Your first major match?

[Coot]

I shot my first club level IDPA match in June of this year, and have been hooked ever since. My local range hosts IDPA matches twice a month, and I've yet to miss one.

I'm starting to get the itch to participate in a major match. For those of you who've done it, when did you make the jump from club level to major match? What (if anything) would you do differently if you could do it over again?

Thanks, and happy shooting!

[sirveyr]

The only difference between a major and a local is the number of stages. It is all good fun. I am a huge fan of the "trial by fire" method, so just jump right in, dude!

[Victor_R]

Shot my first IDPA match Feb of 09 and went to my first major match August 09 and won ESP MM. I wouldn't of done anything different.

Edited September 2, 2011 by Victor R

[bobmysterious]

Shot my first club match in December, then the Florida Open in February. I was nervous, but learned a ton from my squad. It was a major factor in accelerating my learning curve. Get out there and enjoy it!

[hankfan79]

What (if anything) would you do differently if you could do it over again?

Learn how to "game" the stages.

[Steve Koski]

I wouldn't do anything different. Like Chad said, show up and have fun.

[jlweems]

I started shooting IDPA in 9/10. I shot a sanctioned match, the Wheelgun Championship, in 5/11.

[wurm]

I shot my first major match about 7 months after my first IDPA match. Sadly my first IDPA match was in October so I had to wait until the next season to shoot a major or I would've done it earlier.

My advice would be to not wait forever to shoot one. When you do, don't go doing anything fancy. Just shoot your game and don't try showing off or keeping up with the fastest guys. That was probably my biggest mistake at my first major match.

[astephenson]

What (if anything) would you do differently if you could do it over again?

I wouldn't have tried to "Grandbag" the classifier early on and get classified as a Sharpshooter in SSP before I was really ready, only to come in DFL in SSP SS at my first several majors.

If you're thinking about shooting a major go ahead and DO IT! They're lots of fun and you'll meet lots of great folks, and the more majors you shoot the better you'll get at shooting majors.

[jlweems]

What (if anything) would you do differently if you could do it over again?

I wouldn't have tried to "Grandbag" the classifier early on and get classified as a Sharpshooter in SSP before I was really ready, only to come in DFL in SSP SS at my first several majors.

If you're thinking about shooting a major go ahead and DO IT! They're lots of fun and you'll meet lots of great folks, and the more majors you shoot the better you'll get at shooting majors.

I'm sort of in the same bag. I looked at the classifier and what I knew my skill set to be and was not satisfied with classifying at anything less than EX in SSP. I then classified with my SSP legal gun in ESP as an SS. Depending upon the day, I'm either a so so EX or a very good SS.

[Joe4d]

I won my first major, oh 10 years ago, thought I was the bomb, havent won so much as a random drawing since.

[C.W.]

I started shooting IDPA about a year ago, it's hard for me to shoot more than one match a month (location)- I classified this spring then shot my first major match a couple months later.

I classified pretty well, but my lack of match experience hurt me at the State match. I still finished within my class, but I was no threat to win it.

As to your question, I don't really see shooting a Major as a "jump". If one is available to you, shoot it. It will be great experience, plus a good time.

What I would do different - I should have started working on my mental game sooner - stage analysis, controlling tension, etc. That would have helped.