Practice a Classifier?

[Ron Ankeny]

I hesitate to ask this question for fear of being blown off as the ultimate in ignorant newbies. Let me start by saying that I am 45 years old and I just started shooting USPSA and IDPA one year ago this month. Before starting USPSA, I shot PPC with a revolver and NRA Action Pistol with a revolver. I am not new to shooting, but I am new to the concept of racing the clock on unknown courses of fire instead of par times on static courses, and I am new to the 1911 (and 2011) platforms.

So here's the deal...I need to get a Limited classification. Here in Wyoming, we only have decent weather about half of the year, so the club I belong to shoots a 4-classifier event every August and a neighboring club shoots a 4-classifier event in May (next weekend). I have a list of the four classifiers for next week and I mentioned to a couple of other people in our club that I thought it would be a good idea to set the classifiers up and shoot through them. For instance, one of the classifiers is Off Balance Blast and we need to shoot from behind a barricade and under a 1 by 4 cross member three feet above the ground. I have never shot from such a position and I thought it would be a good idea to run through the COF before doing it for “real”. Well, as it turns out, there is kind of an unspoken rule around here that states that practicing classifiers is heresy, unethical, and about the same as shooting pheasants on the ground. As it was explained to me, classifiers are to be shot cold and on demand. If I practice a classifier I will not be demonstrating my true ability and I will be “grand-bagging” which I guess is the opposite of sandbagging.

While I can see merit to such thinking, it also seems to me that if I need to shoot from a position I have never encountered, then I should at least practice shooting from that position. Please, share your thoughts. I have the list of classifiers and I downloaded the score sheets and stage diagrams from USPSA. Set them up and practice or not?

[ErikW]

There's no rule against it. It's purely personal opinion.

It might be a little questionable if you know ahead of time that your club match will use CM99-11 next weekend so you practice El Prez all week. However, I think special classifier matches are different. They are for people who want to get classifications and move up in classification. Usually the courses are known in advance. If they didn't want you practicing the classifiers they wouldn't publish them beforehand.

If you feel you might be viewed as a grandbagger and take some unwanted heat, just practice on arrays which are like classifier arrays. Practice shooting around both sides of a barricade, high and low, weak hand and strong hand. Practice on partial targets.

Real grandbagging is more like reshooting a classifier repeatedly. True grandbagging is having your buddy RO you after you've both predetermined a set time from "Standby" to the beep so you can have a blazing draw.

[38supPat]

If you haven't shot 'Off Balance Blast' before you're in for a treat. It is a bit of a nasty stage. I say go practice it a bit before  because it is a good drill and will definitly build a skill set for you. Or if you're worried about being driven from the promised land for heresy...lol. Just look at the requirements and make your own drill that will put you in those positions.

Pat

[Flexmoney]

I don't know if you should be practicing the actual calssifiers or not.  I do know that you need to practice the situations that you have described.

If you haven't shot around walls or through ports and windows then you need to.  There is a *lot* more to this game than just hitting the targets.  There are lots of things that can go wrong when you are not standing in the open shooting at visable targets.  There was an article in a recent Front Sight where a long time shooter couldn't figure out why he was missing this popper that he was shooting through a port...he was hitting the port.  My buddy was shooting through a window.  His gun kept jaming.  Turns out that his slide was making contact with the window frame.

All that being said...don't worry about your classification...at least not this month.  It doesn't mean much anyway.  Have fun first and foremost.  Look to improve.  Watch everybody and learn from them.  See where mistakes are made and see what tactics work.

I am starting to look at every match as a learning experience.  It makes a big difference, at least for me.

[kellyn]

Interesting question.  My initial reaction was that one should not practice classifiers but it was ok to reshoot one if something went horribly wrong (jam or you just did not really shoot up to par) and you were worried about being underclassified.  I have little problem w/ people being overclassified as they have to shoot in that class but I am not very much into the classification system (philosophically I feel that heads up is the way to go).

But then I realized that all of the stages to all of the Nationals are released well in advance (if not in the same detail).  How can we reconcile the idea that classifiers should not be practiced but we can practice the Nationals over and over again??      

[benos]

Kelly,

What Nationals are you referring to which publishes the stages well in advance? Are they doing that now? At all the IPSC nationals I have been to, the stages were a well guarded secret.

Brian

[38supPat]

No U.S. nationals that I have shot ever posted stages except when you got to the shooter meeting and last year was the first time we were even allowed on the range prior to the start of the match. The Canadian Nationals however always post the stages prior to the match. But remember Canada does not put on anywhere near as professional a job of putting together a National Championship as the U.S. does (we have to R.O. and occasionally C.R.O. the stages we are putting fellow competitors through, if this does not seem like a problem to you , imagine Rob L. R.O.ing Todd on a stage and assessing penalties to him which may cost him the match. Rightfully earned or not do you think there'd be a conflict of interest? Its happened here so I know)

I guess other shooters lack the confidence to show up and figure a match out when they get there so they need to work it out to the Nth degree beforehand.

Pat

[kellyn]

Let me clarify.  I was refering to the 3 Gun Nationals which posted stages well in advance of the match.  But what's the difference??  Let me also clarify that USPSA posted descriptions and diagrams but these descriptions made very little reference for distance.  You could not go out and exactly duplicate a stage prior to the match but you could probably come close.  I did not care for this approach.

[benos]

kelly,

I do not like ANY posting of any stages of any match before you get there. (carnival match)

But I'm still not clear from your post - "Let me also clarify that USPSA posted descriptions and diagrams but these descriptions made very little reference for distance." Is this USPSA match 3-Gun or pistol?

be

[kellyn]

For the 3 Gun Natls, USPSA posted (online) stage descriptions for each stage.  Pretty much what you would see in a match booklet.  They also posted stage diagrams, showing targets, movers, barricades etc.  The diagrams did not include the distances to the targets or how far apart the targets would be etc.  But you had a pretty good idea about what to expect.

I agree.  I don't like any posting of stages etc before the match.  There should be no difference between how the USPSA 3-Gun and USPSA pistol matches are held.

[Ron Ankeny]

Hmmm....looks like I got the information I asked for, and more. I have decided to practice the skill sets required by various classifiers, but not practice the actual stage. For instance, I did go out and screw a 1x4 on a barricade three feet above the ground. It is about impossible (with my size and physical limitations) to shoot low around the left side. I can however, shoot under the horizontal member if I shoot with my back to the wall and the pistol upside down. I haven't decided if I am willing to go that far or not.

[Detlef]

got late into this but anyway: I think the simpler ones of the USPSA classifiers are *great* for practice!!! Many if not most are in the *difficult* or *very difficult* category, they really give your accuracy vs. speed skills a workout.

--Detlef