could i shoot idpa?

[FlyinBryan]

due to having more courage than skills on a dirt bike i permanently have 13oz of stainless and titanium in my left ankle. the breakdown is 12 screws and two plates. tibia and fibula each sport enough hardware to host an art gallery in other words, lol.

i have a noticable limp on some days and on others, you would be hard pressed to detect any limp at all. forget running, and forget jogging, i can get a little verticle leap but not much.

would i be able to compete in idpa with this little setback?

i have no problem walking briskly as long as i dont try to get ahead of myself.

thx in advance guys, bryan.

[fiddletown]

You could certainly compete in IDPA (and even in IPSC). However, you may not be competitive, i. e., you may not be bringing home the first place trophies. But personally, I'd recommend that you not let that stop you.

I've never shot IDPA, but I did used to compete in IPSC (Limited and Limited 10 divisions -- I shoot trap now), and found it to be great fun even though the top shooters in our club never had anything to fear from me. I learned a lot, and my shooting and gun handling improved as I went along.

I personally consider competition primarily an extension of training and practice. Competition adds an element of stress; so, especially as relates to the use of a handgun as a self defense tool, competition gives me an opportunity to practice under a heightened level of stress, basic skills like gun handling, moving with a loaded weapon, speed reloads, shooting from unconventional postures, target recognition, target acquisition, etc. IDPA or IPSC is not a place to learn self defense, but it is a great way to learn, practice and improve those basic skills. From that perspective, I think it would be worthwhile for you.

[M47 Dragon]

Sure you could! Go for it, but be good to yourself - don't overdo it!

I think with your medical issues, you wouldn't have to kneel if a stage called for it, you could probably get by with a low squat behind cover. Just let the RO know about your bionic leg before a kneeling stage starts and you should be good to go.

Good luck!

[RobMoore]

IDPA specifically has a rule regarding stage design. No movement of more than 10 yards between
firing points and 15 yards total in a string of fire. This will minimize your disadvantage.

[MaterDei]

Sure you can but you're going to have to reverse your courage to skills ratio to be successful. ;)

[Jim Watson]

You will do fine. I have joined the wonderful world of the arthritic which knocked me out of a few shoots, but I am now back in it at a little slower pace. One of the better shooters in our club has a jigsaw puzzle knee due to an unfortunate experience with a mountain bike. (Reason I like SAFE sports, the ones with guns.)

[VegasOPM]

Spend time working on accuracy, and your hitch will disappear. :D There is a 1/2 second to 1 second penalty for all non center hits. SLow down, go faster is the mantra anyway.

[Navy joe]

You'll do fine, I used to shoot with a guy like Yoda. Crippled up and metal in both knees, sundry other repaired bullet holes, overweight, used a cane and limped badly. That buzzer would go off and you never seen 300 lbs move that fast. IDPA master and a good one. I only have 6 screws and one plate, doesn't slow me up much though.

[Eric F]

I saw a guy in a wheel chair shoot IDPA before. Not the fastest on the move but he was very fast and accurate at the fireing positions.
They went right by the rules and charged the guy for not using cover on a shage where you were suposed to squat and shoot through a pair of drums........I thought that was unfair

You'll do fine, I used to shoot with a guy like Yoda. Crippled up and metal in both knees, sundry other repaired bullet holes, overweight, used a cane and limped badly. That buzzer would go off and you never seen 300 lbs move that fast. IDPA master and a good one. I only have 6 screws and one plate, doesn't slow me up much though.
I think I know who you are talking about. Did he come out of the Middlebrooks camp?

[burningsquirrels]

you'll be just fine. where others are able to run, you can make up for that with pinpoint accuracy and reload/handling speed. you can even practice shooting while on the move. if you're doing indoor matches it won't matter much, but outdoor matches - you can definitely find areas to excel in where others won't. i shoot with some guys who can't go faster than a walk and they are able to compete.

[Navy joe]

I think I know who you are talking about. Did he come out of the Middlebrooks camp?

The same Zig. So named because he shoulda zagged on a couple of those old injuries.

[Eric F]

That sounds like him.

