I'm a great fan of IDPA (and a Match Director, so maybe I'm biased).
Perhaps the greatest benefit to average Joe shooters is that it is a fantastic opportunity to develop and practice your gun-handling and manipulation skills in a mildly stressed situation with some time pressure.
When you consider the standard model for most shooters' practice routine (if they have one) which is to go to the range, stand at the bench, unbox their gun, and fire a box of ammo from a static position at a bullseye target ... that doesn't teach you much about how to "run" that gun in response to a sudden, dynamic, mobile situation, or how to draw and present that gun smoothly, how to smoothly perform a reload off your belt, how to shoot leaning, laying down, moving, backing up, and so forth.
IDPA is NOT "training" for self-defense or "tactical" operations -- there is so much else that goes into the skillset of being ready to defend your life that a match/game format cannot even touch on.
However, the familiarization with your equipment -- working with a
system of holster, gun, magazines, covering garments, and your own abilities and limitations -- while moving, using cover, engaging targets that don't all just hang there at 15 yards on a target carrier -- is something that "most" shooters don't avail themselves of.
Now, a serious gun carrying type
might spend a day each month (or a night each week for some of us) setting up scenarios where he/she has to respond quickly, draw a gun from a concealment holster, make a shooting retreat to cover, engage multiple moving targets, reload, shoot in odd positions, etc. But that is a LOT of effort and I can count on the fingers of one hand how many shooters I've seen do this (at my range at least) in the last few years.
But with IDPA, the nice guys (like me!
) who take days each month to develop and set up a handful of such scenarios are absolutely thrilled for you to come out and wring out your carry gear, figure out what of your skills work well and which you need to develop more -- and have a great time -- without much personal effort (unless you're gracious enough to come out and help set up & tear down) and at little cost.
Remember, you can run IDPA as a game -- trying to beat your own scores or those of your buddies -- or you can run it as a practice session, using your real-world gear and ammo and trying to address the "threats" as you really would on the street. That choice is up to you.
And also remember, don't get too bogged down by the rules. They all exist for one reason or another, and those reasons may not be immediately apparent to you. If you run afoul of them, just say "ok, thanks" and move on. As long as you're safe, no one cares.
Try it out and let us know what you think!
