I really take offense from your comment above. IDPA here in Alberta, is NOT a Sh%&pile, as you so eloquently put it. TDC, I have invited you out on more then one occasion,and I do so again. Come out to a practice afternoon, and show us all your skills. Put up or shut up. Stop slagging the sport if you have no intention of shooting it.
Jim
Why would you want to see my skills, by most members accounts I'm talking out of my a$$. As for ATHL, it is a joke. I especially like the carpet covered slab to lie on for prone/supine shooting, super realistic. Tell me, will that nice soft surface be available outside the 7-11 when you're shoved to the ground during an armed robbery? Will that surface be available when you engage some scumbag in your home and end up down on the floor? I especially like the penalties for "round dumping". If extra rounds are deemed necessary then so be it. I never knew that firing more than the scheduled rounds for a target was bad form. I thought the goal was to neutralize the threat. If you're unsure if you made solid hits I would suspect you would shoot some more, perhaps I'm wrong? Having heard one of the founders of ATHL directly admit that ATHL is "a sport for fun" clearly tells me it has little realistic training value. The cost is something else as well. Why a guy is only permitted to shoot one match as a non member is beyond me. I fully agree that as a non member you won't be ranked(not that I care) but that is a fair trade. To exclude those who cannot afford to commit both financially and time wise to join is very poor form. If a guy wants to pay the non member price to compete at the odd match here and there what is the harm?
He keeps going on about all the rule changes. Quite a statement since the last rule book was written in 2005. I have seen ATHL stages and they are anything but unrealistic as he professes.
I have no idea what he means when he states IPSC stages are unrealistic. IPSC stages test speed and accuracy so I am not sure how they can be unrealistic unless he thinks they don't. Not been my experience!
Jim when was the last time you saw TDC out at one of your matches? Yours in the only IDPA club he would have shot at.
Take Care
Bob
Bob,
re read my post, I never said anything about the rule changes, I indicated my distaste for the rules in general. I'm posted before on the ignorant rules touted by the IPSC league. I'll spare you the repost but the rules are far from PRACTICAL, you know, one of the so called founding principles of IPSC. I find the black badge a complete gimmick and money grab. Especially the part about having to compete in a match before receiving your number. As apparently if you don't compete in atleast one match you clearly didn't learn anything from the BB course.

One of my biggest complaints with IPSC and any competitive discipline for that matter, is the excessive amount of doing f*ck all in exchange for very little shooting. I'd sooner spend the day at the range running some skills and drills than stand around for most of the day waiting to shoot. The last three gun match I went to consisted of 9 hours of on range time for just over 6 minutes of total shooting. That wasn't bad considering the comparatively low number of competitors at a three gun match compared to the numbers at an IPSC match.
The stages are very unrealistic. Known number of targets, all the same style and colour in a COF that is published in advance. Sounds like every gunfight, advanced knowledge is quite the norm.

There is no real thinking involved, engage all the targets as fast as possible. Sounds like a robot game. There is no focus on use of cover, single handed firing does no involve reloads or malfunction drills as both hands are permitted for both actions.
As I've mentioned before. I prefer reality based shooting and practical skills. IPSC is a game for which I have no interest.
TDC