First match down

[YVK]

Just finished shooting my first USPSA match; sitting here and collecting my thoughts. These are my random musings.

1) On account of me wanting to shoot a P30 out of appendix holster, I was told I was shooting a Limited minor. I was also told that shooting limited minor is disadvantageous from scoring standpoint, but I couldn't care less. In retrospect, I could've shot it in production from a strong side OWB. I can't think of a stage where a speed of draw advantage that I get from AIWB mattered much at all. I subscribe to training in the same way one carries daily, but I only had to do three shots out of holster and straight of target, and all were low-prob shots. I am thinking of canning appendix for next match. What do you guys do?

2) I was at the range at 8 am and I left match at 3 pm, and the match wasn't even over. I shot 127 rounds. Time spent per rounds fired, this was the least efficient practice/training I ever had. Typical?

3) A big selling point for me was shooting on the move. In general, that turned out to be a BS. Most of moving was just to run up close to the target so you could hose it from a near-contact distance. When I realized that, I started to engage targets from more realistic distances, but I realized it a bit late. In many cases, the only way to engage was near-contact. I also think that I made a mistake and I should've taken an opportunity to practice a true shooting on the move, rather than trying to get through the stage faster.

Overall, this was a mixed experience. It wouldve been more positive if it hadn't lasted that long, or we did more shooting. Perhaps, a first snowfall of year and freezing rain threw in a wrench. It was a good group of dudes, though. I did OK given my ongoing identity crisis with a P30. I did horrifically on a stage that required distance shots, and half of those were one-handed; food for thought. I am unlikely to join USPSA, but I will be shooting more matches.

[JDM]

Your experience mirrors my own in local club level matches. I shoot about 1 every other month, and that's plenty.

It's nice to break up the normal training with a match, but the low volume of actual shooting is kind of annoying, and I'm not in any way interested in regular competition.

I shoot from my appendix gear because why not? If I ever actually need my gun, that's where it's gonna be. Why not get whatever practice I can with it there.

[rsa-otc]

2) I was at the range at 8 am and I left match at 3 pm, and the match wasn't even over. I shot 127 rounds. Time spent per rounds fired, this was the least efficient practice/training I ever had. Typical?

Had the same observation after shooting one of my first IDPA club matches. Left the house at 7 am got home at 2pm. My score was around 50. So that was 7 hours spent for about 48 seconds of shooting.

I still go because I totally enjoy the company of my fellow competitors. IDPA if ran right has you moving while shooting at longer distances 7 to 10 yards. Also it makes you think more that your normal square range practice sessions.

[MDS]

2) I was at the range at 8 am and I left match at 3 pm, and the match wasn't even over. I shot 127 rounds. Time spent per rounds fired, this was the least efficient practice/training I ever had. Typical?

This is what kills it for me. What with a couple of kids at home, it would take a giant kitchen pass for me to spend an entire day at a competition. I get so much more value out of approximately weekly range trips, than competing approximately monthly. It's a damn shame, because the competitions can be fun as well as educational.

<shrug>

One day, I'll be able to shoot in my back yard. Then my buddies can come over and we can do whatever kind of "competition" we want. =)

[YVK]

Why not get whatever practice I can with it there.

I barely got to draw and shoot. 2/5 stages one needed to run before shooting, so we drew on a run, no pressout out of holster. 1/5 stages started with gun on a deck. 2/5 were draw, and one of those had you draw twice, so I drew and shot exactly three times. Incidentally, I missed at least one of three and possibly all three of those shots.

Also it makes you think more that your normal square range practice sessions.

It does, but there is a twist to it. I saw what other dudes were doing and started doing the same - figuring out a course of fire for a given stage. That resulted in at least half, if not 3/4, of my shots fired at distances and speeds that are neither relevant to me [unless I needed to shoot somebody point-blank] nor are a skill builder. Ernest Langdon says "Proximity negates skill". Next time I shoot a match, I'll be thinking in terms of what skill I want to practice, rather than how to get through this faster.

