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YVK
10-20-2012, 10:30 PM
I shot my first ever classifier today; I'd done pieces of it before but never the whole thing. I'd shot two IDPA matches prior to that. I am disappointed with a result. I had 44 points down, with a horrific 17 points down stage one. I did exactly what I tried not to do and a missed head shot. Twice.
With all of that, I made a sharpshooter.

Here is the question. I know I can clean up the head shots. I shot with an appendix holster which was positioned as far forward as rules allowed, but of course it screwed up my draw times; I can correct that. I am not closely familiar with IDPA target in that it is not very intuitive to me where the 8 ring is (from anatomic standpoint, its location is retarded and should be 2-3 inches higher); this can be corrected with experience. I got two procedurals for cover on stage 3, perhaps I can fix that. So, just right there, there are some seconds to shave. Say, 10 seconds on head misses and procedurals, maybe several more if I didn't fumble the draw, one reload was so-so.

So I am thinking, I'll clean all of that, and I'll make....a sharpshooter again.

My raw time was 115 seconds, which means that to make an expert, I need to shoot at the same speed and give up just 8 points, not 44. Doesn't sound realistic, does it?

So, the question # 1: it seems like to make a higher rating, I'd need a qualitative skill improvement, not just cleaning up the obvious stuff above?

#2: where the hell does one get a qualitative improvement? I am about 12K/year shooter, plus at least the same dry-fire volume, I cut down my 3-4 annual classes to zero for 2012 just to allocate time and resources to practice. I probably can shoot more volume-wise, and perhaps just a bit more dry-fire, but I have too many interests in life to increase my training exponentially.

This whole post, of course, is not about "how to help YVK to make an IDPA expert". It is about the #2 above, how do you find a way to make a next step when you have already been doing this for a few years, how do you - believably - fight off a thought that you're at the max of your potential no matter what or do you need to fight off that thought - maybe you should stop wasting time and money on chasing what you can't get? The man's nature is not to give up, and even non-incremental improvements are gratifying if they are in fact improvements and not random occurrences. As such, I'll enjoy shaving off seconds or minutes from whatever it is that I do, but realistic hope that the next big step is possible would be a nice motivator.

P.S. A practical question, don't know if it is answerable, but I'll ask anyway: given the data (115 sec raw, 44 points down): in practice and preparation, slow down to get better hits, speed up trying to maintain at list the same number of misses, or what? The question is driven by the fact that the overall winner of the match had 71 points down yet beat me by 17 seconds...

GJM
10-20-2012, 10:45 PM
YVK:

1) the results of just one classifier are hardly predictive of what your current skill level is.

2) regardless of the intentions of IDPA, it is a game, and knowing you, the kind of shooting you routinely do, does not necessarily translate into IDPA. Do not underestimate how much gaming there is to shooting competitions.

3) many years ago when I shot IPSC, the year I went from B to A was the year I just relaxed and tried to shoot accurately, rather than go beserk* at the sound of the buzzer.

* beserk, adjective -- Injuriously, maniacally, or furiously violent or out of control.

YVK
10-20-2012, 10:58 PM
G., I use IDPA simply as a measuring stick of pure shooting skills. There is of course some gaming there [rest assured I walked veeeery slowly, turned into a gun, and had six mags with me just to keep the gun heavy :)], but overall, classifier doesn't seem to have a ton of it and is relatively fair assessment tool. You can substitute this with RSS course, or any short format stuff like FAST or DOTW. I had fun doing it, but, being a retentive dude that I am, I couldn't help but ask "how do I know I can do much better?"

Alaskapopo
10-21-2012, 02:25 AM
The IDPA classifier is actually a pretty good skills test in my opinion. Stage 3 is the classifier however and you need to get your long game down. I used to pratice the classifier a lot because it challenged a variety of different skills.
Pat

rob_s
10-21-2012, 07:56 AM
First or second time you shoot it the classifier is at least as much about becoming comfortable and familiar withe the courses if fire as it is any kind of actual test. Once Boyd that I agree with popo that its a pretty good Ana,uses test, with the caveat that if you're all ate up with bitching about use of cover rules then its a horrible test.

