Singlestack Posted September 24, 2001 Share Posted September 24, 2001 I would like to know all the tricks that IDPA "gamers " use. Time savers, gun setups, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2alpha Posted September 27, 2001 Share Posted September 27, 2001 This is my opinion on gaming. IDPA shooters are being led to believe that gaming is bad, that scores don't matter, that wining doesn't matter, and that you're here to sharpen your pracitcal pistol skills, by a few who are gaming to the max and are taking it as a competition. In USPSA, gaming is expected and promoted. JJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Schwab Posted September 28, 2001 Share Posted September 28, 2001 SS, I am, by heart, a gamer....but there's not much you can get away with for IDPA. Here's a list of the things you can try: -wear baggy pants to help facilitate the reload with retention. I use the front left pocket of the pants, and when I step up to the line I make sure the pocket is wide open...I use semi-stiff BDU pants so this is easily accomplished. Another good retention method, provided you have a flat stomach, is to just stuff the mag in between your pants and shirt. <I've seen this done REAL fast> I noticed Rob L. uses his back left jean pocket for his retention reloads, but I think he could whoop a** by using his sock to retain his mag. -make sure you have a quick holster...Blade-Tech's are the fastest I've tried. I saved .2-.4 seconds per draw going to a Blade-Tech from a Wilson Practical/Tactical. -when using a concealment vest you can either sew lead weights into the front seam so when you push the vest back it'll reliably swing back, or you can sew a straightened out coat hanger into the front seam so the vest swings back well. I'm still looking for a decent vest, I hate those camera looking vests. -read the course design very literally...there's times you can charge the target and shoot it from point blank range. -as in ipsic, spend a lot of time analyzing when to do your reload, and time yourself to figure out if your slide-lock reload is faster or slower than your reload with retention....folks tend to gravitate towards the slide-lock reload, but it's not always the fastest for them -if you prefer the slide-lock reload analyze the course of fire to determine if you "need" to shoot a few extra shots to "make sure" you hit the target....hint, hint, nudge, nudge You didn't hear it from me. Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Ankeny Posted September 28, 2001 Share Posted September 28, 2001 Bill: Great tips...you must be a master gamer, lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Singlestack Posted September 28, 2001 Author Share Posted September 28, 2001 Thats what I'm after. Cool tips Bill. I know theres some more "gamers" out there.......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Schwab Posted September 28, 2001 Share Posted September 28, 2001 SS, Yeah, there must be more IDPA gamers out there, but I'm thinking that most of the guys on this forum are into ipsic...when you first started this thread I was excited because I thought some real neat info would come out of it, and I was real disappointed when there were hardly any replies. Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Singlestack Posted September 28, 2001 Author Share Posted September 28, 2001 Bill, When I first started it it was kind of ment to be tounge-in-cheek. I was going to see how many IDPA shooters would own up to "gameing". But I really do want to know the secrets and go game up some IDPA. If for no other reason than just to aggrevate some people who claim not to be gameing. You now the ones I mean. The ones who claim score or winning does not matter. If it does not matter then why would they care if I was "gameing"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Schwab Posted September 28, 2001 Share Posted September 28, 2001 SS, Very well said...why should they care whether or not you're gaming if the score doesn't matter. Reminds me of a saying we had in the Army, "If you ain't cheating, you ain't trying...and if you get caught you ain't trying hard enough." Obviously you shouldn't take that saying to the extremes <like loads that don't make the PF>. Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooter Posted September 29, 2001 Share Posted September 29, 2001 Apparently there are cheaters in IDPA. I found that out while searching for an answer to why in the rules a shirt pocket cannot be used for a tactical reload. What the cheaters do is use hi-cap mags and fake a tactical reload. By having the mag close to the shirt pocket, everything is hidden from the SO view. There are cheaters and there are gamers. Gamers stay within the rules. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DblTap Posted September 29, 2001 Share Posted September 29, 2001 One of my favorite "gamer" tactics is to count rounds while someone else is shooting a "surprise" stage. If you're an IPSC shooter, always slow down just a tad and get -0 hits (A zone), IDPA's .5 sec penalty per point is overkill to say the least. The weighted vest pocket stated above is a great idea but I just leave my keys in the strongside pocket for the same effect. As in IPSC, keep moving when possible. Each stop/start during a course of fire cost you 1-2 sec. Ditto the Blade-Tech hip holster. I personally stay away from IWB holters for competition, to easy to grab more shirt than gun! (Edited by DblTap at 6:57 am on Sep. 29, 2001) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Singlestack Posted September 29, 2001 Author Share Posted September 29, 2001 DblTap, "One of my favorite "gamer" tactics is to count rounds while someone else is shooting a "surprise" stage." Help me out with this one. I don't understand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nik Habicht Posted September 29, 2001 Share Posted September 29, 2001 On a surprise stage you can't see the targets until after the buzzer goes off. If you count the number of rounds that a previous competitor fires, you may be able to predict some things about the stage. If you hear 6 quick shots, a pause of several seconds, four more quick shots, another pause and four more quick shots, you can predict that there are most likely three target arrays or that there are two and someone had to do a standing reload. This allows you to think about possibilities and to at least guess when you might have to reload. Similarly, shooters tend to slow down on far targets, so if you hear four quick shots, and then the next rounds are slower, you can figure that it was a harder target. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
