Quick IDPA question

Thanks very much BCRider. I would presume that you are a member of IDPA. How would one go about joining IDPA? Can you share a little bit of your personal experience with IDPA and your thoughts on the sport? I am stuck between joining IPSC and IDPA...
 
Join idpa at IDPA.com....there is an online registration/application and payment can be made by CC. IPSC is more rigorous to join as you must complete a Black badge course.

IDPA and IPSC are really two very different sports, though they often look similar on video. I find with IDPA, accuracy tends to count more, the sport is much more prescriptive, and the penalties can easily sink a match, if not a stage.

IPSC tends to be much faster, and requires more stage planning and often more creativity. I love watching others shoot in IPSC because you will undoubtedly see someone shoot a stage in a way you never would of thought about.

If you are near Alymer, Ontario, you can stop by our club on the first or third Wednesday of any month and check out IDPA. Similar, on the second and forth tuesday of the month, you can swing by a check out IPSC.
 
Like IPSC, you can start shooting IDPA at ages even younger than 15. I'm not sure of any formal juniors program, at least here in Canada. But you can both complete the NSO/holster course together and there really isn't much distinction between who has a license and who doesn't.

IDPA is a US based sport, so the rules tend to follow more closely to US gun culture than Canada's.
 
thenewbieglockguy said:
Thats great to hear! He has his Minors License but I don't know if that helps? Anyway, its sounds like a good, fun, and informative sport for us both to join!
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Joining IDPA on line for you is quite easy. You will have to sign as his guardian until he reaches 18. Doing that on line isn't easy so here is what I would do. Phone HQ and let them know you are sending down your and your sons application with full payment, vua credit card (HQ won't except money orders or bank drafts due to their rather provinicial Banks in Arkansas). Tell Sandra you will mail down your sons application duly signed by yourself.

If you want send me an PM with your name/sons name and I can make the call for you.

Take Care

Bob
 
thenewbieglockguy said:
Thats great to hear! He has his Minors License but I don't know if that helps? Anyway, its sounds like a good, fun, and informative sport for us both to join!
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Truthfully, I am not overly familiar with minors licenses. At our club, a license isn't required provided the individual has completed the safety course and is supervised by an appropriately license individual.
 
I assume that this Minor's license is a Minor's PAL.

IDPA won't care about that anymore than they will ask for your own PAL or any other number. They assume that you and yours have met any and all legal requirements for your location. So they'll happily welcome you and your son into the fold.... :D

You are both in for a lot of fun.

Both of you will need to get set up with holsters and begin getting familiar with them. I'd suggest that you each "Safety Officer" each other during a LOT of regular unloaded handle and holster sessions at home.

It's important and helpful to learn and practice a safe holster draw and to work on your trigger finger discipline before you get to the range. In particular to conciously be aware of NOT putting your trigger finger into the trigger guard until the muzzle is at least 45 degrees away from vertical. Lots of repetition and lots of practice sessions ahead of time is the key to imprinting these habits into you and your son. And since IDPA does not have any sort of "Black Badge" course self training is a rather valuable idea.

It would not even be a bad idea to have a little "dry fire" mini course in your basement. You and your son could practice all the calls and procedures from the IDPA rule book and get used to them all well before your first match. It'll aid you both in learning to "face downrange", "load and make ready" and then to be watched carefully during the draw following the "beep" from the SO. The "shooter" would draw and dry fire at the first "target" and then move to a new position while being watched for safety infractions by the other. It can also be good practice for the whole first shot process of draw, join in the support hand and push the gun out while gaining the sight picture that is all so important to a good first shot.

Punishment for trigger finger infractions should be suited to each of you. Like 5 pushups in your case and 25 in his? :D That and the very real but unspoken realization that a trigger finger violation in entering the guard too soon on the draw COULD have been a hole in the leg or foot. The sport is all about fun. But it's about having fun SAFELY and realizing that we are playing with stuff which can seriously hurt us if we don't make this automatic discipline an integral part of how we handle our guns at all times.
 
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BCRider said:
I assume that this Minor's license is a Minor's PAL.

IDPA won't care about that anymore than they will ask for your own PAL or any other number. They assume that you and yours have met any and all legal requirements for your location. So they'll happily welcome you and your son into the fold.... :D

You are both in for a lot of fun.

Both of you will need to get set up with holsters and begin getting familiar with them. I'd suggest that you each "Safety Officer" each other during a LOT of regular unloaded handle and holster sessions at home.

It's important and helpful to learn and practice a safe holster draw and to work on your trigger finger discipline before you get to the range. In particular to conciously be aware of NOT putting your trigger finger into the trigger guard until the muzzle is at least 45 degrees away from vertical. Lots of repetition and lots of practice sessions ahead of time is the key to imprinting these habits into you and your son. And since IDPA does not have any sort of "Black Badge" course self training is a rather valuable idea.

It would not even be a bad idea to have a little "dry fire" mini course in your basement. You and your son could practice all the calls and procedures from the IDPA rule book and get used to them all well before your first match. It'll aid you both in learning to "face downrange", "load and make ready" and then to be watched carefully during the draw following the "beep" from the SO. The "shooter" would draw and dry fire at the first "target" and then move to a new position while being watched for safety infractions by the other. It can also be good practice for the whole first shot process of draw, join in the support hand and push the gun out while gaining the sight picture that is all so important to a good first shot.

Punishment for trigger finger infractions should be suited to each of you. Like 5 pushups in your case and 25 in his? :D That and the very real but unspoken realization that a trigger finger violation in entering the guard too soon on the draw COULD have been a hole in the leg or foot. The sport is all about fun. But it's about having fun SAFELY and realizing that we are playing with stuff which can seriously hurt us if we don't make this automatic discipline an integral part of how we handle our guns at all times.
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How are they supposed to make calls on each other before their first match??????

That is just silly.

Take a New Shooters Orientation course if it is offered.

If the NSO is not available Ken offers a quickie version on the range prior to the club matches in Chilliwack.

Load and Make Ready, Unload and Show Clear, Cover, etc etc are not things a greenhorn is going to learn from the rulebook.

Attend a NSO, find a mentor or attend a match with the Chilliwack IDPA group -just let Ken and Kim know you are new and they will take care of you.

John

p.s. My mistake I thought the OP was in the Lower Mainland for some reason. But the result is the same. Contact a group in your own area and they will get you started. Once you have a clear understanding what the different procedures are how you practice them is up to you. Have fun and be safe.

JR
 
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