I always tell people shooting it for the first time to ignore the timer and shoot it set the speed you know you can make the hits. Don't lollygag, but don't go screaming away on the ragged edge either.

Does your normal 12k/year include working with a timer? If not, that's another element of the classifier that may be intimidating without realizing it.

m91196
10-21-2012, 08:12 AM
I think it is a decent test as well and has a lot of good points as a test.

13 draws so if your slow here it's easy to clean up and this skill translates to real world.

If you choose not to game the advancing and retreating stages you can still do well.

12k a year, I gotta believe you have a raw time in the 80's lurking in there, you just need to light it up

If someone shot a classifier at 71 points down and was HOA you need to do your own thing, ignore the competition.

YVK
10-21-2012, 09:40 AM
Does your normal 12k/year include working with a timer? If not, that's another element of the classifier that may be intimidating without realizing it.

Yes, of course. All of my dry fire is with timer. Live fire - yes, but frequency depends on range environment, as 97% of my practice is on indoors range.

GJM
10-21-2012, 10:12 AM
So 5 more questions/thoughts:

In the matches you have shot, what were the rankings of other shooters near your scores?

If you repeated the classifier a few times what would be your score?

If you practiced the classifier a few times, woud that change your scores?

If you shot the classifier with your G17, what change, if any, would that have on your score?

If you analyze each run within the overall classifier, can you see specific areas where you have opportunity for improvement?

gringop
10-21-2012, 11:03 AM
Here's a good link on m4.com, Todd has a good post in it.
http://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=8176

The Collin County IDPA Club also has a good web page on the classifier.
http://www.ccidpa.org/classifier-tips.html

When I shoot the classifier, I concentrate on these aspects.

Know your limitations. I know that have shot sub 2 second Mozambiques clean before, I sure as hell don't try to shoot them in a classifier. Practice is the time to push your limits, not matches or classifiers.

Set realistic goals. Determine a time for each string that you know that you can shoot it clean, figure out where that will put you. I got a spreadsheet from somewhere on the internet that breaks down the times needed. I can't find the original but here is my copy.
http://lonestar.texas.net/~mberg/guns/idpa/IDPA_Classifier_Break_Down1.xls
This is not my work, props to the original creator whoever you are.
So, comparing your current times to your goals, you can see what needs work and where you can tighten things up.

Transitions. Improving my transitions was a big step in me making Master. Except for the first 3, every stage has target transitions. You can make up a lot of time by having efficient target transitions. Practice using different height targets so you don't freak out when you see them on the real classifier. As gamerish as it may sound, on stage 3 you need to position yourself from the outset so you can see all 3 targets and just transition across them. Pieing out so only one is visible at a time is too frigging slow. As long as you have 100% lower body and 50% upper body behind cover, you are good to go.

Accuracy. Don't accept misses in practice. Even if you are pushing speed, you need to be able to hit that 8" circle, If you start missing, figure out why. Tired, not focused, dust in your eyes, figure it out and fix it. Do not accept misses. Understand that you will probably shooting at targets from 20 yards that are literally covered with tape. Know were the -0 zone is by the general shape of the target, not by seeing the perfs.

Have enough loaded mags so you don't have to futz around reloading mags on the same stage. Keep your mind on your shooting, not digging loose rounds out of your pocket.

Everything else is covered in the two links above.

One other thing, I hear lots of folks say that you shouldn't practice the classifier. They say that doing it will bump you up to a class above your ability. That's BS. My goal is to make Master in every class I shoot. I can't make that without practicing the skills needed. That doesn't mean that I setup a 90 round classifier at every practice. That means that I practice Mozambiques, transitions, draws, barricade work ect. I do work in some of the stages to get a feel for where I am when a classifier is coming up.

