What Went Wrong

[EricW]

Pete sent me this essay yesterday. He was nervous about posting it, but I thought it was very well thought out, so I'd just go ahead and post it for him.

I'll tell everyone right at the outset the rules of engagement: Welcome to the What I Like forum. If you don't have anything nice to say, DO NOT POST. I will delete it and not even bother with formalities. Thanks.

Also, my posting of this does not mean that I'm taking sides in any way on the issue. OK? I hope you enjoy Pete's essay as much as I did.

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What Went Wrong.

Many long time IPSC/USPSA folks used to laugh about IDPA saying that the acronym stood for “I Don’t Practice Anymore”. It was said that if you couldn’t win in IPSC any more, shoot IDPA. The speed and gun handling skills learned while shooting IPSC made IDPA seem easy. For many, these statements were absolutely true. It was for me. I remember very well, the first major IDPA tournament that I shot in. I had shot the classifier with my new revolver just once. I was legitimately classified as a Marksman—legitimate, because I had never shot any kind of a match (other than bullseye and silhouettes) with a revolver before. I went to the tournament honestly thinking that I would not do very well, but because of the skills I had learned as an IPSC shooter I ended up winning my class and scoring quite high in the overall standings. I felt kind of guilty when I was handed the plaque and to this day, I wish I had just refused it. I believe that there are a lot of IDPA shooters who have had similar experiences. Even more unfortunate, a lot of them really liked it that way.

Then, something happened that threw a monkey wrench into the works. The world’s truly gifted, championship level shooters started to show up saying, “I want to play too”. At first, they were not welcome. I remember having a long talk with a world class shooter at an IPSC match and he told me that his application to a major IDPA tournament was refused. He was told that he wasn’t welcome. I know from first hand experience that world class shooters are often treated very shabbily at big IDPA matches. Eventually, as more and more of these top shooters became involved in IDPA, and as IDPA-only shooters got better and better, the bar was raised and for many, IDPA became ICWA. “I Can’t Win Anymore.” I believe that this is the real reason for the disturbing rule dilemma we are dealing with. All one has to do is take a look at the final results of the 2004 IDPA Championship. The best shooters won and the “usetobee’s” didn’t. And they aren’t going to win again by changing the rules in an effort to handicap the best. I would bet that forcing a shooter like Dave Sevigny to give up his Uncle Mikes holster and making him shoot an IWB will cause him to add about 2 seconds to his total time for a championship level match (if that). He is still going to win because he is gifted and he works very hard to be where he is.

Here is what I would like the IDPA BoD to do. First, adopt a concealment rule. Every draw in an IDPA match should start from concealment. Then adopt a concealment standard—some kind of test that ensures that the shooter could indeed walk down the street in that condition and not be noticed by a trained observer. Throw out most of the holster/equipment rules. Keep it very simple. Restrict how low the holster can be cut in the front and issue a FDR if any equipment falls out during a COF. Teach the SO’s how to fairly judge a concealment standard. I believe that something like this would serve the “Purpose and Principles” of IDPA much better than the current trend.

Second, eliminate the ESR nonsense. Keep the 6 shot rule for all revolvers and allow moon clips to compete with speedloaders. Moon clips are nothing more than a technological advance. (Like night sights) If a shooter wishes to handicap himself by using speed loaders that is fine. I hunt deer with a flintlock. I know full well that a modern in-line is more dependable, but I like the flintlock. If a revolver purist wants to use speed loaders let him, but don’t penalize the rest of the world for choosing to use the best equipment they can find. The place for 7 or 8 shot revolvers is SSP or ESP. I believe that this would also better honor the “Purpose and Principles” of IDPA.

Third. One of the best things about IDPA is that the course designer can say to the shooters, “You must do this, this and this”. There is value in that, in that it makes it possible to require every shooter in a match to have to do the exactly same thing. The person who does it best wins. In IPSC, quite often it is not the “best” shooter that wins a stage, but rather it is the “cleverest”. And—that isn’t such a bad thing. I would like to see IDPA establish three types of courses of fire. Standards. Scenario driven “Directed Courses” (which is what we have now and would require specified target engagement, reloads etc). And Scenario Driven Freestyle Courses which would require either the use of cover or “real” movement but be otherwise totally freestyle. I believe that there is a valid place for a freestyle element and the inclusion of it would more closely honor the “Purpose and Principles”.

