How do you maintain focus in IDPA?

[MemphisMechanic]

You are essentially practicing for what may be the ultimate showdown of your life to save you or your loved one's life, which is what IDPA is about. More is at stake, it's not just about the score. So, your concern is justified. My take is once you get the basics down, then your concentration can be directed at the COF. Practicing and time behind the trigger are crucial.

Please don't justify the IDPA dance as tactical, training, or realistic

It's a sport that vaguely resembles a fake gunfight.

And this is not coming from an IDPA-Bashing-USPSA lover. I shoot twenty IDPA matches to one USPSA match, easily. I'm an IDPA shooter.

And people who try to make it into real life are wasting their time. It's not a gunfight, and it's pretty mediocre training for one.

That said, I am quite decent at shooting the sport (1st Master in SSP in the MVSA match this weekend) and the few actual TACTICAL/DEFENSIVE SHOOTING courses I've had, I have stood out amongst the students due to my speed, accuracy, draw-speed, mobility while shooting, etc.

So IDPA and USPSA do build the basics needed, but this is not combat training.

[hankfan79]

YEA WHAT HE SAID!

I remember back when Memphis was a lonely little Sharpshooter...lol

Hopefully I can make it back up there this coming year. I am shooting the TN Sectional USPSA match.

Care to join?

As far as mantaining focus? uh...don't bring your wife/girlfriend and stay with higher level shooters even if it means squadding without your buddies.

Edited March 28, 2011 by hankfan79

[Duane Thomas]

Let's go easy on the "real life versus match shooting" discussion. Please reread the Forum Guidelines. Thanks.

[reichebrown]

I try to sell IDPA to anybody who is interested in shooting more. The question i get most is "Is it tactical training?" I of course tell them no, but it does teach you gun handling skills and after a while running the gun becomes somewhat automatic. IDPA is a game and I love it. When shooting a stage you have to have a plan and know where you want to reload use cover and so on. When you are taping target find where you want to be for cover points and pay attention to as much as you can on walk throughs. If you have a plan you will more than likely do what you want to. Training and basic skill proficiency come in handy when the stage doesn't go the way you wanted. Thats when if you know what you are doing you go into auto pilot and recover. I used to spend a lot of time at match making small talk and joking with people. After a few sanctioned matches and watch some of the "super squad" people i have toned down and focused a bit more on mental prep before a stage. I shot with Scott Waren this weekend and he didnt say much more than 20 words the whole match. He wasn't being antisocial he was there for business. So after all this rambling... you need to have the basic skills down, and a game plan. I find myself doing all of my thinking before im on the line and once that buzzer goes off its just focused shooting without much thinking. Now if I could get my M&P pro to stop the FTEs id be set...