IDPA Notes

[Grump]

I'm still mostly a solo shooter with the pistol, and finally did a 90-round IDPA Classifier nonstop without discovering I'm short of ammo, having the targets blow off, running out of time, or having a major brainfade or ammo goof.

Raw time was 110.something seconds, but I was 23 points down.

I've fired one or two stages a few times, and have concluded that IDPA Vickers Count (or izzit modified V?) on the Classifer makes it an accuracy match with a premium on speed. With the Stage 1 and 2 draw times all below 2 seconds, Stage 3 at about 2.25 seconds, and shot splits usually around .45 to .55, I'm now wondering--do I keep the speed and improve accuracy, or try to improve both?

For reference, my Stage 1 and 2 raw times are below :30, but Stage 3 this time ran almost :49. The advance and retreat strings on Stage 2 were the fastest.

So, how should I break into Expert times/scores?

 

[Tacblack]

do I keep the speed and improve accuracy, or try to improve both?

My best results came without a doubt from working on accuracy and more practice. The speed came the best way possible without sacrificing accuracy. It is really hard to slow down enough to be accurate. Trust me I have been struggling with this for awhile now. I have never heard any one in my club or any IPSC match say different.

 

[faustulus]

What Tac isn't telling you is all too often, his speed far out strips his accuracy.

But he is right, work on the accuracy and being smooth, the speed will come.

 

[mattburkett.com]

Grump, I tend to disagree with the other guys here. I think you can work on both at the same time. Besides it is generally not just a speed or accuracy issue. It is everything - grip, stance, tension, finger position etc... The first thing you need to be able to do is to call your shots. Do you see the sights lift and return every single time?

Take care,

 

[Grump]

Almost every time. Four shots (one each, stages 1 & 2, two in stage 3) were punched down and off-call into the -3 zone in the session described.

That's a reduction from 4 -3s and 3 misses in the previous run. One of those misses was over the top on a head shot, but the rest were flinchies.

Mentally focusing on the front sight (physically too) while mentally "encouraging" the straight-back recoil seem to have helped the flinchies. Takes my mind off the trigger.

 

[Gunfyter]

When I went to my first DP school in April and we were shooting the two center mass and one head drill, nobody was doing real well. The instructor told us to say to ourselves or outloud "front sight, press". Amazing how it helps your concentration. Now when I practice and things tend to open up I just revert to the words and viola, the groups shrink. Try it, you'll like it.