Gringop

rob_s
10-21-2012, 11:54 AM
Yes, of course. All of my dry fire is with timer. Live fire - yes, but frequency depends on range environment, as 97% of my practice is on indoors range.

See, that answer to me would be "no". Wheat I'm thinking of is regularly utilizing the timer in live fire and incorporating movement, etc. not that there's a lot of movement in the classifier, but if you can do it quickly while moving you can do it better standing still.

Almost none of my practice is done in an indoor range or limited by stalls, etc. I'm not the most accurate shooter in the world but this is why I can regularly beat shooters that may perform better on Dot Torture or similar static drills. My performance is hampered now by the accuracy issue, not a movement or speed issue.

Can you break down your points down into the following groups?
-penalties (procedurals like cover, etc.)
-accuracy (-1s and -3s)

YVK
10-21-2012, 01:34 PM
So 5 more questions/thoughts:

In the matches you have shot, what were the rankings of other shooters near your scores?

If you repeated the classifier a few times what would be your score?

If you practiced the classifier a few times, woud that change your scores?

If you shot the classifier with your G17, what change, if any, would that have on your score?

If you analyze each run within the overall classifier, can you see specific areas where you have opportunity for improvement?

Most of them are my level shooters, nobody is better than SS. Sure, if I practiced it more, I'd do better, or I hope so. I don't think P30 is holding me back anymore, reloads maybe. We'll find out in 2-3 months.


Wheat I'm thinking of is regularly utilizing the timer in live fire and incorporating movement, etc. not that there's a lot of movement in the classifier, but if you can do it quickly while moving you can do it better standing still. ....


Can you break down your points down into the following groups?
-penalties (procedurals like cover, etc.)
-accuracy (-1s and -3s)

Without private range, or private time on public range, the use of timer is limited by circumstances. On my range the timer picks up echo from my own shots, let alone noise from other lanes. I am pretty much limited to using it as a start signal or par function. When I can use it as an actual timer, it is a good day for me.

Stage one - two mikes, seven -1s, stage 2 - eight -1s, stage 3 - two cover procedurals, one mike and 14 more points lost. I wasn't attentive enough to see if how many -3s vs -1s I had on that stage. Next time I'll photo the target.



Here's a good link on m4.com, Todd has a good post in it.
http://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=8176


I read it and did everything he said. Other than missing those heads..






Transitions. Improving my transitions was a big step in me making Master.

As gamerish as it may sound, on stage 3 you need to position yourself from the outset so you can see all 3 targets and just transition across them. Pieing out so only one is visible at a time is too frigging slow. As long as you have 100% lower body and 50% upper body behind cover, you are good to go.



Transitions is also what I can't set up without private range. I shoot pin matches occasionally as a transition practice but that's not the same. This is not just about classifier, but about the fact it is a skill I want to work on. The distance between targets, the staggered height - all is relatively foreign. Don't know how to practice it on one lane of indoors range.

You can set up a position behind the barricade so you can see all three yet maintain the cover? Both sides of a barricade?



What I am hearing from you is that the qualitative improvement is expected from a small cumulative quantitative steps - get more practice, become more familiar, clean up misses, tighten the times one step at the time. We'll see then. In that regard, this link ..



http://lonestar.texas.net/~mberg/guns/idpa/IDPA_Classifier_Break_Down1.xls


..was massively helpful, thank you. This allows to put everything in a quantitative, measurable prospective. I made the expert time on stage one but at a horrible accuracy expense. I pretty much made expert accuracy demands on stage three, but at expense of speed and with penalties. I made expert cut on stage two. This info is certainly very helpful in setting up practice plans.

Good help from everybody, thank you.

wJAKE19
10-21-2012, 07:23 PM
Most of them are my level shooters, nobody is better than SS. Sure, if I practiced it more, I'd do better, or I hope so. I don't think P30 is holding me back anymore, reloads maybe. We'll find out in 2-3 months.



