The inaugural IDPA World Championships has come and gone. I was looking forward to this for the last few months, I was hoping to have a better showing than I had at last years IDPA Nationals. I had a decent showing, 5th ESP Master out of 21 and 19th overall out of about 390, so it was a pretty good match. The match offered some tough shots, shots are some difficult movers, options on how to shoot multiple movers, and some stages that were fast 6 round hose fests.
General Match Thoughts
The Good
My general thoughts on the match are slightly mixed. Overall I thought the staff and SO’s did a pretty good job. The weather during the first part of the week was pretty bad, high temps and torrential rain every afternoon made getting shooters through the stages, and keeping the stages set was a challenge. I definitely applaud them for the great effort. IDPA HQ tried a new system this year by assigning a Squad SO to each squad. This SO was responsible for scoresheets, shooter order, assisting the stage SO’s and other admin functions that really helped shooters just focus on the shooting the stage. I think this system worked great and can see other big matches use it to help keep things moving and better organized.
Most of the stages did a good job of testing all parts of the shooters skills. You had to be fast, you had to be accurate, you had to be able to move to and get into position well, and in a few you had to have a real good plan. If you showed up to this match with some of those skills lacking you had a long match. Most of the stages were straight forward and didn’t have any traps that would setup shooters to earn a procedural. If you knew the rules and listened to the COF description most stages were pretty clear and easy to follow. For the most part the stages followed the rules and didn’t make a shooter do something that they knew was against the rulebook. Some matches do this and it can cause time lost since a shooter that knows the rules can be unfairly penalized, in this match this was not really an issue.
The no so good
As I said above, the stages for the most part were good, some were better than others as is always the case with any match. There were a few that I thought that should not be at a National/World Championship level match. A stage that requires to shoot a pick-up/stage gun (a 1911 .45) strong hand only for the entire stage for a score doesn’t belong in a match like this. Yes, every shooter has to shoot the same gun and stage but not every shooter is familiar with the 1911 platform or have even fired a .45 before. They are now asked to be scored in a stage using a platform and caliber they have never used before in the biggest IDPA match of the year. I think this is not a fair test of that shooter as they should be tested using the equipment they have selected and setup. Also since it is not the shooters gun and ammo how are malfunctions handled, should it be the shooters fault if something they did not choose to shoot fails in the middle of the stage?
Another aspect of the match that I found not quite up to a World Championship match was the number of very quick, close range 6 rounds stages. Five or more of these types of stages just to provide filler and round count just seems like a waste. I would rather see 15 or so quality stages than 22-27 stages that are comprised of many quick 6 hammer drill stages. Also some stages had movers and other targets behind soft cover items. That seems fine on the surface but the SO’s and shooters both need to be clear on how hits on those targets are going to be scored. If you are going to hid tagets behind a clothes rack then a clear method of scoring of shots fired through that rack needs to be laid out so the shooters know how the holes/rips/tears/other holes are going to be scored. Finally, the use of t-shirts, while an interesting problem for a shooter to solve, needs to be used more judiciously. Not every stage needs to have targets covered with shirts and in the stages that do have them keep them consistent. Having half the target covered, half open and the same for the No-Shoots just seems odd and doesn’t provide a feeling of a cohesive match. I also feel that placing a white shirt over a No-shoot right next to a shoot target in a white shirt should not be used to try and confuse the shooter. Let the shooters actual ability to shoot determine their score, not how well they can see white on white.
Over all I think the match was success. While there are some things that could be improved and the location for that time of year is questionable I think the hard work and effort of those that worked the match made it work.
Friday, September 30, 2011
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
2011 Double Tap Championship
This past weekend I was at the Double Tap Championship where I shot production. Overall I had a good match, I made some mistakes that cost me time in a few stages but overall I am happy about the match. I took a different approach to this match, instead of getting all wrapped up in the speed thing I took the approach that it is just a longer IDPA match. It seemed to work pretty well as I got good points and the stage times were pretty good. I finished 2nd place B Production and 16th overall out of 73 Production shooters. I am starting to get a handle on the USPSA game and my results are getting better, I was 82% of the Production winner which is about a 10% improvement over my last couple of USPSA matches. I need to work on getting some things ironed out but I feel like I am on the right track.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
It has been a while
I haven't been updating this much lately so I guess it is time to catch up. IDPA Match season is in full swing now and I have been doing a lot of shooting so here are some updates on the matches I have shot.
I started the IDPA season out by shooting an IDPA match in Arkansas. It was a good match with some good stages, the weather on the other hand was not all that great. It was about 45 and a drizzley rainy mist, not the most ideal conditions to shoot in. As far as the match itself, well, my shooting was about as good as the weather. Never really got into any kind of mental state to shoot and just felt like I was going through the motions. For the first match of the year it didn't go anywhere close to the way I had planned. The good thing is I could tell where the problems were in my shooting and since then I have been working on fixing the issues.
