Was it difficult for anyone who took the black badge course? Was it worth it?
- Thread starter sunnydayitw
- Start date
If you’re planning on competing in IPSC then you have to take the course. I took it with no intention of competing but took it to learn safe hand gun handling and holstering. Well I have to say that the course was way more than I had expected. Is it worth it? Absolutely. I have to also say that when I took my Blackbadge you had to shoot one match to actually get your Blackbadge. A very intense experience. Because I took the course I not hooked a now I compete. To maintain my Blackbadge certification I have to shoot 1 match minimum per year. I’ve been competing for several years and also qualified to be an IPSC Range Officer which is an honour that I am proud of.
I am sure there is a lot of variations in the Black Badge course depending on where you take it and who the instructor is. The course content should be the same but there are some differences.
The Black Badge course is not a holster course. It is mandatory requirement for competing in IPSC and covers rules and other material besides shooting. Overall I think it is worth it. You will learn some techniques that can be used in other disciplines or shooting in general and hopefully meet some good people.
If you don’t have any experience with holsters I would recommend not trying to teach yourself prior to the course in case you are developing a bad habit. Holsters cannot be Sherpa type holsters with the button release operated with the trigger finger.
If you are unsure about taking the course and are able to spectate a match that might help you decide and may give you an opportunity to talk to some experienced shooters about the different divisions and equipment.
The Black Badge course is not a holster course. It is mandatory requirement for competing in IPSC and covers rules and other material besides shooting. Overall I think it is worth it. You will learn some techniques that can be used in other disciplines or shooting in general and hopefully meet some good people.
If you don’t have any experience with holsters I would recommend not trying to teach yourself prior to the course in case you are developing a bad habit. Holsters cannot be Sherpa type holsters with the button release operated with the trigger finger.
If you are unsure about taking the course and are able to spectate a match that might help you decide and may give you an opportunity to talk to some experienced shooters about the different divisions and equipment.
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1oldfart makes a good point. Ensure you are comfortable with how your pistol works and all the controls, safety, decocker, magazine release, etc.
If you take the Black Badge course you are also able to compete in other disciplines. For example IPSC BC is holding four IPSC shotguns matches this year.
FatCatsDad
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
A very fun course.
Don't rush your qualifier match, walk it if you want, think about every step you take and where your muzzle is.
I found alot of the people were major type A people, arguing, pouting having small tantrums and meltdowns.
It really took away from what I had hoped would be just fun Saturday morning shoots.
Don't rush your qualifier match, walk it if you want, think about every step you take and where your muzzle is.
I found alot of the people were major type A people, arguing, pouting having small tantrums and meltdowns.
It really took away from what I had hoped would be just fun Saturday morning shoots.
At most if not all clubs here a black badge is required if you simply want to wear a holster on the range. Otherwise, you have to shoot from behind a bench, or if you're walking forward to shoot the gun must be returned to the bench before you change targets, pick up your brass or whatever. That means that someone could for instance casually grab your gun and take off with it, or worse. In the States, a holster is regarded as a place of safety and security for any handgun not actually in use and how the mindset about them occurred here is something I do not understand. Unless it was just another item of harassment.
Here in Alberta they changed it up a bit, Your qualifier match will be in conjunction with your two day course. Here In Bonnyville the BSSA IPSC team set up stages that the new IPSC students shoot there qualifier in. Takes a lot of pressure off of the new shooters. Works quite well really because we have a good core group here that work well together at setting up stages. We set up the stages in the morning and shoot them ourselves as a practice and in the afternoon the Black Badge Instructer brings his students over to shoot the stages.
Like others have stated it depends what you want it for. If you are interested in shooting IPSC it is mandatory so not much of a decision. If you just want to use a holster take a holster course if available. If your club only recognizes a Black Badge to wear a holster either find another club or take the course.
Back when I took the course they asked that you have 1000 rounds downrange already with the pistol you were going to use, and that you be able to reliably hit a piece of letter-size paper at 25 yards.
There are other holster disciplines like IDPA, PPC, and Cowboy out there but with each you want to stay in accordance with the training you've received.
There are other holster disciplines like IDPA, PPC, and Cowboy out there but with each you want to stay in accordance with the training you've received.
I disagree, Maybe I'm a little biased because of the great experience that I had taking the course. My instructor was an excellent instructor and I learned so much from his course. If you are entusiastic enough to want to shoot hand guns and are willing to take two days to take a course, I think that it is time and money well spent reguardless if you choose to compete or not.
How long ago was that and where you take your course? We had a couple of really green shooter in my class when I took it, I've never seen them at any competions after the course so I assume they just took it to improve their safe handling of hand guns
I'm glad you enjoyed your course and the knowledge that you acquired. It definitely can be beneficial as you get your RPAL without actually firing a handgun so any training is good training. I was speaking as someone who has been active in shooting sports such as IDPA and 3 gun and would not recommend taking the Black Badge course unless you wish to pursue that discipline. Just my opinion and you know what they say about opinions.
I took the AFSS range officers course and compared to taking the Black Badge course and the IPSC Range Officers course, ther was no comparison.
No shooting in the AFSS course but if I recall about 500 rounds down range in the Black Badge course.
I don't know about the other provinces but here in Alberta you have to be invited to take the Alberta IPSC Range Officers Course.
