In October I will have been shooting IDPA for 2 years. During that time my skills have gotten much better. In my first few months I would finish in the lower half. For the last year I’ve been in the top half, and lately I’m usually in the top four or five shooters. (I’m talking overall, not by division or classification). My highest finishes have been 2nd or 3rd overall, and I’ve done that several times this year, against some really good shooters.
So I was pretty excited to shoot the classifier this year. The first time I shot it I came in as a CDP Sharpshooter. I just barely squeaked in above Marksman. This was when I had just barely started IDPA. So I figured since I had improved so much during the last couple of years I would easily be able to make Expert.
Ha! I suck at the classifier!
I went to a classifier a couple of months ago. Tanked it. Couldn’t buy a headshot. Down tons of points in stage 1. Sharpshooter.
Ok, month later. Practiced up on headshots. Shot another classifier at a different club. Dropped 41 points on Stage 3. Ouch. Sharpshooter.
All right. One more classifier before the state match in September. Last Saturday. Local club. Beautiful day. Sun is shining. Birds are singing. Dropped one of my one handed shots. Dropped 18 points on one target in stage 3. (other 2 looked ok). Still a Sharpshooter. Missed it by 8 seconds.
Now I’m trying to figure out what my weakness is. How can I go to a regular IDPA match and do really well? Yet go to the classifier and suck beyond all comprehension?
The light bulb comes on. Limited Vickers.
I have come to realize that I have one thing that I’m really good at. Calling my shots. I usually know exactly where my sights were on the target when the hammer fell. So if I jerked, or twitched, or pulled a shot, I know it. It is pretty rare for me to walk up to a target to score it and be surprised by a missed shot. When I miss, I know it.
Since most IDPA stages are Vickers count, I’ve become very good at cranking off an extra shot when I know that my previous one wasn’t a good hit. My strength is speed. Accuracy is my weakness. I know it, and I know I need to work on it.
So now I get to the classifier. I jerk the trigger, pull a shot, I know it as soon as it happens. I know I missed, but I keep moving. Because I know I missed, my brain processes this information and it makes me slower than I should be. Damn you Limited Vickers!
So now I’m going to concentrate on accuracy, not speed.
Well, it’s a slow day at work. Just thought I would share. I needed to vent.
So I was pretty excited to shoot the classifier this year. The first time I shot it I came in as a CDP Sharpshooter. I just barely squeaked in above Marksman. This was when I had just barely started IDPA. So I figured since I had improved so much during the last couple of years I would easily be able to make Expert.
Ha! I suck at the classifier!
I went to a classifier a couple of months ago. Tanked it. Couldn’t buy a headshot. Down tons of points in stage 1. Sharpshooter.
Ok, month later. Practiced up on headshots. Shot another classifier at a different club. Dropped 41 points on Stage 3. Ouch. Sharpshooter.
All right. One more classifier before the state match in September. Last Saturday. Local club. Beautiful day. Sun is shining. Birds are singing. Dropped one of my one handed shots. Dropped 18 points on one target in stage 3. (other 2 looked ok). Still a Sharpshooter. Missed it by 8 seconds.
Now I’m trying to figure out what my weakness is. How can I go to a regular IDPA match and do really well? Yet go to the classifier and suck beyond all comprehension?
The light bulb comes on. Limited Vickers.
I have come to realize that I have one thing that I’m really good at. Calling my shots. I usually know exactly where my sights were on the target when the hammer fell. So if I jerked, or twitched, or pulled a shot, I know it. It is pretty rare for me to walk up to a target to score it and be surprised by a missed shot. When I miss, I know it.
Since most IDPA stages are Vickers count, I’ve become very good at cranking off an extra shot when I know that my previous one wasn’t a good hit. My strength is speed. Accuracy is my weakness. I know it, and I know I need to work on it.
So now I get to the classifier. I jerk the trigger, pull a shot, I know it as soon as it happens. I know I missed, but I keep moving. Because I know I missed, my brain processes this information and it makes me slower than I should be. Damn you Limited Vickers!
So now I’m going to concentrate on accuracy, not speed.
Well, it’s a slow day at work. Just thought I would share. I needed to vent.