New USPSA Survey

[Racinready300ex]

Locally we don't really have many PCC shooters. There are always a couple but not enough to really have any effect on the sport. 

[Racinready300ex]

17 hours ago, shred said:

Do you think the stages were more, less, or about the same fun in those days?

 

 

I think they were better. But, there are still some clubs that do a good job these days. At the same time I've shot majors with stages that were pretty lame. I don't want to shoot a 32 round hoser stage from 2 positions.

[Boomstick303]

Curious if "current stage design" is really about the equipment or just another sign of the times.  How many people can actually design stages?  I have worked with shooters that USPSA that have been shooting for 5+ years that have no idea how to design a stage.  They cannot see the 180 issues in their stage design let alone creating a decent stage.  Granted I have watched seasoned stage designers turn out turds for stages, i.e. a Nationals where damn near every stage was box to box shooting with next to zero blending, I have seen a lot of newer shooters being clueless when it comes to stage design.  

 

I am by far not perfect.  Although rare, I have created stages upon which once the match started someone found one spot where you can shoot way to many targets from that one position.  Or they find something I did not think about that is not ideal.  I will say I always keep 1.2.1 in mind and try to not create box to box shooting.  I always try to make sure there is some sort of blending options in my stages.  

 

In short I think it is more the individual more the current equipment that is responsible for crap stages.  

 

[Joe4d]

Why design a stage for most ?
Someone will cry there is a hard shot..... or someone else that NEVER shows up to help or tear down in their cool dude logo shirt will nitpick it.
 

[RJH]

Luckily for me my local clubs do pretty good. One match because it has small bays tends to have smaller stages that lean towards hose-festedness. Another one has real varied stages where some weeks a limited gun would be better and some weeks a carry optics gun would be better. And if all that's too easy we have a local 3 gun match that can be a son of a b****. I would not show up to it without a DOT on your pistol lol

 

 

I have seen some videos of majors that look like they took the hardness to extremes, and if they stay like that I don't think I would ever shoot them. On that same note I've seen majors that look pretty easy, to the point I don't know that I would shoot them either. But nobody's forcing me to shoot any of those so I'm okay with it, and it tends to give a flavor to matches for those who like that sort of match, whatever it is

[IHAVEGAS]

48 minutes ago, RJH said:

But nobody's forcing me to shoot any of those so I'm okay with it, and it tends to give a flavor to matches for those who like that sort of match, whatever it is

 

Agreed. It is very nice to know if it will be a hoser match or whatever ahead of time so that you can make the right choice for you. 

[BritinUSA]

Designing stages is not easy, especially if one jumps right in to designing 32 round courses.

 

My suggestion would be to start with short courses, 9-12 rounds. Figure out all the basics, then go to the medium 12-20 round stages. Field courses will be easy after mastering the first two.

 

Of course, you may run into the problem of match directors that want 32 rounds stages on every berm. 

[RJH]

I disagree. Designing good stages is not completely difficult. Maybe it used to be when you had to pull them out of your ass or something, when I used to run a match that was basically the way it happened.  But there's a lot of information online now with various USPSA stage design groups on facebook, Plus a multitude of YouTube videos to look at different stages.

 

I would say designing a quality stage is easier now than it has ever been, regardless of size. The only trick is understanding what makes a good USPSA stage. And since that varies from person to person, it's always going to be an issue that comes up if the person setting the stage doesn't set the stages you like

 

[Maximis228]

Good stage designs come from people who travel and shoot in a lot of different places over the year. Each area/section/club has its own unique flavor of stage design.

 

Be the change you want to see. If you want to see a specific style of stage... then design it and send it to your local MD. Assuming you aren't asking someone to build some crazy props... they will 100% thank you and ask for more. 

 

That is how I started... fast forward 9 years and ive designed well over 700 stages for clubs, sectionals, and area matches. 

[shred]

Getting good at stage design I think is about the same as getting good with a pistol-- lots of reps while paying attention to what happens.

 

Shoot a lot of different stages, go to different matches, swipe stages off the internet.  Stitch parts together like Frankenstein's Monster.  Sketch out some ideas and set them up.  Move stuff around on the ground.  A few inches here or there can make a world of difference.  Ask for feedback and listen to it, even if they say your baby is ugly. 

 

Your first stages may well be lame; just pay attention and improve.  Even later on you'll lay an egg or two as something that looks good on paper turns out not to be or has a hole you can drive a truck though.  If you can get an experienced coach to help you, they can be an awesome resource.  

 

Pro Tip: Avoid trying to "make" shooters do things (reloads, 'aim', 'think on their feet', shoot SHO, etc).  Setup the targets and walls (in the old days it was a "scenario") and let them figure it out.  See how it looks if you're a 6'2" left-handed PCC shooter or 4'11" junior new shooter in Single Stack.  

 

I think designing a really good short course may be more difficult than a regular 24 round stage.  It's tougher to balance everything on a shorty.