Without private range, or private time on public range, the use of timer is limited by circumstances. On my range the timer picks up echo from my own shots, let alone noise from other lanes. I am pretty much limited to using it as a start signal or par function. When I can use it as an actual timer, it is a good day for me.

Stage one - two mikes, seven -1s, stage 2 - eight -1s, stage 3 - two cover procedurals, one mike and 14 more points lost. I wasn't attentive enough to see if how many -3s vs -1s I had on that stage. Next time I'll photo the target.




I read it and did everything he said. Other than missing those heads..




Transitions is also what I can't set up without private range. I shoot pin matches occasionally as a transition practice but that's not the same. This is not just about classifier, but about the fact it is a skill I want to work on. The distance between targets, the staggered height - all is relatively foreign. Don't know how to practice it on one lane of indoors range.

You can set up a position behind the barricade so you can see all three yet maintain the cover? Both sides of a barricade?



What I am hearing from you is that the qualitative improvement is expected from a small cumulative quantitative steps - get more practice, become more familiar, clean up misses, tighten the times one step at the time. We'll see then. In that regard, this link ..



..was massively helpful, thank you. This allows to put everything in a quantitative, measurable prospective. I made the expert time on stage one but at a horrible accuracy expense. I pretty much made expert accuracy demands on stage three, but at expense of speed and with penalties. I made expert cut on stage two. This info is certainly very helpful in setting up practice plans.

Good help from everybody, thank you.
you should be just a few points down on stage 1, slow down and get your hits, its pretty close range but you still need to look at your sights. dont miss the head shots. this is the stage with the most draws, be quick to the gun, sure on the grip and fast to the target, then get your hits.

stage 2 is movement... be smart and only move as fast as you can shoot -0's. turn into the gun and get your eyes on target as fast as you can. be down no more than 8-10points

stage 3, shoot as accurate as you can, and run from p1 to the barrel, no use of walking or jogging on the timer. be no more than 15-20 points down.

rob_s
10-21-2012, 07:36 PM
This thread is proving very interesting to me. 12k rounds/year of all single lane, un-timed practice, seems to me to be wasted effort. That's 230 rounds per week, which is impressive but doesn't sent to be getting you anywhere useful. Are you at least cleaning Dot Torture? At what distance? I think you're past the point of diminishing returns.

The way to get practice with timers and multiple timers given the constraints that you seem to have is pretty simple really... Shoot more matches. I would in fact suggest more matches at the expense of any more static range time. Not just for match performance but for the building of the skills you can't work on at the static range.

YVK
10-21-2012, 08:31 PM
This thread is proving very interesting to me. 12k rounds/year of all single lane, un-timed practice, seems to me to be wasted effort. That's 230 rounds per week, which is impressive but doesn't sent to be getting you anywhere useful. Are you at least cleaning Dot Torture? At what distance? I think you're past the point of diminishing returns.


I cleaned DT in presence of 10 other people a year ago, in Todd's class, at the same time I scored advanced on FAST.
My personal best FAST is 5.82. My personal best clean DT is at 5 yards. My DT at 7 yards is 46. My El Pres during this match was 10.21 clean. There is a number of my scores reported at the DOTW section, if you want to get more reference data.
Your point of my practice volume getting my nowhere is inaccurate, I record and measure my results and I see improvements. Your point of diminished returns could be valid, hard to say. That's the whole thing about all we do, knowing if effort is wasted or not, isn't it?

Yep, you're right, doing better in matches, which classifier is, involves shooting more matches, if anything, simply for reason of getting exposure to stuff I can't do indoors.

Mickey
10-21-2012, 09:34 PM
For help with transitions working on an indoor range I think these targets may help.
http://www.letargets.com/estylez_item.aspx?item=DT-2A
when I am at the range by myself I load up 3 mags with seven rounds and do a "casino" drill. which means the target gets its corresponding amount of rounds, target 1 gets one round target 2 gets to rounds and so on.
If you have someone with you at the range they could call out colors or numbers.

