[nmchenry]

For IPSC/IDPA competition what would you recommend a beginner type work to improve their speed once they have acquired a respectable amount of accuracy. I guess if I were to re-state it would you rank what one might want to improve upon. For instance:
accuracy
draw
target to target
split time on same target
mag change
etc.
How would you rank the above and what else might you add to the list? I want to focus on specific objectives when I go to practice as well as practice some on everything.

 

[Recon]

You have to work on everything you listed. A good dry fire routine will be the most useful. You must be totally comfortable with your gun. The more time you put in handling it the better. Get Matt Burkett and Brian Enos books. They have a wealth of info. You want to work out a routine of draws, reloads etc. Start out going SLOW, then pick the pace up, then go fullbore. Don't sacrifice form for speed.

 

[fremont]

Sight alignment......trigger control

A great test of combat shooting skills, I believe, is the IDPA classifier. It combines speed with accuracy. It actually makes people use their sights; a good thing.

 

[et45]

One thing you need to add is strong and weak hand only shooting.You won't see them much on field courses but a lot of the USPSA classifier stages require you to do it as well as the IDPA classifier.Above all be accurate,a slow D beats a fast miss.

 

[Ankeny]

Moving without wasting motion and time, along with target transition, are the two skills that separate really good shooters from the rest of the pack, assuming you have the other skills.

 

[Chico]

A better than average tactical reload in IDPA (when - you first pull out a fresh magazine, then drop the partially spent magazine from the gun into the same hand holding the full magazine, then insert the fresh magazine, followed by placing the partially spent magazine in a pocket) can save you from 2 to 5 seconds over an average to poor tactical reload.

 

[smoney]

first off to make a true reccomendation i would need to know your times at the present. this would allow me to focus on your weak points, in competition you exploit these in your opponents. when training or advising, you exploit them and practice them the most to bring them up to some suggested "par"

one thing to do is practice your reloads in a full sized mirror at different angles. this will allow you to see what you are doing. Burkett, and enos. have a lot of good info, www.mattburkett.com is a great place to be, you will see me there from time to time. ( if i ever get my darn password emailed to me!, guess i should email matt) if you want to spend a couple hundred bucks, jerry barnhart has a kick butt set of video's out, email me and i will link you to his web page.

you need to practice all of those, however not all at one time, take one range cession, and practice ONE thing. thats it. just one. warm up with like 10 rounds bullseye type , then move into your draw sequence don't be affraid to stop after a magazine and go SLOW, and build up by dry firing. ( a shot timer is a very good thing to have access too, it allows a non-partisan unbiased view of just how well you are doing)

just remember think of a baby, you have a crawl, walk, run process. you can't just RUN. although when i was a child my parents swear i didn't walk till i was 5, i started crawling then running.... from other life experiences i tend to believe them.

happy shooting, and feel free to email me with any questions.

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Any gun will do if You will do.

 

[Electric_Armadillo]

I'm assuming that you're starting from the ground up. These are my opinions, but they take a scientific approach to improving time.

First thing to do is to make sure you have the capability of hitting the center of A-zone consistantly at any range, with either hand. Its easy to get a basic level of accuracy, and the A-zones are pretty large in both IDPA and IPSC. I do this for two clips to assure myself that everything is working as it should. It also builds confidence.

What I consider most critical is fast target acquisition with smooth and constant trigger pull. This is repeated with every shot, and is the most important step in getting faster. Doing this properly will shave 10's of seconds from a score. Spend most of your time concentrating on this.

Second I would work on reloads. This is done once for every 7-10 shots. Doing this properly will shave a few seconds off a score.

Last, you only draw your gun once. Doing this right might save you a half a second or so. Work on this more when you need to save a half a second.

Repeated skills are most important. When you get to the point that you need to shave off 10ths of a second of a score, then you hone the the other stuff.

Accuracy isn't something I work on per se. I use it as a criteria to judge all other skills I'm working on. If I start hitting anything but the "A" zone, I'm going too fast and getting sloppy on reloads, draws, and sight picture. Its a symptom that something else is not smooth. I'll slow down until all A's again.

Last thing.

Relax or Die!

If you're jazzed and tense, it will add time to all your skills. Its easy to let your adrenaline run wild at an IPSC comp, especially when you see some top dog clean a 12 target stage in 3.126 seconds. Don't get lured into this trap! Stay calm, shoot your own pace, and you will improve.


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-Electric Armadillo-