You can't miss fast enough to win

[Bigguy]

I'm sure most of you on this forum have heard that before, but I'm just now discovering the wold of competitive shooting. I guess I knew it was out there, but I had paid any attention before. Anyway, I was watching an episode of ShootingUSA this morning and they had a segment about helping a basic shooter get started in IDPA. Toward the end of the segment ole Jim made the comment that, "you can't miss fast enough to win." It probably wouldn't have been any where near as funny if I hadn't had a mouth full of coffee. Fortunately I missed the laptop, and managed to get off the carpet before I lost it.:D

[Vinh]

One time at fantasy camp, I actually did miss fast enough to win. It was a plate rack duel at something like 50 yards. I emptied my P30 and reloaded before my opponent even finished his first mag. We were both surprised because I wasn't known for spraying and praying back then.

[Leroy]

At some smaller local matches (it depends on the competition) you can. Not a good strategy for long term success though.

[PPGMD]

At some smaller local matches (it depends on the competition) you can. Not a good strategy for long term success though.

Now I should mention for non-competition shooters when we say that we mean miss the highest scoring zones, but still hitting one of the lower scoring zones. Many non-competition shooters picture it as completely missing the target. In reality completely missing a target is devastating in USPSA. For each shot not on a target you not only don't get any points you get penalized points equal to two hits in the highest scoring zone. If you completely miss a target with both shots, the RO can give you an additional penalty for not shooting the target equal to miss. So completely missing a single target can cost a shooter six hits on the highest scoring zone.

I've seen this on the results from matches. On a head shot only stage, one shooter got 9 mikes, and 8 procedurals for FTE. He shot 169 points on target, but with the negative points he got no points for the stage.

[Malamute]

I shot a plate shoot once. I don't know what it was called, 5 plates, 3 runs through for the score. I used a 45, and a couple times I needed a sixth shot. I was surprised when a number of shooters shot really fast, but after 2 or three high cap mags, hadn't hit all the plates.

I was just shooting as fast as I could hit well. No danger of winning, but was in the higher 1/4 of scores I believe. The 45 was a single action revolver.

I discovered that when I mentally "hyped myself up" to shoot fast, I didn't shoot as well. I just try to relax and shoot as well as I can and go as quickly as is comfortable. I've watched other guys get hyped up and not shoot well.

[LOKNLOD]

You can certainly hit slow enough to lose, however.

[Wheeler]

You can certainly hit slow enough to lose, however.

Truer words never spoken.

[ACP230]

I heard the saying first at the Second Chance Bowling Pin Match.
There it meant missing pins altogether by going too fast, or so I took it.

Even at various local matches I could never miss so fast that I won.

I did hit slow enough to lose a lot of times, at SC, and elsewhere.