IDPA Will it get you killed?

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way i look at it: more rounds down range generally means ill be better with my pistol if the need arrises. since idpa i shoot alot more (and alot better) than i did before

i echo the social aspect, ive met alot of good people through idpa, before i knew pretty much no other shooters in the calgary area, now i know a bunch

the only people who are going to pick up bad habits from idpa are the ones that think it is the end all and be all way to fight with a pistol.

p.s. i live in canada, im looking to take some tactical pistol and firearms classes this year, im not military or police and i dont carry either. chances are ill never use it, but if i have to im prepared, and it is d@mn fun to boot
 
Lots of comments, lots of rationale...

Some guys collect PEZ sets or build model railways or golf or play hockey. Good on 'em. I doubt they agonize about their hobbies as much as we seem to.

Do you love what you're doing? Do you get out and meet other folks with the same interests? Can you get lots of advice and mentoring on how to improve your game? Do you have the ability to laugh with someone when they mess up knowing full well they'll laugh with you when you do it? :p

I love shooting. I happen to love shooting IDPA. My motivation might be different from yours, and you might play this a lot more seriously than I do...who flippin' cares? Not me.

IDPA lets me keep up a skill-set of speed, movement, accuracy, and a bit of stress. And it stops me from getting stale as I fly a desk at the HQ. But of course it's not the real thing. The only REAL thing is a two-way range.

The first email on this thread says it better than I could...
 
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Well Steve considering the tirade exhibited in the latter part of his post I must respectfully disagree with your asssement.

As to self-defense training in the Canadian context about the only place you can legally defend yourself with your handgun is in your home. That said it would seem to me that leg holsters and camo gear are hardly the rigor for most of us in terms of clothing around the house.

If I spent a lot of time worrying about defending myself in my home I would probably practice wearing pajamas and slippers with a flashlight in hand with a cell phone handy. Practice drawing from a drawer or seeing how fast I can unlock my bedroom pistol safe. Better yet get real good at shooting my Defender Shotgun.

What I think you get out of some of the training is a better understanding of how to maximize your talents with a handgun and that is a real benefit, particlularly if you do play either of the two major action handgun sports in Canada.

About the only time you will really know if you can pull the trigger on a live person is a second before the event. How you deal with the mental effect afterwards will be largely dependent on how much time you spend with your medical people. For most the experience can be devestating.

Take Care

Bob
 
I had not fired my pistol in over 15 years, until I found IDPA this summer. I didn't realize how much I missed it, the camraderie, the competition, the shear fun of the SPORT. I have no illusions that participating in IDPA matches is going to improve my self defense skills, it's, after all, a game. No more, no less.
 
Canuck44 said:
If I spent a lot of time worrying about defending myself in my home I would probably practice wearing pajamas and slippers with a flashlight in hand with a cell phone handy. Practice drawing from a drawer or seeing how fast I can unlock my bedroom pistol safe.
Click to expand...

NOW WE'RE TALKING!
Bob write up a course of fire.
I like the sound of this, pajamas and all!
Might as well make it realistic eh!

The only problem is that I sleep in the nude.
How do we work around this?
 
Sigh, it never ends

It all counts

1. Owning a gun is better than not and generally improves your chances of winning a gun fight
2. Going to a range and shooting it(#1 now a given) it will improve your chances of winning a gun fight
3. Doing IPSC and #2 will improve your chances of winning a gun fight more
4. Doing #2,3 and IPDA will improve your chances of winning a gun fight even more
5. Doing #2,3,4 and taking defensive pistol classes is likely the best the average person can do

Not everyone can afford the time or money for classes, do what you can, read up on can find. A person who does IPSC or IDPA is likely better prepared for a pistol gunfight than most soldiers. While military training has improved, it still lags behind what your average “gaming shooter” gets.
 
Please excuse the following speeeeling mistakes...

From my interactions with members of the CF the restrictions placed on access to live ammunition to practice is a serious problem for training applications. Add to this that the majority of time behind a pistol is stationary shooting at static targets makes this time even less useful. Good for zeroing your pistol but no where near combat training. The application of deliberate style marksmanship principles are very different from a combat simulation.

IDPA is not a combat simulation because in a combat simulation you have an opponent shooting blanks (or paint pellets) at you.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzing pop (ouch!)

IDPA does provide a safe and regulated environment where sporting enthusiasts can play a game that enhances their proficiency with a handgun using a some rules that make good sence (such as mag changes behind cover).

I would venture to say that there is conditioning involved. Of course there is. A lot of this stuff needs to happen organically or even instinctively to beat your opponent in seconds. Its all about obtaining points in a measureable and verifyable manner.

Combat simulators can only verify if you're a casualty or not.

HE SHOT ME WITH A PINK PAINT PELLET!!!!
OUCH!!!

(It actually stings)

When you know your opponent can shoot back (and it stings) trust me you're not so eager to make the time trial. Its all about not getting wacked again.
 
Laser tag is fairly cheap and accessible in larger cities and painless so even your kids can participate; paint ball is another one to practice too :D
 
Up here it is all for fun only, unless of course you are LE or Military and come and participate with your duty rig and firearm, then it is good practice.

Now, that being said, anyway you look at it, your opinion, or my opinion, or he said/she said, IDPA was created by well know shooters/trainers for the purpose, for those who carry concealed, to compete and shoot on a regular basis, with shooting senarios created to mimic possible real world situations. It is always good practice for those who carry.

And for what it is worth, Saurez was at one time a really decent guy, but has since fallen into some very ultra right wing Christian follows and preaches that hard in his courses.
 
Riflechair

"The only problem is that I sleep in the nude.
How do we work around this?"

Way to much information my friend. You in the nude cannot be a pretty sight unless of course it happens to be your bride taking a peek.:D

Naw for our IDPA shoots we try to keep our gun concealed.

Take Care

Bob
ps Coming out for our night shoot on Saturday?
 
Gun Games Will Get You Killed

Gun games will get you killed in a real gun fight because of muscle memory.

"Tacky Psycky" will prevent you from overcoming it.

Gun games do make you a good fast shooter -

but a dead one.
 
I have to ask this - If Gun "Games" or "Sports" were so dangerous to the real world; then why are the IPSC pros; (Strader, Jarret, Voight, Letham, Sevigny, Barnhart, Garcia et all...) (Dunno who the IDPA Pros are; sorry.)making so much money training LE, special forces and mercenaries...err...contractors?
 
Freedom Ventures said:
I have to ask this - If Gun "Games" or "Sports" were so dangerous to the real world; then why are the IPSC pros; (Strader, Jarret, Voight, Letham, Sevigny, Barnhart, Garcia et all...) (Dunno who the IDPA Pros are; sorry.)making so much money training LE, special forces and mercenaries...err...contractors?
Click to expand...

You basically just listed off all of the IDPA Pros as well.
 
chopper 1 said:
Gun games will get you killed in a real gun fight because of muscle memory.

"Tacky Psycky" will prevent you from overcoming it.

Gun games do make you a good fast shooter -

but a dead one.
Click to expand...

Name one. ..........:rolleyes:

Muscle memory will get you killed?:rolleyes: :slap:

You drive a car I assume,...most people have been driving for years,..and I know most people have been in near misses and lost and then regained control in milliseconds,...in other instances it seemed like an eternity to regain control of the car,....BUT,..we don't tell ourself to avoid an accident, the body and brain just does it. Muscle memory and the dealing with stressors from high speed sports and activity can allow you to overcome fear. This is a fact,...and if you do some searches you will find the same documents I have. I posted a link to an article a few years back that would really come in handy for this thread.
 
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