IDPA Will it get you killed?

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Can someone tell me what the real problem is here. If you want to shoot IDPA go shoot it, if not and all you want to do is put it down or what ever the hell you are doing, go somewhere else and do it, again this is Canada, anyway you look at it, it is for fun only, and again, IDPA was created to provide a level and as realistic as possible playing field for shooting with a focus towards shooters who carry concealed. Again, you don't like it, don't play.
 
Bottom line:
Who cares.
On nearly every shooting forum right now there is this same thread. And all the same lines are being drawn, same arguements, same old stuff.
How about doing something more constructive like sitting down, talking and learning. The comp shooters have lots of skill information to be shared, and the defensive guys have lots of tactics to share. How about we learn from one another rather than deride each other. Stop thinking in Vs., and start looking at the positives of each.
 
maurice said:
I have a reconstructed ACL (still a bad knee) and some arthitis,..a thumb joint that will never properly heal from a boxing injury,...a trigger hand knuckle that dislocated and jumps out of place when I am shooting,...a big fat gut, an ankle that broke a couple of years ago that requires me to wear footwear with good ankle support as it is weaker, a torn muscle in my shoulder that will probably never completely heal, and less than one year ago I had laser eye surgery to repair Astigmatism that previously was not operable. I also juggle career,..and watching a 20 month old (my son) on my days off and I have two teenagers. Yet I still shoot ok,..and find time to do it. I am not the fastest runner,...
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You never know who is who on the internet but I can attest that maurice is the supreme physical specimen that he describes.
 
relliott said:
Oh man, I'll probably regret this but what the hell.

I practiced martial arts for many years. Kata, Kumite, endless drills and testing...it was all very formal and there were many rules. It looked great and we did a lot of yelling. Then came a day when I was forced very suddenly to really defend myself. When it happened it was totally unexpected, but the techniques I had learned over the years all worked very well, though not at all in the stylized and aesthetic way in which I had learned them, and I ended up safe at home with no injuries to me or any of my friends. Funny thing was, the instant the crap hit the fan all formality and rule structure evaporated and I just did...automatically...whatever I needed to to in a very fluid situation to not get my head kicked in by a psychopath who was much larger than me and not feeling pain the way I had been taught that he should.

Unlike my classes, it certainly wasn't pretty or elegant and I didn't even get to yell. But whatever happened just seemed natural to me. It did not involve the use of weaponry, true, but I think the concept is basically the same. I felt that my safety was under severe threat and acted accordingly.

I think that all skills...shooting, martial art, visual arts (my case), driving, negotiation, whatever...are transferable to other situations in life and people who tend to function "in the moment" can usually adapt on the fly to whatever is happening as it happens. The danger comes when we let or even expect the process of skills development to default to the level of habituated response. Habit will sink you in competition or in real life. When I hear the term "muscle memory" I think of programmed automated responses (muscles don't have memory) or habits. Forging neuromuscular pathways however (like we do when we learn to walk) lets us use our skills in the most efficient way possible in a given situation. Example: On our way to the fridge for a beer we see the last slice of pizza sitting on the counter and we suddenly decide to change direction...and we simply do it. Voila;a practical and fluid application of a learned skill.

Right. I'll shut up now.
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Thank you for this. You're right, and I'm glad it worked out for you.

What we do is, to my mind, a martial art. But the IPCS vs IDPA argument is like debating kenjutsu versus kendo. It's all drill, drill, drill. Maybe it'll help when things get bad. Maybe it won't. But the drills give you that muscle memory - mentally and physically.

Military context - It's like memorizing a contact report...driven into your brain so much that if/when you had to use it, you'd do it without thinking. (Test - C'mon Army-guys..."CONTACT WAIT OUT!!" You know it's bringing back the memories of Gag-town or Pet or Wainwright. And you could do the rest of the report in your sleep.)

Maybe it won't help you at all if you really need it. But that's something you assess after the fact.
 
Sean = Chicken! Personally I thoght the thread had died it's natural death. Hoefully this post marks it's funeral.

Take Care

Bob
ps If nothing else it shows both IDPA and IPSC shooters (they are often the same folks), understand they are shooting a sport for their personal enjoyment and to that end the thread had a real purpose.

Take Care

Bob
 
Gun owners should never, ever argue with each other!!! We have enough haters out there that don't want us to own guns. Come on brothers and sisters! Let's enjoy ourselves! LOL OK I am done with my happy talk for today. :D
 
Yup! IPSC vs IDPA is non-issue there isn't any "vs", period.

Whole thing got started when somebody starts to believe our sports are meant to train zombie hunters...they aren't.

Take Care

Bob
 
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