA match to begin with).

As to your first match, you didn’t shoot anyone else or yourself, so it’s a success! :sarcastic:

It sounds like you learned several valuable lessons
[ul]
[li]fiddle-fucking with your gear can cause malfunctions
[/li][li]shooting bulls at 25 isn’t everything
[/li][li]marksmanship is only part of the equation in any dynamic shooting
[/li][/ul]

The good news is you’re out there. You’re already doing more than 90%+ of gun owners, including the ones that will tell you competition shooting is bad for you and who will do NOTHING in it’s place to build those skills. You’re also doing it right, focusing on safety and accuracy and letting the speed come. While I shoot both IDPA and USPSA, I think IDPA is the better starter game because it rewards accuracy a little more heavily.

Remember the four stages of learning
[ol]
[li]Unconscious Incompetence (“you don’t know what you don’t know”)
[/li][li]Conscious Incompetence (realize what you don’t know - probably where you are now)
[/li][li]Conscious Competence (you can do it, but you have to think about it)
[/li][li]Unconscious Competence (you don’t have to think about it, you just do it)
[/li][/ol]

These stages apply at the micro level, to individual simple skills (like reloads) and also at the macro level to complex sequences of skills (like shooting an El Prez), and everything in between and beyond. The idea is that as you reach #4 with each micro skill you push that task down into your subconscious so that you can focus on more pressing matters like where to move, who to shoot, what the badgun is doing, etc. You can only think about one thing at a time, which is why we see new competition shooters take so long. The buzzer goes off and they have to think through their drawstroke, then remember to move to cover, then think about using cover, then pie-ing, then shooting, then retreating to cover, then reloading, then moving to the next piece of cover, etc. This is why you see these actions chopped up like this. It is a series of actions because they can only think about each thing at once and all of these activities are still at level 2 or 3 and therefore take up all the space in their competent mind. Eventually, the draw stroke will become unconsciously competent and you will see shooters start to incorporate that into their movement to cover, and things start to flow.

8

Congratulations! You will hate static line shooting for the rest of your life.

I’m an SO for my local IDPA club. I assist with the all the new shooter meetings, and have had to run a couple of them.

I try to get the squads with the most new shooters (we used to keep them all together - management decided to spread them out).

I make it a point to stress the fact that they don’t need to worry one second about their score. Follow the safety rules, be safe, ignore the timer and everyone else watching, and have fun. I keep the line closed if I need to give an after stage hand smack for anything, and will pull any that need some coaching of to the side between stages.

Murphy is alive an well anytime there is pressure or a clock is running. You would be surprised the number of experienced shooters that we have as first time competition shooters, suffer a complete brain lock when they have a malfunction, most have never even had one happen to them.

If you know you need work on clearing malfunctions, get some snap caps or acquire some dummy rounds (I have a dozen or so powder free rounds with a leather plug for the primer) and mix them into your mags, or have someone else load them into your mags.

My dummy rounds I will mix in with 150 live rounds into a bag and load from there. I may get two clean mags, and 4 dummies in the third.

In the 4 years I have been shooting IDPA, I stopped caring where I end up in the scores after my first year. I don’t want to be a top ranked shooter, I want to know that I can draw from deep concealment quickly, use of cover, and get good shot placement. If you shoot an entire match and not drop any points, you will never finish last regardless of time.

If you CC on a daily basis, I strongly recommend that you shoot the IDPA the same way you carry (providing your gear falls within the rules), including clothing…even if it’s a suit.

9

Thanks for the advice guys. Rob, I understand the tac sequence is the rule, and Im ok with that. I just was wondering about what to practice for for defense. Looks like Im gonna have to figure that out on my own.

Im gonna have to start putting snap caps in some mags and mixing them up.

The only thing I had a problem with is that they wouldnt allow me to carry how I do (appendix carry under a t-shirt). Its not too big of a deal though.

Looks like I’ll be busy this summer!:cool:

10

Yes. And do not let the IDPA FUDS lul you into thinking that it is any kind of tactical training. It’s not. It is fun, it is practice, and the stages represent complex drills. That’s it. When starting out I suggest you do exactly as Sticks suggests re: not being overly concerned with winning. As the fundamentals sink in and become subconscious you can then ramp up and focus on winning if you like because you’re not going to absorb “bad habits”.

11

Is this AIWB prohibition specific to that club or is it an IDPA rule?

12

I dont know but they didnt want me doing it.:rolleyes:

They want everything on your centerline (9 and 3oclock) and using a jacket for concealment, which I do about 15 days a year. Even then, its up front under my shirt.

I understand that. Im using it for the pressure factor more than the “tactics” factor. Im not performing at all how I want to under pressure, and thats the thing I want to get down. I have property available I can set up my own stuff to practice for more “tactic” stuff. But being alone will not provide the pressure of being surrounded by others, under the clock. So far it seems like a good testing ground to see how I react under said pressure. Right now the focus is using cover and getting to the point I can reload without thinking through each step. Then I’ll address other issues. I know its gonna come slow, but Im ok with that. Thanks for all the input fellas.

Winning is not on my list at all right now. Learning is. Once I get where I want to be, I might look into it, but its not even on my radar at this time.

BTW, rob, I think im in between 1&2. I know Im ignorant of a lot of stuff, but not sure what it all is yet. Haha.

13

IDPA.

14

With real live lethal threats that don’t want to get shot and can pose a high level of threat even with a few bullet holes in them, movement and angle work is just as important as engagement technique.
I believe in definitively eliminating each threat before moving to the next unless situation dictates or permits a rapid target transition.

15

Thanks rob.

16

If you learn basic tactics (#1 - GET OFF THE X) and work those into your IDPA matches, then it becomes a sort of training. If anything, it gives you a venue to keep your skills sharp.

As was previously stated, IDPA does not teach tactics. IDPA promotes problem solving and gives you the opportunity to apply tactics that you learn elsewhere.