Fast c, or a slower a?

[twister]

I'm new to uspsa, and need to know which is better? Thanks,Dave

[Kevin G.]

There are two many variables loaded into that question to just pick one or the other universally. Just two that will make a difference in the answer are: major or minor scoring, what is fast, what is slow...... it all depends on the scoring, stage makeup and skill of the shooter.

For a master class open shooter I'd say fast C.

For a C class production shooter I'd say slow(er) A.

[PKT1106]

If you are starting out, slower A. You can't lose points fast enough to be good.

[gdboytyler]

Really depends on how slow you shot that A.

[dagger10k]

I say neither of those options are particularly great. Fast As are the best, really.

[ErichF]

Shoot slow, MOVE fast. Faster shots will come naturally. Aim for a 85-90% available point score. If you're shooting 70% of points, you're going too fast (or your accuracy has real issues), if you're getting 95% of points, your going too slow.

[twister]

Ok, since I'm a c class shooter go with a slow a. Thanks,Dave

[Hi-Power Jack]

Shoot slow, MOVE fast. Aim for a 85-90% score. If you're shooting 70% of points, you're going too fast if you're getting 95% of points, your going too slow.

+1. Perfect way to look at it.

[CHA-LEE]

The only way you are really going to figure this out on your own is to shoot both scenario's on the clock then calculate the hit factor of each. The Hit Factor will give you the answer you are looking for.

But on the other side of the coin, if you are pushing the shooting speed fast enough that your hits are drifting into the C or D zone then you are allowing one or more basic shooting fundamentals to go out the window. I would suggest you instead focus on maintaining proper shooting fundamentals while shooting fast so you can shoot A's as fast as you need.

[lee blackman]

I think I have a good example here of your exact question:

Place Name No. Class Division Pts Pen Time Hit Fact Stg Pts Stg %

1 Stage Winner 18 M Limited 57 0 5.93 9.6121 60.0000 100.00%

7 Blackman, Lee 9 U Limited 60 0 11.36 5.2817 32.9691 54.95%

8 Next Shooter 17 C Limited 49 0 9.42 5.2017 32.4697 54.12%

I copied and pasted it from actual scores, obviously I changed the other shooters names. But literally you can see the difference between a slow A (me) and a fast C (next shooter). I finished the stage in 11.36 seconds with the full 60 points all A's, the next guy shot the same stage in 9.42 seconds but only got 49 points cause he was getting A/C's. But look at the master shooter stage winner. He did sacrifice on A for time, but with a 5.93 second run, it didn't seem to effect him to much..

[blaster113]

for major pf I would say the fast C is better. It seems more of a premium is placed on speed vs. points for major pf. Minor pf is a different story, those C/D hits really add up and hurt. as others have posted 85-90% of available stage points is a good goal to strive for.

[Shadowrider]

I think I have a good example here of your exact question:

Place Name No. Class Division Pts Pen Time Hit Fact Stg Pts Stg %

1 Stage Winner 18 M Limited 57 0 5.93 9.6121 60.0000 100.00%

7 Blackman, Lee 9 U Limited 60 0 11.36 5.2817 32.9691 54.95%

8 Next Shooter 17 C Limited 49 0 9.42 5.2017 32.4697 54.12%

I copied and pasted it from actual scores, obviously I changed the other shooters names. But literally you can see the difference between a slow A (me) and a fast C (next shooter). I finished the stage in 11.36 seconds with the full 60 points all A's, the next guy shot the same stage in 9.42 seconds but only got 49 points cause he was getting A/C's. But look at the master shooter stage winner. He did sacrifice on A for time, but with a 5.93 second run, it didn't seem to effect him to much..

That's a great illustration.

[sroe3]

A couple of quotes from wise men on this forum:

Shoot all A's as fast as you can.

Shoot for points, everything else for time.

[steel1212]

Shoot for 90+% of the points. I shoot for 95% but I've only done that a few times at a major.

[gunguru]

And always remember, too fast C could mean really fast M / PT, and can actually lead to veryyyy low points, if not 0. At worst, Slow A could lead to slow C, but rarely M /PT.

As I begin, I prefer beeing slower in my shooting and get more points than shoot very fast and get 0. 0 divided by any times will give 0.

[CocoBolo]

This is definately a question you shouldn't be asking. Take it from Benos - Take the time you need to make the hit but only that time. That is good advice. Once you start deciding how fast you are going to shoot, the game is lost. If you are thinking slow down then you are taking more time than you need.

The big gains in speed are MOVMENT SKILLS, breaking the stage down, not pausing.

FOOOGet about time.

Edited April 11, 2012 by CocoBolo

[MarkR]

Really glad I stumbled across this. Only 1 match under my belt so far, I got excited and started trying to run the course quickly.

[Torogi]

A couple of quotes from wise men on this forum:

Shoot all A's as fast as you can.

Shoot for points, everything else for time.

I think this is what sums it all up. that 'everything else' part id say would mostly be on transitions. ive been dry firing microdrills and im surprised how much time is consumed even for small unplanned step, mag hitting the corner of the magwell, 1 sec lost easy. Fumbled reload much worse.. etc.

[PrinC]

I am being pressured by my shooting buddies to shoot faster. I want as many 'A's as possible. However, when shooting major and have mastered the fundamentals, a slip from the A leads to a C and the difference is just one point in IPSC. I know that a series of C's can lead to losing a match over someone who edged out with more Alphas so I prefer to play it safe. When training with the guys I push myself more, but when competing......i play it safe and shoot at my limit.

[benos]

When you are not at the top level, which will work better for you depends on a couple factors.

If your natural tendency is to shoot quickly, sacrificing some A's, but still getting all your points, then that will work best for you.

If you naturally tend to shoot mostly A's, but aren't just ridicously slow, then that will work best for you.

But in the end, to win major tournamets, regardless of your natural preference, you will have to shoot mostly A's as fast as anyone can shoot each course, with hits.

be

[Hi-Power Jack]

Ok, since I'm a c class shooter go with a slow a. Thanks,Dave

Dave are you shooting major or minor?

[dskd]

the one thats gives you the highest hit factor

[twister]

I'm shooting major. Thanks for all this great information, Dave

[emmanuel houpert]

you have to analyse the stage and evaluate the factor. after that, you can say if it's the good way to take risks.

[MarkR]

This really came in to play for me today at our local match. I rushed everything, tried to push myself time wise and ended up choking on the classifier instead of taking my time, getting good solid alpha/bravo hits, I ended up with alpha/mikes. Sad sad day. At least I didn't DQ, haha. had a good time in my second USPSA match.