Looking for some assistance here with some practice techniques to improve my IDPA scores.
-shot a IDPA match last weekend, overall time was good, however my down points not (24)
Looking for some practice tips and techniques that improve my accuracy in matches.
I shoot a Gen 5 19 with Holosusn 507C from appendix carry
I try to dry fire at least weekly for 15 minutes
Range time is maybe every two weeks.
Time matters more than hits in IDPA. Slow down your shooting enough to get good hits but do everything else (draws, reloads, hand changes, movement, etc.) faster. You can practice that stuff when you dry fire. You can practice sprinting short distances and stopping quickly, moving around barricades, etc., in your yard, in a park, or on a school ground.
I only shot IDPA for a couple of years and I only shot at two clubs. Most shooters would waddle up to a firing point, fumble the draw, and dump a magazine while barely hitting the target. Then they’d botch the reload, waddle the next firing point, and repeat the same mistakes.
I focused on learning to zip around the stage, skid to a halt, fire a few well-aimed shots, and zip off again. That gave me more time to shoot, so I dropped fewer points. After a year or so, I was finishing in the top 3-5 shooters. I wasn’t shooting much better than before, but I was doing everything else more quickly.
The more comfortable you are running with a loaded gun in your hand the easier this will be. Some people have a very hard time with that.
Okie John
“The reliability of the 30-06 on most of the world’s non-dangerous game is so well established as to be beyond intelligent dispute.” Finn Aagaard
"Don't fuck with it" seems to prevent the vast majority of reported issues." BehindBlueI's
Get a qualified coach to evaluate your draw and grip. I had a problem that Tom Givens diagnosed. Thus, when I go off target, it is in a way Tom showed me and then I dry fire a bit and use my SIRT for practice. You can self correct using resources from the Internet but it's hard to see the nuances in grip, etc. Just my two cents. Granted it takes a bit of time and money to find someone.
In TX, I could recommend someone. Might ask here for local advisors.
How much motivation do you have to improve?Originally Posted by Steve m
Increase the dry fire to daily for 15 minutes working on index, transitions and trigger press.
Like any sport, if you just dabble that’s where you’ll stay.
You might try adding some structure to your dry-fire sessions by getting one of Ben Stoeger or Steve Anderson’s books on dry fire drills and fundamentals. You might also try expanding your dry-fire practice to daily rather than weekly. Start with 5 mins a day for a week. Then 10 mins/day, then 15. Then do some live fire to back-up the dry fire practice and make sure you’re not jerking the trigger or anything. Have a plan for when you go to the range so you’re not wasting ammo.
When you dry fire, are you being honest with yourself and making sure you have a good sight picture and follow-thru so the sights aren’t coming off the target when the shot breaks? My upstairs room has a bunch of 1/3 size cardboard targets pinned to the walls, but even before then I used postit notes and light switches.
Last thought: It might be the gun. I shoot a SA or DA/SA much better than I do any of my striker fired gun.
Half inch post it notes in the spare bedroom at about 12 feet. Draw from the holster with either a SIRT or obviously empty G17 SRO. However, the SIRT or other laser systems are useful to see how your grip and press actually relates to the target. I again say, if one can - get a coach. There are such courses around here and there were in TX. I will pass on analogies to self sexuality as I have a modicum of class.
About 1/3 targets. Good idea. Have to be in the basement. My wife frowns on the spare bedroom click click at times. However, since the basement is now known at the snake pit (see the wife thread), it would be ok down there.
Thanks, to all.
-will work on moving at my range
-definately need to structure my dry fire with set goals each time
I would submit that, contrary to what @okie john said, accuracy matters more than speed in IDPA - speed when you’re shooting, that is.
You can absolutely improve your time by concentrating on doing all the “non-shooting” things faster (moving, reloading, etc).
But I’d also submit that, especially since IDPA went to 1 second per point down about 10 years ago, accuracy is still very important.
While the time for “non-shooting” tasks is the low-hanging fruit, split times and transition times between targets in an array are still going to be important. You can work to improve those even without movement on an indoor range.
You’ll need a shot timer to measure your split times. See how fast you can fire a string of 2-3 shots which acceptable accuracy at different distances. I find that it varies noticeably from 5, 10, 15 and 20 yds (all common distances in IDPA).
Then use the timer as you put controlled pairs into two targets (even hanging from the same hanger if necessary) at various ranges.
Then try holding a sight picture on someone else’s target with the shot timer on delayed start. At the beep, transition to your target, moving your eyes, then your sights to put a controlled pair into your target.
Keep a log, so you can quantify how fast you can get acceptable hits on the above drills at various ranges. Then experiment ro see what changes in technique (support hand grip) or focus (trigger manipulation) will improve your performance.
Good luck!
ETA - I just re-read @okie john ’s post, and he actually said “time matters more than hits” (“time” as apposed to “speed”).
So we’re actually saying very similar things.
Last edited by GyroF-16; 05-17-2022 at 04:24 PM.
There is no perfect substitute for shooting more live fire rounds and more matches.
Likes pretty much everything in every caliber.
I was going to write out a long post but the simple answer is go to YouTube and find a Ben Stoeger Practical Pistol video and watch it, it will be eye opening. Even better, join up for a month or two of The Practical Shooting Training Group. Best still, take one of his classes. Then prepare to spend a small fortune in ammo doing double drills. I personally floundered for years frustrated that my accuracy in matches was not were I wanted it. Only when I understood the interaction of my grip and trigger control and practicing double drills did I make true progress.
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