Last night I started a shooting competition at a local indoor range, and wanted to provide an overview of the match, as well as some details about starting up a match of this type for anyone who is interested in doing something similar.
Background: I managed an indoor range for a few years while I was going to school, and during that time I ran a weekly “outlaw USPSA” match for about 3 years total. All-in-all, we had just over 150 competitions over my time there. When I moved for work, I met the director of training at an indoor range, and asked about any competitions they might host. They had run some matches in the past, but had not for some time. Long story short, we came to an agreement that I would run a weekly competition for them on Wednesday nights, and last night was the inaugural event.
Challenges last night: There will always be hang-ups, and last night was no exception. The cardboard USPSA targets were late arriving (they are supposed to be here today), so I had to make do with paper targets available on the range. I ended up using a silhouette target that approximated the size of a USPSA target, unfortunately there were no scoring rings. We ended up scoring any hit on the silhouette as an alpha (A-zone hit), which worked well as a stop-gap for the first week. The downside is higher levels of accuracy were not rewarded like normal, and the scores looked like a Tony Cowden classifier match. We also had to make shooting boxes, walls, and cut down target sticks before the match. Luckily I had someone from the range helping me, which made it possible to get things made and set up without being too late. Fortunately the range had 6 55-gallon barrels which are excellent for both indoor and outdoor matches.
Shooters and Equipment: I was very pleased with the mix of shooters we had (7 total). Ages ranged from guys in their 30s, 40s, 50s, and 60s, and one female shooter in her 60s. A few had previous match experience, but most did not. Most shooters were using kydex strong side holsters, with a few electing to shoot from “low-ready.” Firearms ranged from a Stacotto XC in a USPSA belt rig, a few carry optics guns (M&P and 320), two XDms (3.3 and 5.25 models), and a Ruger sr22. Besides the rimfire ruger, all shooters were using 9mm. In addition to paper targets, we also had a number of shoot-through rubber knock-down targets from Newbold. I have used these targets fairly extensively and have been very happy with how well they work, even with 22. Assuming they are set up correctly, I rarely have issues with hits not knocking them down, and then it’s usually due to very low shots.
Set-up and Match flow: I followed the pattern I used in Utah where we shot three stages. Because there is more time before the match for set-up, I always have the most ‘elaborate’ stage first. The next two stages are progressively more “simple” to prevent long waits between stages. At this range, we have to be finished by 9:00, so excessive take-down/set-up times during the match are unacceptable. The first stage was an L shaped hallway with targets available on the left and right as you advanced down the hall, concluding with three knock-down targets and two papers arranged with barrels and no-shoots to require some lateral movement to hit everything. The second stage started in a shooting box behind a stack or barrels and required shots on the left and right. You would then advance downrange to a second box with additional barrels and a low port. The final stage required lateral movement to engage a number of targets obstructed from certain positions by barrels and no-shoots. Clean-up at the end of the match was about 20 minutes. This range was built by action target and is one of their “tactical bays” which means the ceiling is armored in a way to allow shooting from in front of the shooting bays. This is a huge advantage as the two axis of movement make things much more dynamic and interesting.
General lessons: these are a few ideas off the top of my head that I have learned over the years of running indoor matches.
-be very explicit about safety rules, and enforce them as you explain. I have disqualified a number of shooters over the years for safety violations. Be very clear about what can get you disqualified from the match so there is no confusion.
-ask for, and take, criticism and suggestions when given constructively or non-constructivly. My matches are far from perfect. Yours are or will be too. There are many good ideas out there, and my matches have become much better as a result of listening to shooters. Sometimes ideas are not feasible, are unsafe, or for some other reason can’t be implemented. However, acknowledge and respect suggestions. Help people be comfortable approaching you with concerns or suggestions, and use them if possible. Just like your writing, don’t become emotionally attached to stage design, match administration, etc.
-My priorities for a match, in order of importance are 1:safety 2:match parity and fairness 3:enjoyment for the shooters 4erformance of the shooters. If the match is not safe, nothing else matters and you either need to fix that immediately or stop running the match. If the match is not fair, you may as well just run a practice session. Even if you feel like you are running a ‘fun match’ where people don’t really care about scores, at least some do. There are people who commit lots of time and money into these sorts of sports, and allowing cheating, bending of the rules, favoritism to the “good-ol-boys” or anything like that is toxic to the match and the culture, and will eventually ruin the match. Everyone should be having a good time. Some shooters get enjoyment out of performing well (see #4) and that is great. There are also those who are there for a good time, and it is your job as match director to make the match enjoyable. That means being organized, having good match flow (from stage to stage, between shooters during reset, etc.), and overall making it a good experience. Actively talk with people there and ask how things are going.
-stage design is critical for a successful match long term: Boring stages will lead to low turnout, even if it takes some time for it to happen. Especially at a weekly match, shooters will get bored of shooting el prez and bill drills every week. They will also eventually get bored of the typical “move to this box and shoot these targets, then move to this box and shoot other targets...” Shooters should expect stages with options and an open layout that encourages stage planning. They should also have chances to take risks that could result in better scores, or worse scores if they don’t perform. For practical matches, I do this many times by offering a target at a further distance, often partially obscured by cover or a no-shoot that can also be shot further downrange with no obstruction. This rewards accuracy at distance with time savings when you don’t need to move downrange to take the shot. This is one very simple example of giving shooters options. A good indicator of a successful stage is multiple high-level shooters electing to shoot the stage in different ways. This sort of open field course is not required for all stages, but I try to at least make my first stage in this way. Usually my last stage is more of a traditional standards stage, but doing that all the time is boring and lame. Even short courses can be interesting by incorporating movement, options, low ports, and other ideas.
Last night was not a perfect match, but I know the one next week will be better, and eventually we’ll get back into a flow and hopefully get more people interested in practical shooting, help people become more comfortable moving with a gun safely, and being more proficient, and being a great recreational activity for people. I have met many of my good friends through shooting matches, and hope to continue that trend here.
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Originally Posted by Jeff22