The weekend after the AR match was Coastal Bend Challenge, and I felt pretty good about shooting the match. Unfortunately I started out the same way I did in AR, I hot a No-Shoot in the first stage. Shooting at the Master level it is bad enough hitting a NS but doing it on the first stage and basically starting the match by spotting the field 5 seconds is a tough hole to start in. I did manage to put together a few good stages and was feeling pretty good that I was making up for that first stage bobble. Of course I got a little to focused on the time issue and rushed through a stage and dropped a bunch of points, 11 points in 1 stage on top of a NS in another and the match kinda lust slips away from you.
I think I have figured out some of the issues I have been having with my shooting and have been practicing on them. I have been working on visual patients and not trying to rush a stage. I fell into the trap of thinking about speed instead of just focusing on the front sight and letting that dictate how quickly I should be shooting. Some more practice and some work on my match day mental game and I should be back on track.
I started the IDPA season out by shooting an IDPA match in Arkansas. It was a good match with some good stages, the weather on the other hand was not all that great. It was about 45 and a drizzley rainy mist, not the most ideal conditions to shoot in. As far as the match itself, well, my shooting was about as good as the weather. Never really got into any kind of mental state to shoot and just felt like I was going through the motions. For the first match of the year it didn't go anywhere close to the way I had planned. The good thing is I could tell where the problems were in my shooting and since then I have been working on fixing the issues.
The weekend after the AR match was Coastal Bend Challenge, and I felt pretty good about shooting the match. Unfortunately I started out the same way I did in AR, I hot a No-Shoot in the first stage. Shooting at the Master level it is bad enough hitting a NS but doing it on the first stage and basically starting the match by spotting the field 5 seconds is a tough hole to start in. I did manage to put together a few good stages and was feeling pretty good that I was making up for that first stage bobble. Of course I got a little to focused on the time issue and rushed through a stage and dropped a bunch of points, 11 points in 1 stage on top of a NS in another and the match kinda lust slips away from you.
I think I have figured out some of the issues I have been having with my shooting and have been practicing on them. I have been working on visual patients and not trying to rush a stage. I fell into the trap of thinking about speed instead of just focusing on the front sight and letting that dictate how quickly I should be shooting. Some more practice and some work on my match day mental game and I should be back on track.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Rudy Project
I got some news the other day, I was selected to be on the Rudy Project IDPA Squad. I am looking forward to competing under the Rudy Project colors, they have a pretty good group of shooters on their team.
Being part of the Rudy team and being sponsored means there might be some changes in the look of my blog. I want to make sure people see the great list of sponsors that not only support The Rudy Project Team but the shooting sport in general.
Being part of the Rudy team and being sponsored means there might be some changes in the look of my blog. I want to make sure people see the great list of sponsors that not only support The Rudy Project Team but the shooting sport in general.
Monday, January 10, 2011
New year means new goals
2010 was a pretty good shooting year for me, I achieved most of the goals I set for myself. I made Master in not just one division but 3, won my class at most matches and won my division at a couple. I didn't achieve all my goals but so I need to start working on making them and then achieving the new goals I have.
I plan on shooting more USPSA matches this year. I really enjoy shooting IDPA but I want to at least make Master (if not Grand Master) in USPSA. Most of my shooting will be in the Single Stack division but I will shoot production a little. There are a couple of local state and regional matches I will shoot and I also am going to try and make it to the Single Stack Nationals.
One of my goals this year is to just stick to one platform. Last year I did a little bit of bouncing around with guns. 2011 will basically be a 1911 only year for me. I can't wait for the match season to start...........now out to the range to practice.
I plan on shooting more USPSA matches this year. I really enjoy shooting IDPA but I want to at least make Master (if not Grand Master) in USPSA. Most of my shooting will be in the Single Stack division but I will shoot production a little. There are a couple of local state and regional matches I will shoot and I also am going to try and make it to the Single Stack Nationals.
One of my goals this year is to just stick to one platform. Last year I did a little bit of bouncing around with guns. 2011 will basically be a 1911 only year for me. I can't wait for the match season to start...........now out to the range to practice.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
2010 IDPA Nationals
Nationals went OK, not great but good. I finished 2nd SSP Expert and got my bump to Master.
As far as the actual match went, well I could of and should have done better than what I did. I started on stage 1 and the first 3 stages didn't go as well as I wanted. I had a plan on stage 2 and I almost nailed it except after a reload and before I moved to another position I needed 1 more shot on a target............I forgot that shot and in the end that could be what cost me the match since I only got beat by 1.6 seconds. If I would have hit that target, even with a decent shot then I would have been 2 seconds faster. Stage 3 was the standards, lots of shots, lots of 30 yard shots, and all Limited. I was doing OK until the last string and got way to fast and threw a couple of misses, I knew it when I pulled the trigger but being limited scoring I couldn't make them up.