[JodyH]

Competition isn't practice and it isn't training.

It sounds like you were taken out if your comfort zone and forced to do things you wouldn't normally do, that's a good thing.
So you had to draw on the run... and?
A perfect stance and press out probably wont be the preferred option if you're receiving incoming fire.
Contact distance hosing is a damn useful skill when the bad guy is at bad breath distance.

Use competition to identify weaknesses and have fun, not as practice or training.

I shoot limited/minor with my concealed aiwb 9mm p30 and have reached B-class while doing so.

Competition isn't practice and it isn't training.

Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk

[ToddG]

) On account of me wanting to shoot a P30 out of appendix holster, I was told I was shooting a Limited minor. I was also told that shooting limited minor is disadvantageous from scoring standpoint, but I couldn't care less.

Right here and now, decide whether you're there to get a good score or there to shoot/practice with your gear. If you are going to care about your score, you're going to have to do a lot of things different from your normal routine. Holster selection is just the beginning.

2) I was at the range at 8 am and I left match at 3 pm, and the match wasn't even over. I shot 127 rounds. Time spent per rounds fired, this was the least efficient practice/training I ever had. Typical?

Yes. It's not supposed to be a practice session. It's an opportunity for you to shoot someone else's problem under stress. It's more of a test than a practice session. As such, you cannot measure it by round count. Either you learned some things about your performance -- like the inability to make low-prob hits from the holster under stress -- or not.

3) A big selling point for me was shooting on the move. In general, that turned out to be a BS.

There were, as you said, plenty of opportunities to shoot on the move. They just weren't advantageous to a better score. So again, it's a matter of picking your priorities. If you want to place well, you walk the stage, plan the stage, and game the stage. If you want to get in as much SOM practice as possible, take as many shots SOM as you can without worrying about your score.

[guymontag]

Just finished shooting my first USPSA match; sitting here and collecting my thoughts.

You aren't alone, I participated in my first match one week ago and had a similar experience. I expected to shoot in Production, but was advised to shoot Limited Minor by other competitors. I expended around seventy rounds in a matter of four hours and although I wouldn't describe it as efficient, it was worthwhile. I made observations not only of myself, but also the sport. I think now and into the near future, I will continue to participate in a recreational capacity, only testing and evaluating my performance. Your decision is yours.

It sounds like you were taken out if your comfort zone and forced to do things you wouldn't normally do, that's a good thing.

I completely agree, and it's a reason why I found value, and hope for continued participation.

[YVK]

Right here and now, decide whether you're there to get a good score or there to shoot/practice with your gear.

Correct. Point I was making my gear choice didn't matter a bit - not for score, not for actually practicing with it other than using it as a carriage for a gun, at least, at courses of fire offered at this match.

Yes. It's not supposed to be a practice session...

True, although I didn't recognize it at the beginning.

If you want to get in as much SOM practice as possible, take as many shots SOM as you can without worrying about your score.

So, it is a practice session...Just messing, I realized, although a bit late, that I should've made it to be what wanted/needed it to be, within limits of stages etc. I could've gotten more SOM, I could've created more opportunities for low-probability shots under time stress, etc. Next time.

As far as being out of comfort, no, not really, perhaps because I was preoccupied with working that LEM trigger more than with anything else.

[joshs]

Welcome to the gamer club. If you aren't careful, you'll soon find yourself endlessly practicing set-ups and doing the IPSC one footed lean around barriers.

If you think of matches as training, you're probably going to be disappointed by how much you get to shoot. I use production gear because I like to try to win, and Production provides the best opportunity to be competitive with guns that people actually carry.

Did you have any Ms or GMs on your squad? I ask because the "run up close and shoot" is more common at the C-B level, but it is usually not the fastest way to shoot a stage. This is of course very stage design dependent. Some clubs don't have the space to make larger stages that give more opportunities to shoot on the move. But, there are often SOM opportunities that many shooters cannot take advantage of because they cannot get two As on a 7-15 yard target while moving at a pace that actually provides more benefit than a hard set-up.