I think the one second scoring will throw people off for a while. Some people will shoot slower in an attempt to drop less points. This will interfere with their normal shooting ability and they will be slower and still drop points. I'm going to just shoot the way I always have and see what shakes out.
Inaccurate shooters will have to learn accuracy without losing speed.
I found the new version much easier. I hadn't shot in 6 weeks, did horrible, and still managed EX on the new classifier.
When I was regularly practicing the old classifier I would consistently make low EX.
I think the new one is easier because of the reduction in head shots at 7, and 20 yard shots.
Several of us participated in a run of the new classifier this past weekend; everyone fell 1 or 2 levels. Maybe the ranks of the sandbaggers will swell next year.
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2 Master class dropped to Expert (one almost to SS), the rest of us from Expert to SS
The penalty points were the problem for everyone. For me, shooting ESP, I was pretty disciplined in Stage 1, 0 points down in 22 seconds. Stage 2 and 3, not so disciplined on accuracy.
Several of us also design stages. There was disagreement about what sort of changes we might make in design, next year. Some might tend toward simpler stages, some might lighten up on non-threat target placement, some might limit 15 to 20 yard target placements, etc.
The 2016 Indoor National match was on TV last night. That match did have some difficult target set-ups. Under the new rules, it will be interesting to see what sort of match that becomes.
Same at my club. The shooting challenges are easier, but the scoring penalties are harsh. An SSP MA had the best pistol score of ~100 shooters at two different new classifier matches in my area. He shot his carry gun in CCP and scored EX at 96.x (-30), just a few seconds slower than his best SSP run on the old classifier. Nobody else scored above SS in any division. At least one solid EX scored SS on two separate attempts.
I predict more shooters will be chasing match bumps this year.
Last edited by Stuffbreaker; 05-08-2017 at 03:24 PM.
Were the master class shooters actually able to shoot a master class score on the old classifier or were they bumped at a major match?
The majority of master class IDPA shooters I have met could not actually shoot an M class score on the classifier. It is easy to get bumped to master at an IDPA major though because the requirements for a bump are so low. I think this is the reason that IDPA "masters" have a reputation for shooting at about a B level in USPSA.
I wouldn't dispute that that's part of it because I am pretty unfamiliar with IDPA match bumps and I really don't know. But, back when I first started shooting USPSA and barely squeaked into B-class, I could routinely shoot the old IDPA Classifier at the Master level, at least in practice.
Technical excellence supports tactical preparedness
Lord of the Food Court
http://www.gabewhitetraining.com