I left the first 3 stages over 50 down and thinking I may have given the match away before I really got started. Then I realized everybody has to agonize over the Standards so I could still do OK as long as I got myself back into shooting my type of match. I got back to just focusing on the stage I was shooting and not worrying about the ones behind me. I put together a few good stages and felt that I had good monentum. After about 4 stages or so I had another bad stage, not terrible just not good, but got back into the right mindset and followed it up with another good stage. I did that cycle a few times but I was never able to really keep the ball rolling and find that groove I ususally get into. In the end I out of 17 stages I had 3-4 bad, 3-4 that were just OK, and the rest were good and solid stages.
It was either the non-shot on stage 2 or the really bad stage with the "dogs" that cost me the match. The "dog" stage was a minimum 1 scored round stage at targets that only had the -1 and -0 areas and 4 of them were out to 20-25 yards. I had a plan to hit the long ones with 2 shots to make sure I got the hits but I got to quick on the first target trying to beat the no-shoot swinger and missed that target and earned a "failure to Neutralize". Then I had the only gun issue of the match (actually the only one I remember since shooting the CZ), I had a stove pipe. That cost me about 4 seconds and on top of the 5 seconds for the FTN it really killed me. Knowing how my match went I spent the next 2 days watching the updated scores hoping I would stay on top but knew my time could be beat.
Overall I am happy with the match, I didn't shoot as well as I thought I should but I was able to stay focused and not panic when I had a bad stage. In the past I would have tried to make up for a bad stage by pushing to hard and then blowing the next stage. After a bad one I would go back to the fundamentals and just focus on the front sight and make my hits.
That makes the third division I have made Master in since May so I am really pleased about that. I worked hard this year to make Master and didn't know if I could do it in 3 divisions, that was my goal though. I was struggling a little in the early spring and that is when Garry Newton started to work with me. With his help I was able to figure out what I needed to focus on and it really helped me during the Nationals to regroup after a bad stage. I really want to thank Garry for all his help.
The year is pretty much done for me as far as major matches go. I will be shooting all the local stuff though working on the things I need to improve on so that next year I will not only be a Master but I will be a very competitive one.
As far as the actual match went, well I could of and should have done better than what I did. I started on stage 1 and the first 3 stages didn't go as well as I wanted. I had a plan on stage 2 and I almost nailed it except after a reload and before I moved to another position I needed 1 more shot on a target............I forgot that shot and in the end that could be what cost me the match since I only got beat by 1.6 seconds. If I would have hit that target, even with a decent shot then I would have been 2 seconds faster. Stage 3 was the standards, lots of shots, lots of 30 yard shots, and all Limited. I was doing OK until the last string and got way to fast and threw a couple of misses, I knew it when I pulled the trigger but being limited scoring I couldn't make them up.
I left the first 3 stages over 50 down and thinking I may have given the match away before I really got started. Then I realized everybody has to agonize over the Standards so I could still do OK as long as I got myself back into shooting my type of match. I got back to just focusing on the stage I was shooting and not worrying about the ones behind me. I put together a few good stages and felt that I had good monentum. After about 4 stages or so I had another bad stage, not terrible just not good, but got back into the right mindset and followed it up with another good stage. I did that cycle a few times but I was never able to really keep the ball rolling and find that groove I ususally get into. In the end I out of 17 stages I had 3-4 bad, 3-4 that were just OK, and the rest were good and solid stages.
It was either the non-shot on stage 2 or the really bad stage with the "dogs" that cost me the match. The "dog" stage was a minimum 1 scored round stage at targets that only had the -1 and -0 areas and 4 of them were out to 20-25 yards. I had a plan to hit the long ones with 2 shots to make sure I got the hits but I got to quick on the first target trying to beat the no-shoot swinger and missed that target and earned a "failure to Neutralize". Then I had the only gun issue of the match (actually the only one I remember since shooting the CZ), I had a stove pipe. That cost me about 4 seconds and on top of the 5 seconds for the FTN it really killed me. Knowing how my match went I spent the next 2 days watching the updated scores hoping I would stay on top but knew my time could be beat.
Overall I am happy with the match, I didn't shoot as well as I thought I should but I was able to stay focused and not panic when I had a bad stage. In the past I would have tried to make up for a bad stage by pushing to hard and then blowing the next stage. After a bad one I would go back to the fundamentals and just focus on the front sight and make my hits.
That makes the third division I have made Master in since May so I am really pleased about that. I worked hard this year to make Master and didn't know if I could do it in 3 divisions, that was my goal though. I was struggling a little in the early spring and that is when Garry Newton started to work with me. With his help I was able to figure out what I needed to focus on and it really helped me during the Nationals to regroup after a bad stage. I really want to thank Garry for all his help.