Finally, I wish that all references to “The real world” or “On the street” etc. be taken out of all IDPA literature, including the rulebook. It’s embarrassing. If you talk to people who have actually survived gunfights one thing you will find out very quickly is that they are usually very uncomfortable talking to strangers about them. I am talking about the people who have actually obtained their experience in real gunfights—up close and sticky—not from over fertile imaginations or from a gun writer’s pen or from the neck of a bottle of whiskey. Ask a cop if he ever had to shoot someone and if he had, he is likely to say, “Yes” and then change the subject. Every time I hear someone expounding at length on his gunfighting experience, the first thing I think is, “This bird has been reading too many dime novels”. The few people I know who have honored me by sharing their painfully earned gunfighting knowledge have told me that there is really only one “Truth” and perhaps one corollary to it when it comes to gunfighting. The “truth” is, “There are no rules”. You do whatever you have to do to win—or you die. The corollary is, “Everything else being equal, speed wins every time. Shooter “A’s” .5 second draw and center hit will beat Shooter “B’s” five second search for a mailbox to hide behind, every time. In a gunfight, things like “tactical priority”, “tactical sequence”, “reloading with retention”, etc go out the window the minute the first round is fired. It is perfectly all right to include these training tactics in “Directed Courses” of fire. After all, IDPA is just a game, and it’s perfectly all right to require these memory tests in directed courses of fire, but don’t embarrass us all by pretending that these things are the rule of thumb on the street. Perhaps, this is the true essence of the “Purpose and Principles”.

In conclusion, what I have written here is my opinion. I am entitled to it. I realize that many will disagree with me. I don’t claim to be a gunfighting expert and I am only a mediocre competitive shooter. I have never been a champion and I know that I never will be. I do resent IDPA trying to level the playing field for me. If I wanted to level the playing field, I would go out and practice—a lot.

[diehli]

[dwt]

One of the best posts,I have seen on this IDPA mess.

Dale,

A long time lurker with very few posts.

[kimel]

Thanks EricW for sharing and thanks Pete for the thought it took to write these insightful words!

[rhino]

That Pete Goloski is a very wise man. He has good genes too.

[DaG]

Amen Brother!

[redmist10]

The hackles on the back of my neck stood up a couple of times but it was a nice opinion essay.

The last paragraph was spot on and made me chuckle ...considering all the haggling we've been doing in IDPA lately...I like the last paragraph a lot. Not sure it is fitting for the "What I like" but.....I guess the point is what Eric likes...I think I get it now - duh

[MikeFoley]

Very well put Pete, thanks for sharing Eric. I know this won't be well recieved, but it came from the heart, and a lot of it is verifyably true.

[Guest Larry Cazes]

WOW!

[Harmon]

“I Don’t Practice Anymore”. awesome,

I know why eric likes this one...

[MikeyG23]

Mr. Goloski's post says more about what is wrong with IDPA than I have been able to articulate in the last month in spite of the keyboard time I have expended.

[tightloop]

Very well thought out...I too like it a lot...good ideas, all of them.

[benny hill]

AMEN brother. If they ever adop this mind set, I would join & shoot with them.

[Carlos]

Agreed. Excellent post. D.

[ysued]

Great!!

Thanks for articulating this!!

I've been saying similar things ever since the 1996 IDPA Invitational. I've shot several IDPA Matches in the past 2 years and the local matches arround here in Columbia are fun and rather relaxed, but as soon as the Mall Ninjas show up for the Regianal Matches, it all goes Downhill FAST!!

Pete, grat sugestions!!

I know IDPA BOD WILL NOT listen, but they are still great ideas!!

Y

[Round_Gun_Shooter]

Eric, Thank you for posting and Pete, Thank you for writing what I wish I could have said. See you at S&W

Gary

[dajarrel]

I agree completely

Well thought out, very well written.

dj

[paraman1]

I have never shot IDPA (more because of a lack of a place to do it than a lack of wanting to do it) but have seen the tension that exists and is fostered between the 2 disciplines . I have never been in a gunfight but started shooting competitively when I got my CCW to learn better gun handling skills . I shot frequently with Jim Wall in the beginning and saw first hand what someone who put in the time could do using a POS pistol and a IWB holster . It got me to thinking that what was more important than the competition itself was what you took away from it . If your goal was to become more proficient with a CCW weapon and holster than bring it out and practice with it . Any gun handling is GOOD gun handling if you learn something from it but it is not going to guaruntee you anything in a gunfight .

My father was a Marine in Viet Nam , a bouncer and a body guard and was in numerous gunfights . He told me that you never know what you are going to do or how you are going to react in a gunfight until you get there . All you can do is practice and make certain gun handling skills instinctive rather than having to think about them . Hopefully during the immense amount of stress that you will be under in a gunfight that instinct will give you the edge .

I guess my point to all this rambling is that whether you shoot IDPA or IPSC , dont try convincing yourself that one is better than the other but take it for what it is and enjoy it . Either one of the disciplines is good practice for gun handling skills but no guaruntee of success in a fight . Remember , the best thing to have in a gunfight , is a gun . The rest of it will play out however its going to play out and all you can do is train for the worst and hope for the best .

Thats my .02