Crossing Over

[rhgunguy]

An IDPA club recently opened up around here and I was thinking about trying that out. However, I looked into it and saw that the rules are very different. Would it be a bad idea to start IDPA when I barely have the hang of IPSC (I am hanging by fingernails)? On the other hand it would get me more trigger-time. What are your opinions?

[Clay1]

shoot them both and have fun!

[Loves2Shoot]

You shoot targets, move, and reload in both.

The more you shoot the better you can get, I don't see a downside.

[Merlin Orr]

You shoot targets, move, and reload in both.

The more you shoot the better you can get, I don't see a downside.

+1 - and will (sooner or later) hear some interesting comments....

[DanM]

I'm a hopelessly addicted noob as well and have shot IDPA, IPSC, and Steel Challenge. Time behind the gun under the clock has really paid off for me. Everytime I go to a match, I learn things that transfer over. I see no problem with it for me. Now I'm getting ready to try 3-gun. Is there a support group somewhere for this?????

[Newguy]

If you're primarily shooting IPSC there's no downside to also shooting IDPA. But the reverse may not be true -- shooting IPSC may hurt your IDPA scores.

IPSC is about safely shooting a course of fire as quickly and accurately as possible. IDPA is about shooting the COF quickly and accurately, but also tactically -- not exposing more than half of your body behind cover, tactical reloads and shooting order, etc. IDPA COFs also tend to be more choreographed. So, some IPSC shooters -- myself included -- end up with a lot of procedurals when we play in IDPA. OTOH, its good discipline and trigger time is trigger time.

[ChuckS]

An IDPA club recently opened up around here and I was thinking about trying that out. However, I looked into it and saw that the rules are very different. Would it be a bad idea to start IDPA when I barely have the hang of IPSC (I am hanging by fingernails)? On the other hand it would get me more trigger-time. What are your opinions?

It depends on what you want to accomplish. If your goal is to shoot more, by all means do both. This is what I found when I used to be bi:

USPSA -> IDPA

I would get in trouble for doing at least one speed reload without thinking,

I would get called on the use of cover.

IDPA -> USPSA

I would find myself doing IDPA style reloads or worse, just hesitating.

I would use cover.

The short version is that it took a couple of matches for me to complete the transisition. If you really want to excel in either, concentrate on that game. If you want to shoot, have at it! There are many guys around here who do both and do quite well.

Later,

Chuck

[Thomas Moore]

i agree, you'll excel faster if you shoot both. ya just have to take out your ipsc brain when shooting idpa and vise/versa.

have fun.

[Bill Nesbitt]

I shoot both. What it does is give you more things in your "Bag of Tricks".

To add to what I was starting to say when the cat "Bubba" walked across the keyboard and posted my reply:

When you prepare to shoot a stage you should just program in your mind what you are going to do. If you OR the stage description call for a certain type of reload then just do it. We are pistol shooters. We can do anything.

[baa]

I started shooting IDPA and recently got into USPSA shooting after trying some single stack only matches with USPSA rules. I think the same basic skills apply to both and more trigger time is always a good thing.

I have also flubbed reloads in both sports like Chuck describes (speed reloads in IDPA, slide lock in USPSA.) I have recently found that a couple minutes of mag change drills the night before whatever match, practicing the correct reloads, has elminated that problem.

[DanM]

I would get in trouble for doing at least one speed reload without thinking,

I would get called on the use of cover.

I did both this weekend at an IDPA shoot. To really make it tough, I shot IDPA on Sat and IPSC today. I had to tell myself "Insert IDPA brain chip, remove IDPA brain chip, insert IPSC brain chip." If only it were that easy. The RO at the IDPA shoot just laughed when I blazed away fully exposed

Edited January 23, 2006 by DanM

[Genghis]

I've shot in these competitions for about a year now, generally each month in one USPSA match, one IDPA match, and one steel match. I say jump in and do it all.

Each discipline has something different to offer. And it's not all that hard to keep the rules straight. I shot in 34 matches last year. If I'd boycotted USPSA or IDPA, that number would be around 22 or so. I do much better at IDPA because of my USPSA shooting. And I believe the IDPA practice makes me better at USPSA. Trigger time!