The year is pretty much done for me as far as major matches go. I will be shooting all the local stuff though working on the things I need to improve on so that next year I will not only be a Master but I will be a very competitive one.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Getting ready for IDPA Nationals
It has been a while since I updated this so I thought I would post about the upcoming IDPA Nationals.
Since I shot the Texas State match I have been deciding on what gun to use for the Nationals and then spending time getting up to speed with something other than my 1911. I am shooting SSP Expert at Nationals because I hope to get my bump to Master. I had plans to go back to my M&P Pro but after a few matches and practices I decided that may not be the best choice. I really like the gun but for some reason I just don't get the hits I want. I tried a few different things but the accuracy always seem to suffer and to be honest my hits were never as good with it. On top of the accuracy issues it is just not 100% reliable, every so often I would get a FTE and sometimes at a match I just have the impending dread that it will show up at a very inopportune time. Tough to be competitive with that in your mind.
I decided to make the switch to a CZ 75b. That came with it's own hurdles, double action first shot, it was a stock gun, and just learning a new platform. I shot it a few times in stock form and slowly started to add some parts and do some work on it and after springs, sights, grips, and some modest trigger work I have a pretty nice gun. It has a good feel and I really like the blance and weight of the all steel gun. For the last month I have been shooting matches and practicing so that I can learn the best way to shoot and makes sure no unexpected problems show up.
The club I am the match director for hosted a regional IDPA match over Labor Day so it was a great oppurtunity to really shake things out. Knowing there are some really good shoters that were going to be there it was a great way to judge my performance with the new platform agains great competition. The gun ran great,unfortunatley I didn't run the gun the way I should have. I pushed the speed and my accuracy suffered, I was taking for granted how I was shooting going into the match and pushed the speed past the point of seeing the sights the way I needed to . I also was not working the trigger properly and ended up slapping at it a few times and that ended up producing too many points down as well as unacceptable misses.
Since that match I have refocused on the basics of just seeing the sights as fast I as can and working the trigger in a smooth controlled manner. Doing so has got me back on track on where I think I need to be.
Next week is the test though, Nationals. I shoot all day Thursday and as long as I do my part I am very confident the gun will not let me down. I feel that if I shoot my match and keep focused I can win my class. I know there will be some good shooters there (39 SSP EX's) and it will not be easy but that is the goal I am going with and will be happy as long as I shoot a good match. If I shoot my best and get beat then I can live with that.
Hopefully nest week I can post up some good news.
Since I shot the Texas State match I have been deciding on what gun to use for the Nationals and then spending time getting up to speed with something other than my 1911. I am shooting SSP Expert at Nationals because I hope to get my bump to Master. I had plans to go back to my M&P Pro but after a few matches and practices I decided that may not be the best choice. I really like the gun but for some reason I just don't get the hits I want. I tried a few different things but the accuracy always seem to suffer and to be honest my hits were never as good with it. On top of the accuracy issues it is just not 100% reliable, every so often I would get a FTE and sometimes at a match I just have the impending dread that it will show up at a very inopportune time. Tough to be competitive with that in your mind.
I decided to make the switch to a CZ 75b. That came with it's own hurdles, double action first shot, it was a stock gun, and just learning a new platform. I shot it a few times in stock form and slowly started to add some parts and do some work on it and after springs, sights, grips, and some modest trigger work I have a pretty nice gun. It has a good feel and I really like the blance and weight of the all steel gun. For the last month I have been shooting matches and practicing so that I can learn the best way to shoot and makes sure no unexpected problems show up.
The club I am the match director for hosted a regional IDPA match over Labor Day so it was a great oppurtunity to really shake things out. Knowing there are some really good shoters that were going to be there it was a great way to judge my performance with the new platform agains great competition. The gun ran great,unfortunatley I didn't run the gun the way I should have. I pushed the speed and my accuracy suffered, I was taking for granted how I was shooting going into the match and pushed the speed past the point of seeing the sights the way I needed to . I also was not working the trigger properly and ended up slapping at it a few times and that ended up producing too many points down as well as unacceptable misses.
Since that match I have refocused on the basics of just seeing the sights as fast I as can and working the trigger in a smooth controlled manner. Doing so has got me back on track on where I think I need to be.
Next week is the test though, Nationals. I shoot all day Thursday and as long as I do my part I am very confident the gun will not let me down. I feel that if I shoot my match and keep focused I can win my class. I know there will be some good shooters there (39 SSP EX's) and it will not be easy but that is the goal I am going with and will be happy as long as I shoot a good match. If I shoot my best and get beat then I can live with that.
Hopefully nest week I can post up some good news.
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