IPDA Ontario holster course
- Thread starter garyf999
- Start date
IDPA does not require 'holster training' to participate in IDPA but IDPA does allow a particular member club to require 'holster training' to participate in IDPA at that particular member club. (To be more certain, however, you should check with the particular club.) IPSC, likewise, does not require 'holster training' (or 'Black Badge'), but IPSC Canada does require it (i.e.: the 'Black Badge'). Some clubs do not require 'holster training' to particpate in IDPA, but some do. Some of those that do require it will accept the (IPSC Canada) 'Black Badge' as acceptable 'holster training', so yes, that could be one option. To be more certain, however, you should check with the particular (IDPA member) club.
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For safety reasons, you should have holster training. Our club requires it, but does not offer it; we work with another that does through PPC training and qualification. Some other members have taken training elsewhere, and we accept that too, as long as it is documented.
Our IDPA club does not require holster training, but the Black Badge, police or military service is certainly accepted and useful. More than anything, though, observing how a person handles a firearm goes a long way to ensuring they can do so safely in a course of fire.
If this is something you've never done, then you should get some kind of training.
If you're near EOSC, the IDPA club there holds a weekend long New Shooter Orientation Course (NSOC) where they'll teach you how to safely shoot from a concealed holster. The course will also cover things like safety, reloads, movement, shooting at multiple targets, and the rules of the games. Even if you already shoot another discipline like IPSC I'd recommend taking it just to familiarize yourself with the difference in the rules.
If you're near EOSC, the IDPA club there holds a weekend long New Shooter Orientation Course (NSOC) where they'll teach you how to safely shoot from a concealed holster. The course will also cover things like safety, reloads, movement, shooting at multiple targets, and the rules of the games. Even if you already shoot another discipline like IPSC I'd recommend taking it just to familiarize yourself with the difference in the rules.
Find a local club that holds matches and they should have an avenue for you to pursue. It’s not the same as a black badge. Not even close. IDPA level certification is only available thru IDPA holster course instructors. Most clubs have a holster course of their own or have merged with IDPA or Black Badge for simplicity. IDPA is a great sport. Treat it like a drivers license test on every run tho. If you don’t follow the rules or shoot the course of fire exactly as shown you get points deducted or worse, sent home. Don’t take it personally even tho it truly is. Rules are pretty strict and heavily enforced. The rules are pretty basic and everything is pretty straight forward so you shouldn’t have any problems if you listen carefully to instructions given.
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+1 I did my IDPA holster course with Grant at TS and even took his low light course after that. Learned at both and had fun at the same time
To get an better idea, you can search the IDPA website for affiliated clubs (in Ontario).
<https://www.idpa.com/clubs/>
<https://www.idpa.com/>
FYI.
The NSOC course was never an official IDPA course, but a good one. It was written by a friend of mine, Ted Murphy from Pennsylvania. With the constant rule changes, it went the way of the DoDo bird about 2012/3. It gave you the fundamentals.
IPSC black badge is a handgun safety course. Not specifically a holster course.
Every shooting discipline has it's own specific rules. Every club/range has it's own rules. It is up to you to be familiar with them if you intend to participate in those activities.
If you are not sure of something, ask a RO. It has been my experience that they are very friendly and helpful.
IPSC is definitely more active. I started last year and I've already gotten into 15 matches but got DQ once. It would have been more if not for Trudeau. He basically killed the shotgun and rifle matches.
Every shooting discipline has it's own specific rules. Every club/range has it's own rules. It is up to you to be familiar with them if you intend to participate in those activities.
If you are not sure of something, ask a RO. It has been my experience that they are very friendly and helpful.
IPSC is definitely more active. I started last year and I've already gotten into 15 matches but got DQ once. It would have been more if not for Trudeau. He basically killed the shotgun and rifle matches.
I've checked these out, thanks, but really it appears that there is nothing really going on with IDPA in Ontario? How many so called matches are there a year? Is it membership costs in IDPA that keep it from growing or is IPSC just the go to sport for handgun that nothing else is of interest to handgun shooters who enjoy competition?
IDPA @ EESA in Aylmer, On is twice a month. In house comps more or less with Invited guests welcomed sort of deal. Reach out with an email to the club if interested. I’ve noticed over the years shooters will transition from IDPA to IPSC and only some will continue to shoot both. Ratios may very per club but the decline is troublesome for those looking into kinetic shooting. Baby steps.
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In IDPA, matches are expressed as (either) 'tier 0', 'tier 1', 'tier 2', 'tier 3', 'tier 4', or tier 5' - the higher the number, the more complicated the match. A 'tier 0' is a classifier. A 'tier 1' is a club match where some liberties are extended and a current valid classification is not necessarily required. A 'tier 2' (and higher tiers) are actually 'sanctioned' (by IDPA) and they must be planned and operated much more strictly; one requirement, for example, is that competitors require a current valid classification. The higher the tier, the more competitors, the more complicated the planning, the more work involved in stage construction, the greater the shooting challenge, and the more match points (per match). In most cases, I think, most clubs do not advertise their matches on the IDPA website at all. There are far more listed on Practiscore than are listed on the IDPA website, but even then I think, in most cases, most clubs do not advertise most matches on that either. Large matches, yes, but small matches, no.
If, however, you use the IDPA website to identify those clubs who are currently 'affiliated' with IDPA, and if you then check those clubs' published schedules, I think you'll find that there are a lot more IDPA matches going on than that particular IPSC shooter (back in post #11) would believe (or would lead you to you believe). But you will have to look for them, on the websites of the respective (IDPA-affiliated) clubs.
It appears to be mostly a Trudeau issue. In the past there is usually an IDPA or IPSC match at my club every weekend during the summer. Ever since C71 the IDPA matches sort of disappeared. There was nothing last year but this year someone put a few IDPA matches on my club calendar but they got updated to cancelled before it actually happened.
You don't suppose that had anything to do with that COVID thing we've been hearing about? I'm hearing about training and match activity in the various disciplines cautiously starting up again as we get clear of that. But in a lot of cases it's club-internal first with open events following later.
Curious how C71 would have affected matches?
Especially only IDPA ones? I'm going to assume like the prior post it's probably due to COVID.