GJM
10-21-2012, 09:56 PM
I have read a post, I think by TLG, that suggested folks that only take classes, without significant practice do themselves a disservice. I think the opposite is also true. I shot a lot this summer, but know that I learned a lot in the two day AFHS class in ABQ last month, and look forward to a two day tutorial with Bill Rogers the beginning of November. Also plan to train with Manny Bragg in January.

YVK, I know that you purposively elected to minimize courses this year, but I bet a mix of personal training, matches, and instruction will help you achieve your objectives most efficiently.

joshs
10-21-2012, 09:56 PM
I shot my first ever classifier today . . . I'd shot two IDPA matches prior to that.

I think you've identified why your performance didn't match your expectations. Pistol competition is new for you, so I wouldn't expect to shoot even close to 100% of your capability. As you shoot more competitions the gap between your ability and match results will begin to shrink.

As for how to shoot the classifier, I think you'll see much better results by focusing on shooting stages 1 and 2 clean. Personally, I'll take more risk of -1s on stage 3 than the other stages. I know there is a lot of temptation to trade accuracy for speed in the SS to EX classifications, but I think you will find your progress to M is much easier if you simply focus on shooting -0s on every shot.

YVK
10-21-2012, 10:00 PM
Mickey, thanks. I do something like this periodically by means of some generic large target and 3x5 cards. Gives some practice at it, but not the extent of visual refocus and body movement as on a classifier.

GJM, you're right in that if doing well in competition is one's goal, then getting some instruction from competition trainers might prove helpful.

Josh, thanks for advice. There is much to learn here for me for sure, the balance between speed and hits is certainly one of them. The first match I shot I went for hits and came in fifth, the second match I went for speed and won the match. Going for speed on classifier seemed to prove a wrong move.

rob_s
10-22-2012, 04:28 AM
GJM, you're right in that if doing well in competition is one's goal, then getting some instruction from competition trainers might prove helpful.

Maybe this is a good time to ask, what is your goal?

If you don't have the ability to shoot in a practical way when you practice, then competition will help you work on skills that are important to any application beyond bullseye shooting.

BN
10-22-2012, 08:54 AM
I got a spreadsheet from somewhere on the internet that breaks down the times needed. I can't find the original but here is my copy.
http://lonestar.texas.net/~mberg/guns/idpa/IDPA_Classifier_Break_Down1.xls
This is not my work, props to the original creator whoever you are.
Gringop

I just followed this link and it has me listed as shooting the classifier in 62.5 seconds. That has never happened. :)

That info came from a thread on Enos where people thought it was impossible to shoot a 60 second classifier. I just listed some possible times on each string of the classifier. Sort of a "Dream Team" classifier. :) The very best I have ever done is 84 seconds.

YVK, if you want to do well in IDPA matches, then you need to shoot as many as you can. It is different than doing drills in practice. As an example, I'm a pretty decent IDPA shooter. When I recently started doing some of Todd's drills, I pretty much sucked. As I continue doing them I am getting better and it is also making me a better IDPA shooter.

If I was you I'd spend part of my training money finding a way to practice more than just drills, even you have to drive farther to a different range. Shoot as many different matches as you can.

Bill

YVK
10-22-2012, 09:43 AM
Bill, thanks for advice.
As I am reading this thread over, I am coming to conclusion that there is no "single universal" way of training for various performance measurements, be it IDPA match, FAST, LAPD qual or RSS. Seems like dedicated training towards each specific parameter is needed.



Maybe this is a good time to ask, what is your goal?

If you don't have the ability to shoot in a practical way when you practice, then competition will help you work on skills that are important to any application beyond bullseye shooting.