talon Posted September 30, 2001 Share Posted September 30, 2001 Seems like I heard that at the last IDPA national that they were having the shooters shoot extra shots at the end of a surprise stage in order to "mess up the count". Anybody else here that or is it just a myth ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike4045 Posted October 9, 2001 Share Posted October 9, 2001 I agree with scooter a gamer can stay within the rules. I have RO'ed several shooters have tried to cheat and caught a few. I have given out procedurals and and 20 sec penalty. If I catch them once they get the benefit of doubt. Twice I it is a failure to do right. I haven't DQ'ed anyone yet. If you want to "game" a stage. Watch for the way they are setup and if no order is spec. Go through the movements in your mind. I prefer to take the most difficult ones first. Then take the rest in one motion if possible(no wasted movement). It makes for a faster time. Not sure if its clear, but it's hard to explain. It's much easier to demo. Mike4045 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane Posted April 25, 2011 Share Posted April 25, 2011 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Hostetter Posted April 25, 2011 Share Posted April 25, 2011 (edited) Shoot all the targets in the middle of -0 circle really fast ..... Edited April 25, 2011 by Bob Hostetter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChuckS Posted April 25, 2011 Share Posted April 25, 2011 Always help to tape targets! Later, Chuck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jar Posted April 25, 2011 Share Posted April 25, 2011 Since the thread is back, I'll throw in one. Pay careful attention to how you use cover. Sometimes you can eliminate a lot of movement while still using cover properly. You just have to have your lower body and 50% of the upper body hidden from the target. This doesn't mean you need to run right up to a wall and lean around the corner. Depending on the stage layout, you can find opportunities to shoot on the move that other people don't see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hankfan79 Posted April 25, 2011 Share Posted April 25, 2011 Wow! A 10 year old thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shootaglock89 Posted April 25, 2011 Share Posted April 25, 2011 I'll play along. We do not call it gaming in IDPA. It is "Ensuring Tactical Dominance." 9mm holes are hard to see, so sometimes I have to put an extra round on paper to make sure i have zeroes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1911vm Posted April 25, 2011 Share Posted April 25, 2011 dumping rounds to facilitate a slide lock reload it's probably the most popular nowadays . good gamers drop a shot on purpose ,the bad ones have 3 down zeros . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdknotts1 Posted April 25, 2011 Share Posted April 25, 2011 I had to comment on the thread even though its 10 yrs old. I'm new to the game and have been looking for the tricks of the trade. Didn't seem like there were many ideas... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shootaglock89 Posted April 25, 2011 Share Posted April 25, 2011 I had to comment on the thread even though its 10 yrs old. I'm new to the game and have been looking for the tricks of the trade. Didn't seem like there were many ideas... There are several little things you can do to "game a stage." Planning your movements and placing yourself properly on cover. Figure out the shortest route to take b/w P1 and P2. Position yourself on cover where you can lean and shoot all of the targets without having to step around the cover. These things may only save 1 or 2 seconds, but in a major match with 10-12 stages, this may mean the difference between 1st and 2nd place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loves2Shoot Posted April 25, 2011 Share Posted April 25, 2011 1. Ask a SO if you have ANY doubt that you might do something that they might issue a penalty for doing (especially if you shoot -0's fast.) 2. Follow the stage description EXACTLY as written and the briefing. 3. Hit your cover marks on the first entry into a position. 4. Know when to take -1's. 5. Practice reloads with retention so you don't rely on slide lock reloads when you have room to load behind cover. 6. Aim fast. In large part IDPA ONLY shooters have been trained to shoot slow because of the .5 -1 penalty. It is a game, so everyone who is paying for them to keep score is gaming every stage. Those who do more than required by the stage description are just playing their own game with their own self imposed rules. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forrest Halley Posted April 25, 2011 Share Posted April 25, 2011 (edited) Round dumping and not getting caught is a big way to "game." It's tough to prove, but get caught and it's FTDR...your score +20sec. Don't be stupid and shoot the target five times and hit all zeros, but a down one is good for a make up shot and a down three could be good for another two shots to "ensure it was neutralized." Read the stage description to see what is required. Don't ask clarifying questions that require subjective decisions to be made by SO's. If you find an expedient way to shoot the COF...do it and then let them reel in the aftermath. If they tell you no ahead of time you're screwed. Eliminate standing reloads: Reload with retention from cover to finish engaging target array and then move to another position. Tactical Reload when moving from cover to a large array shooting position. Shoot on the move or learn how; it's too efficient to overlook. Bullets are faster than feet, if they weren't we'd be shooting between positions and running the targets. Forget IWB holsters save maybe the fobus model for the glock. Kydex OWB is quickest. Neutral cant because you can move it as far forward as allowed. Find the stiffest instructor belt you can and be sure to get the right size so you can ratchet in down tight. Wear cotton athletic shorts under your pants if slim built to give more stability to your gun belt. Edited April 25, 2011 by Forrest Halley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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