i think a lot will depend upon the game you choose. A tac rifle match, a F-Class shoot and a benchrest competition will require differing skills and equipment.
Then again, there are a great many things in common between all of these. For example:
- understanding how groups form up, and how how to steer your _group_ to get you the highest possible score under the conditions of that day
- the experience of handling mental pressure
- trigger control - how to break a good shot, and how to accurately call the shot that you broke.
- reading and understanding the various wind indications available to you; understanding how the wind does and does not affect your bullets; getting an understanding of some of the more common patterns that the wind follows
- risk management in your match tactics/shooting judgement; know when to play it safe, and why, and where to take risks, and how big, and why.
Having said that, you really should try - I find competition can only improve my abilities.
+1 to that.
To the OP - if you have good rifle, and know how to shoot shots well, this will really speed up your progress in competition shooting. There are other things to learn too (enough to keep you interested and rewarded.... for a lifetime in fact, if it grabs you), but you learn these other things more quickly when you have a rifle/ammo/trigger-puller that is shooting accurately.