[Defensory]

Posted by Eric F:
I saw a guy in a wheel chair shoot IDPA before. Not the fastest on the move but he was very fast and accurate at the fireing positions. They went right by the rules and charged the guy for not using cover on a shage where you were suposed to squat and shoot through a pair of drums........I thought that was unfair

It seems like it might be unfair at first, but you have to remember that in a real life situation, armed attackers aren't going to cut you any slack because you're in a wheelchair. In fact, they may very well single you out specifically because of your physical limitation.

If you're firing at armed attackers who are firing back, they won't hesitate to blow you away if you're not behind proper cover. So you need to do everything possible to stay behind cover. I think that's the point IDPA was trying to make in requiring him to adhere strictly to the rules.

As you well know, IDPA won't prepare you for every single defensive situation, and it isn't their intent to do so. However, it will significantly improve the all-around shooting abilities of virtually all novice and intermediate shooters.

[Eric F]

Defensory I agree rules are rules and agree with your post. However IDPA was suposed to be for every one to be competitive. It was never really ment to be a real life trainer but it does help. After all do as you practice right. In the case I mentioned would it be smarter to loose your mobility in favor of stoping to make a shot from low cover knowing you need to keep moving? If it were a real life situation and I was in a chair like said person if high cover is all I could do and keep moving then fine thats what I would do. How does this count for IDPA? Well in my mind disabled folks are slow as is. Why penalize them more? they already wont likely make the top much less qualify more than a novice any way. Why strip them of confidence? Just my thoughts give em a break and encourage them.

[FM12]

I say go for the gun sports and be safe, unlike those blamed motorcycles!! The worst that can happen is that you'll have a good time!

[Defensory]

Posted by Eric:
I agree rules are rules and agree with your post. However IDPA was suposed to be for every one to be competitive. It was never really ment to be a real life trainer but it does help. After all do as you practice right. In the case I mentioned would it be smarter to loose your mobility in favor of stoping to make a shot from low cover knowing you need to keep moving? If it were a real life situation and I was in a chair like said person if high cover is all I could do and keep moving then fine thats what I would do. How does this count for IDPA? Well in my mind disabled folks are slow as is. Why penalize them more? they already wont likely make the top much less qualify more than a novice any way. Why strip them of confidence? Just my thoughts give em a break and encourage them.

I don't believe IDPA ever intended for everyone to be competitive by bending the rules for some, Eric. :)

In a real life shooting situation, it's critical to retain proper cover when you're being fired upon. It only takes a split second to get yourself killed, when you ignore the importance of staying behind proper cover.

IDPA ultimately isn't about "staying mobile", "scoring points" or "winning". It's about getting to be the best you can be with your weapon, and making proper mental decisions. Ignoring proper cover in order to "stay mobile", so you can finish the stage a little faster, may very well ingrain in you a bad habit that will cost you dearly in a real life defensive situation.

Handgun safety, accuracy and not shooting non-threat targets are far more important than things like points and "winning".

Most of the physically disabled people I know don't want to be treated differently than non-disabled people in any way. They don't want special favors or pity, nor do they want you to bend the rules for them.

When you bend the rules for them, they're not being treated the same, and THAT is what strips them of their confidence and dignity. Most of them simply want to compete on an equal footing, and do the best they can. ;)

[Radagast]

I had a paraplegic mate who shot IPSC from his wheel chair, he had cerebral palsy from birth. His holster was taped to his wheelchair. He also shot service rifle prone, had to be helped in and out of his chair for that.
He qualified on the MP5 for work.
He married and had a kid.
He finally went out in a high speed crash while road racing with other law enforcement officers.

When I think of his example there aren't many people who can't shoot IPSC or IDPA.
FWIW there is (or used to be) a clause in the IPSC rules that allowed a disabled shooter to declare prior to shooting a stage that he couldn't follow the stage requirements and take a percentage penalty for shooting it in the fashion he was capable of.

Short answer: Go for it.

[burningsquirrels]

very inspiring. go for it man!

[RobMoore]

Ignoring proper cover in order to "stay mobile", so you can finish the stage a little faster, may very well ingrain in you a bad habit that will cost you dearly in a real life defensive situation.


Any stage that rewards such behavior is poorly written. Cover is in the rules, and in my experiance is the majority of the game.