The goal is to be a best all-around shooter I can be.
Let me turn it around a bit in regards to rate of progress and resource utilization. A potential relative "waste" of 230 rounds on weekly basis to me is insignificant comparing to a loss of 6 hours every Saturday - which is how long local USPSA matches last and why I shoot IDPA (3 hours match, once a month). Hence, static training and dry fire mostly. Note that being a static shooter, I still scored SS in my first classifier, even though I am unhappy.
Based on your responses and advice, you seem to have ability to train practically and shoot matches a lot more often than I can. What has your progress been in relative and absolute measures? What's your round and time expenditure?
I am not asking to figure out what shooter you are, Rob, I ultimately don't care about anybody's else performance but mine; I am simplytrying to find an optimal and realistic range/match/classes/dry fire ratio.

ToddG
10-22-2012, 11:07 AM
I have to disagree vigorously with the suggestion that working on fundamental skills ("single lane shooting" ) is a waste. While there are certainly some things you cannot practice that way, few of them are really stressed in the IDPA Classifier.

Also, while opinions vary, the shooters I know and respect the most tend not to use a shot timer as part of their dry practice most of the time. Dry practice is an opportunity to get lots of perfect reps, building neural pathways that you can then "trigger" on demand.

Shooting stages as practice will certainly help with stage strategy and execution. It won't have nearly as much impact on broader skill building. Its the equivalent to running an obstacle course versus working out at a gym.

Learning where the scoring zone is and saving time finding it (or adjusting for it) will gain you time as well as points.

gringop
10-22-2012, 11:18 AM
Transitions is also what I can't set up without private range. I shoot pin matches occasionally as a transition practice but that's not the same. This is not just about classifier, but about the fact it is a skill I want to work on. The distance between targets, the staggered height - all is relatively foreign. Don't know how to practice it on one lane of indoors range.

It not a good as real targets with a wide transition but I always used 4" dots on copy paper at 7 and 10 yards when I shot indoors. Set them up as wide as is safe and practice transitioning back and fourth. Shoot, call the shot, snap the eyes over while transitioning during recoil, confirm sights on other target, shoot, repeat. Make sure to do strings of 3, 4 and 5, not just 2.



You can set up a position behind the barricade so you can see all three yet maintain the cover? Both sides of a barricade?



I lean my body a lot on barricade work (my shoulders go to 45 degrees) and use the "bend the forward knee" to move outward. As long as I'm no further than an arm's length back from the barricade, I can see all 3 targets at 20 yards, both sides. I'm also pretty tall, 6' 3".

Stuffbreaker
10-26-2012, 08:32 AM
A practical question, don't know if it is answerable, but I'll ask anyway: given the data (115 sec raw, 44 points down): in practice and preparation, slow down to get better hits, speed up trying to maintain at list the same number of misses, or what? The question is driven by the fact that the overall winner of the match had 71 points down yet beat me by 17 seconds...

I shot two classifiers this year trying this very tactic. My raw times were about 15 seconds apart, but my scores were virtually identical. I placed mid SS in both, but got a match bump to Ex in a later match. I'm currently placing among the Experts in IDPA and B shooters in USPSA Production, so I don't consider my Classifier scores to be the best indication of my skill set. Nevertheless, I'm striving to be a paper Master.

Being an indoor shooter, the transitions in the Classifier were the biggest challenge for me as well. I've found Steel Challenge incredibly useful for improving my transitions. I shoot both rimfire and center fire divisions, getting over 500 rounds of drawing and transition practice per match. A significant part of my indoor range sessions is devoted to transitioning between ovals on a 530 target. Its helping. Shooting outdoors usually involves an hour drive, so I try to do this at least once a month.

When practicing indoors for the Classifier, I do my best to mimick the stages. Shooting while moving can be mocked by walking in place in the stall. Stage 3 can be simulated by leaning to each side of the stall as if you were pieing around cover. SHO & WHO transitions can be done on a 530 or other target with multiple target zones.

Edit: I shoot around the barricade in Stage 3 without moving my feet. Shooting around the left side is hardest for a shooter who is right eye dominant because you have to poke your head further out to line up the sights. I found dry fire practice to be especially helpful for this stage. I hang my wife's yoga mat from the ceiling and practice dry firing around it. I put three dots on the wall to the exact scale of the Classifier targets so the movements are virtually identical to what is needed in the Classifier. Using reduced size IDPA targets for dry fire will help you get an intuitive feel for the position of the target zones.

