Opinions on USPSA/IDPA matches for LE

[Glenn E. Meyer]

About shooting on the move. I got a 10 point penalty (the new you are somewhat of a cheater but not a FTDR person penalty) because I forgot to move on a target. The SO was a rule stickler. No 3 points, you get 10!

Then the rule changed.

In the past, you fired an extra shot to get a better reload - so I should give you an FTDR, blah, blah. Oops, that's gone too.

There is the fun of tripping over a fault line stick - DUCK EVERYONE!

Anyway, we've been rained out for weeks, so I can't hang out with those dangerous LEOs I shoot with.

[BehindBlueI's]

It saddens me to see some of the LEOs talking about the extremely limited training facilities they have access to. I'd be much more inclined to drag my ass to a match if I didn't have near weekly access to somewhere I could shoot on the move, draw from a holster, set up and run my own drills, etc.

[Zincwarrior]

About shooting on the move. I got a 10 point penalty (the new you are somewhat of a cheater but not a FTDR person penalty) because I forgot to move on a target. The SO was a rule stickler. No 3 points, you get 10!

Then the rule changed.

In the past, you fired an extra shot to get a better reload - so I should give you an FTDR, blah, blah. Oops, that's gone too.

There is the fun of tripping over a fault line stick - DUCK EVERYONE!

Anyway, we've been rained out for weeks, so I can't hang out with those dangerous LEOs I shoot with.

I thought FTDR, and "you don't have to move" came out at the same time? Why on Earth would you get that for not moving? A firm DAD voice "Move!" By the SO and maybe a reg penalty was always the ticket.

[Glenn E. Meyer]

We had a touch of a disagreement about the penalty.

[Jim Watson]

A friend got one of the 2017 Flagrant Penalties for engaging not one but three Strong Hand Only targets with both hands on the gun at the Nationals.
CoFs were reading, "Engage targets as they become available as you progress from P1 to P2." instead of "on the move."

A lot of people are afraid of fault line boards, but USPSA has been getting away with them for years.
We got fault lines, we lost the "COVER" warning. If you dip a toe over the line or board you hear nothing, shoot and get the PE, shoot a lot and get a FP.

[Zincwarrior]

About shooting on the move. I got a 10 point penalty (the new you are somewhat of a cheater but not a FTDR person penalty) because I forgot to move on a target. The SO was a rule stickler. No 3 points, you get 10!

Then the rule changed.

In the past, you fired an extra shot to get a better reload - so I should give you an FTDR, blah, blah. Oops, that's gone too.

There is the fun of tripping over a fault line stick - DUCK EVERYONE!

Anyway, we've been rained out for weeks, so I can't hang out with those dangerous LEOs I shoot with.

We had a touch of a disagreement about the penalty.

I bet there was...

OT but if you make it to the ARC matches, and some fart with an Aggie hat at the sign up is telling you to sign on to his squad because they are the cool squad, you should. We have fun...

[Glenn E. Meyer]

Will do. Come down to Cedar Ridge and you can go out to lunch with a bunch of crank old farts, some of whom are LEOs.

[Zincwarrior]

Will do. Come down to Cedar Ridge and you can go out to lunch with a bunch of crank old farts, some of whom are LEOs.

Very good!

[Gio]

I do believe that we, as cops are selling ourselves short by not expanding our horizons to some of this competitive shooting. That said, some of the guys at the IDPA match were very frank with me saying that some of the cops over the years that showed, were terrible shots and unsafe per the "rules" as well as generally (NDs). One thing I did learn quickly is that it's a GAME with GAME RULES that may or may not coincide with what is taught at the PD range.........

Most people love to generalize and say cops are terrible shots and unsafe, and that can be true, but I also see a lot of non-cops show up at matches who are terrible shots and unsafe. I think LE in general is just a microcosm of the rest of the population, and despite the fact that they have to carry guns full time, most of them see it as an annoyance or an afterthought and don't spend the time to get proficient with it, let alone master it. I find that most LE that are interested in shooting and guns are generally pretty accurate, but exceptionally slow and deliberate. Speed has never been a staple of LE firearms training.

Competitive shooting is just a game with game rules, but I recommend learning the rules, trying to utilize every aspect of the rules within the game to your advantage, and not using the "real world" as an excuse for why you did something poorly in the game. It will push you to be a better shooter long run.

[Peally]

People in general are terrible shots when they start. Unfortunately most don't bother practicing enough to get good. If they're cops it's just a natural association (guns = police), but they're still normal people like anyone else.