Competition Bad Habits? Do any exist? Competing Anonymously possible?

[Alpha Sierra]

Because humans can’t actually multitask, so you’re giving something up - speed. If you’re moving under [potential or actual] fire, it’s probably best to just run faster and get to your next piece of cover, then reload, or better yet, reload first then move.

So you've been to less than 10 pistol matches and never been in a gunfight. But you are sure of what works and what doesn't.

Gotcha.

PS, I doubt you're right about the multitasking thing......

[deflave]

I agree that humans are pretty poor at multitasking.

However I don't think running and reloading is multitasking.

Neither is rushing with a football, dribbling with a basketball, or chewing gum while walking.

[NETim]

Guys like Steve Andersen are fond of explaining to their students that the brain cannot contain more than one conscious thought at any given time. This is why we work to make things like reloading a handgun or aligning the sights more or less an "instinctive" subconscious process so the act doesn't consume brain CPU cycles.

During the last USPSA match I shot this past Sunday, I can't recall the act of reloading while moving to the next firing point. All I know is when I got there, the gun was up, the dot was there and I was knocking down poppers. They didn't stand a chance.

Competition for me anyway, also serves as further impetus to practice more.

[Sanch]

So you've been to less than 10 pistol matches and never been in a gunfight. But you are sure of what works and what doesn't.

Gotcha.

PS, I doubt you're right about the multitasking thing......

Alpha,

Do you have evidence of even a single case of a civilian reloading a handgun during a self defense encounter outside of their house? I don’t know of any and if there aren’t any then maybe it doesn’t matter and reloading is just part of the game to get more rounds In the gun?

[p7fl]

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Competition for me anyway, also serves as further impetus to practice more.

Totally agree with NETim.
I also found 20+ years ago that competing with my carry was more fun and challenging than shooting a dedicated game gun.
Tuning up for Sunday's match is a lot more motivating than practicing for a 2 round gun brawl that is never going to happen.

[Zincwarrior]

Correct me if I am wrong, but what does this have to do with either Run and Gun (USPSA), Waddle and Shoot (IDPA), or action steel matches for that matter? One must reload to shoot more, and the game has multiple targets.

[Alpha Sierra]

Alpha,

Do you have evidence of even a single case of a civilian reloading a handgun during a self defense encounter outside of their house? I don’t know of any and if there aren’t any then maybe it doesn’t matter and reloading is just part of the game to get more rounds In the gun?

I'm not going down your road because I don't agree with your starting argument that competition creates bad habits.

I personally don't care if reloading has or has not ever happened in a self defense shooting in or outside the home. It's completely irrelevant to my decision to use competition to A) enjoy myself and B) become a better shooter

[Alpha Sierra]

During the last USPSA match I shot this past Sunday, I can't recall the act of reloading while moving to the next firing point.

And yet those who don't compete or do so infrequently tell us such things can't be done.

Okay...….

[John Hearne]

I agree that humans are pretty poor at multitasking.
However I don't think running and reloading is multitasking.
Neither is rushing with a football, dribbling with a basketball, or chewing gum while walking.

Technically, it's multi-tasking but, the reloading is transferred to implicit aka procedural memory and can be performed without any cognitive load.

[HopetonBrown]

IDPA never appealed to me because last I checked, I wasn’t allowed to have a light mounted on my gun, which seemed super ridiculous.

It seems super ridiculous to not participate because you can't 1:1 replicate your carry setup.