It helps to know the rules and carry a copy of the rulebook. In both of my Classifiers, the SOs tried to give me a procedural error for leaving cover before stowing my magazine after a tac load in Stage 3 String 2. This technique is a common tip in various threads about the Classifier, but the rulebook is vague on this and many SOs are not aware that it is legal to leave cover once the mag is seated and stowe on the run.

ToddG
10-31-2012, 08:54 AM
When practicing indoors for the Classifier, I do my best to mimick the stages.

Practicing the Classifier isn't the best way to improve your Classifier score, especially at the high-SS/low-EX level. You know the COFs. Building up the component skills (draws, accuracy at speed, plus reloads and 1H shooting to lesser extents) is going to give you both better Classifier results and better overall shooting skill.

In the time it takes you to run (or simulate) the Classifier you could easily have worked through 2-3 times as many reps of those key component skills.

Corey
11-02-2012, 09:54 AM
My own experience backs up what Todd says. I shot my first IDPA match and classifier last April and made Sharpshooter (there is a thread about it here somewhere) on the classifier and finished 26th overall. Since then I have worked on skills practicing weekly on an indoor range. Organized and planned my practice sessions and did drill of the week regularly as well as some dry fire. In August I shot a local steel match and I made to a couple of local fun matches that were IDPA style on an indoor range. Shot my second IDPA match and classifier last Saturday and moved up to expert on the classifier and was 5th overall in the match.

Practicing skills instead of drills really does work!

YVK
11-02-2012, 01:54 PM
I was hoping you'd say how you progress was. Glad you got the EX!

Stuffbreaker
11-09-2012, 10:54 AM
Practicing the Classifier isn't the best way to improve your Classifier score, especially at the high-SS/low-EX level. You know the COFs. Building up the component skills (draws, accuracy at speed, plus reloads and 1H shooting to lesser extents) is going to give you both better Classifier results and better overall shooting skill.

In the time it takes you to run (or simulate) the Classifier you could easily have worked through 2-3 times as many reps of those key component skills.


My next Classifier is in two weeks. Though I have not done much Classifier-specific training since May, I plan to devote most of next week's training to Classifier preparation. This week my training is biased slightly toward the Postal Match, which my club runs this weekend, weather permitting. I have little experience shooting from the prone position as required in the Postal Match, so my dry fire training includes work in this area. My broad training routine tends to get more sport-specific relative to the type of match I'm running on any particular week. Do you suggest I forego any type of match-specific training in the final days leading up to a match?


Caleb's take on practicing the Classifier is worth noting. http://gunnuts.net/2011/12/27/why-practice-the-idpa-classifier/

Though the article hints at the notion of not practicing it exclusively at the upper levels, this statement is particularly interesting: "Of my IDPA road matches I finish 9th, 3rd, and 2nd*, and 14th at the World Championship... Practicing the classifier as a way to build fundamental shooting skills is what got me to this point"

ToddG
11-09-2012, 11:06 AM
My point is that it takes ~30 minutes to fire 60 rounds executing lots of different skills in the Classifier. With that amount of time, I could get in a lot more dedicated practice of my fundamentals. With that amount of ammo, I'd be a lot more specific about what I practiced. If you can do the 2+1 strings of fire easily but you struggle at the 20yd line, why would you put time & ammo into all that close range wide open practice when you could instead focus on the stuff you're not as good at?

It's like Dot Torture. People who use it as "practice" are completely missing the point. It's not practice. You don't do any one thing (other than "hit a 2in circle at 3yd") enough to get in satisfactory reps. It's a test. You do it once in a while to measure your performance.

It's like working out. Do you do one of every exercise you know each day, or do you focus each day's workout on more reps of certain exercises?