Why Do We Have Standards

[boo radley]

Not all standards are 50y, though, no?

There's a local club that has one each match (usually), and I wish more did, but...they're sure slow as hell, for a stage.

[j1b]

Not all standards are 50y, though, no?

Agreed. In prinicple though they test shooting skills in general. A lot of classifiers feel like standards. But I believe (and I AM old school) that 50 yards is a good component of a standards type stage.

J

[Skywalker]

Standards, either scored as Virginia Count or Fixed Time, are simply the purest shooting skills test that you can perform.

There's no other activity involved, as opposed to the normal Comstock stages where you have to fluidly move and shoot at the same time.

Last year I was cursed at a lot for throwing 3 standard stages (VC) in our 24 stages Nationals: a lot of newcomers were whining that the stages were boring, dull, difficult, etc. etc. etc.

The bottom line is that standard exercises are to practical shooting what kata is to martial arts: the sport in its purest form, as it was conceived, that needs to be remembered and handed down.

Oh, BTW, if you happen to practice a few standards, you'll immediately notice the areas where you need to improve ...

[Flexmoney]

Standrads remind you that you really don't know how to shoot like they do in the movies and you need to do some f*#king practice.

[Matt Cheely]

Standrads remind you that you ........... need to do some f*#king practice.

Perfect answer!

[XRe]

I think of a line from Talladega Nights every time we have a standards, and I hear people whining.... "Hakuna Matata, b*****s!"

[Carlos]

I like standards because they are the type of test that allow me to excel. That said, we rarely shoot them locally because the majority of our shooters would rather spend their time and ammo shooting something more entertaining. Mini-Mart is a lot more fun than High Standards. I full well realize long courses with a lot of movement is really where it's at in most matches today. However, standards do test fundamental shooting skills, and unless one can call the shots, exercise trigger control, read the relationship of the bore to the target face, etc., he/she won't get far in this game. At the higher levels, it's about points and time...

Good points. I agree that we have drifted too far in the direction of "hoser stages" at extremely close ranges. Add even 25 to 30 yard targets at your next match and you will be listening to a lot of grumbling. I enjoy 50 yard targets & would like to see more of them. Moreover, our top level shooters would likely be BETTER prepared for the World Shoot and other competitions if they were routinely forced to make accurate hits at 50 yards - as its my impression that IPSC is less "hoser oriented" than we have become.

But I hate fixed time and I think its not optimal in light of our current classification system.

Keep the distance & drop the fixed-time.

[Nik Habicht]

I'll disagree -- I like the specific challenge imposed by fixed time. It's that classic tradeoff of taking your time to ensure Alphas, while perhaps not getting all shots off vs. shooting a little faster and dropping points.....

[Jim Norman]

Why don't we look at the meaning of the word "Standard"?

In one way of thinking all the Classifiers can be considered "standards" in one sense in that we use them to compare ourselves to the best of the best and to ourselves to measure our progress.

More specifically in USPSA speak, a Standards Stage calls upon the shooter to perform a set shooting skill in a prescribed time frame. said time generally being short enough that virtually no one can actually accomplish the entire task. This gives us a milepost as it were to measure ourselves against. One that is as near to pure shooting as we are likely to get. Draw and fire. No running, No turning, No standing up, No squatting, JUST SHOOTING.

Jim

[Bret Heidkamp]

Since I'm really curious as to HOW we suddenly got rid of standards at big events in the first place (another topic entirely), I decided to start a poll. I hope USPSA will listen to whatever the results are.

The poll is located here Standards Stage survey poll

[ima45dv8]

There seems to be a misunderstanding among some that a Standards CoF is always Fixed Time. They can be FT, but the defining characteristic of a Standards is (drumroll, please, as this is one of Flex's favorite trivia questions) . . . . . . . . . .multiple strings of fire. They can be Fixed time but it's not required. Fixed time scored course can be either Standards, Classifiers or Short Courses (9.2.4.3).

1.2.2 Special Courses of Fire:

1.2.2.1 “Standard Exercises” - Courses of fire consisting of two or more separately timed component strings.

[vrmn1]

So we can remember what the bump on the end of the barrel is for.

[Flexmoney]

There seems to be a misunderstanding among some that a Standards CoF is always Fixed Time. They can be FT, but the defining characteristic of a Standards is (drumroll, please, as this is one of Flex's favorite trivia questions) . . . . . . . . . .multiple strings of fire. They can be Fixed time but it's not required. Fixed time scored course can be either Standards, Classifiers or Short Courses (9.2.4.3).

1.2.2 Special Courses of Fire:

1.2.2.1 “Standard Exercises” - Courses of fire consisting of two or more separately timed component strings.

I thought they talked of changing that in the new rule book, but it doesn't look like they did:

1.2.2.1 “Standard Exercises” - Courses of fire consisting of two or more separately timed component strings. Scores, with any penalties deducted, are accumulated on completion of the course of fire to produce the final stage results. Standard Exercises must only be scored using Virginia Count or Fixed Time. The course of fire for each component string may require a specific shooting position, procedure and/or one or more mandatory reloads. Standard Exercises must not require more than 24 rounds to complete. Component strings must not require more than 6 rounds (12 rounds if a mandatory reload is specified).

[Gregory_k]

Topton was great at havind Standards during monthly matches.

I would rather shoot a std than a short range hoser cousre. Which only requires a quick finger.

[XRe]

Thought I'd throw this in here, too... http://re-gun.blogspot.com/2007/11/standar...r-practice.html

[shred]

Based on my experiences at the World Shoot, Columbus Cups and European Championships, I'd say that IPSC shots may overall be a little more difficult, but not much. What they do have, and it's a little paradoxical, is less targets-- in the US, if you go into a window, you expect 3 or more targets in there. At the EHC, you were lucky to get two, with a whole lot with just one. What that does is lower the overall hit factor of the stages since there's less points to get, thus reinforcing the need to actually shoot A's versus hosing C's. They had a couple stages with 35+ yard targets at the EHC, and I think there were a couple at 40 or so at the last WS, but you could count them on one hand in a 600+ round match.

[Flexmoney]

Interesting. From a stage designers p.o.v., I would speculate that the one or two targets in a psoition carries back to the ratio required for small-medium-large cof's. I could see where that would bring the hf's down a bit.

We don't have that limitation in USPSA, so we tend to see the 32 round stages. 32 opportunities for 5 points (or Mikes).

As stage designers, we can pretty much test whatever we choose to test...in a field course. But, we are mostly regulated to doing so in a freestyle manner.

Standards allow us to get specific...dictating shooting positions and stances.

[Phil Dunlop]

To stand in front of a distant set of targets, no adrenaline rush to make up for other weaknesses or time to hide your score behind, requires a different skill set to most other IPSC stages.

Having the fundamental shooting ability to take on an accuracy biased stage under time pressure and more importantly, the confidence to do so on demand is a very relevant skill set to test to my mind.

They usually provoke howls of protest over here too, but not from me

P.D.