[Redrum]

Well I shot my first IDPA Classifier and what a coincidence that my IDPA card and rule book, etc arrived in the mail today as well, so I am legal...

Anyway, I shot my XD-40 and I surprised myself and shot Marksman. I just knew that afterwards I was going to be Novice. With as many misses as I had. But they said I was fast...Big deal, fast gets you dead!

I just couldn't control the adrenaline(sp). I have to work on that.
Just thought I would share.

-Redrum

[ 06-22-2002: Message edited by: Redrum ]

[miquela]

CONGRATS!! Were the misses you speak of actual misses or dropped points. Ted said that a fast -3 beats a slow -0. Makes sense to me.

I'm shooting a classifier tomorrow and hope to finally make Marksman. If I just move my @$$ instead of taking a Saturday afternoon stroll from barricade to barrel, I should do ok. lol.

Glad you did the classifier, and found a club close enough to you to shoot and have fun. It's a great sport. :)

[Redrum]

Out of the 90 shots I think I had about 5 misses and the rest dropped points. Before I started I just kept telling myself to slow down (shooting, not moving), and make the shots count. But that went by the wayside after the first shot. I just have to get more shoots in and work on it. The CAS actually is helping me show down some.

Good luck on your qualifier! After your performance in NC you should be able to make it the next step.

-Redrum :) :)

[Bubba]

Minor point...(But I get my rear chewed every time I say it wrong too)

You shot the CLASSIFIER... not QUALIFIER. Some IDPA people (especially the blonde ones) are sticklers for the terminology. ;)

Congratulations Redrum. You are on your way. The thing Ted and I keep telling a certain redhead.... Be fast when you can be.. and slow when you have to be... ;) Move quickly getting the gun out of the holster and up to your firing position and getting a sight picture... then slow down and make a good clean trigger press. Move your gun quickly from target to target... and slow down to make the trigger press. Stay calm when you make your mag changes. Fumbling will slow you down even more. The movement from the barricade to the barrel is NOT a Sunday afternoon stroll. :mad: RUN! Get the gun on target quickly... then slow down and make a good clean trigger press. At the barricade, really work your trigger press smoothly. Any small break in form and jerk of the trigger will be amplified at that distance.

Economy of motion is the thing here. Don't rush the second and third shots. Make sure your sights are back on target before you press the trigger again. A fast double tap... will usually equate to a fast MISS! Also, once in a match setting... never shoot to make up a -1. Only the big boys are fast enough to have the .20-.25 splits to save a quarter of a second.

Speed will come with practice. Very few people will walk in and shoot Expert as they start shooting IDPA. It has been a long hard fight to get to Expert for me. (And literally 10's of thousands of rounds downrange) Is Master that far away for me? I don't know. Some people seem to think I am getting close. I am not that sure. But doing the things I have mentioned above have focused me and gotten me a lot closer.

Don't worry about the adrenalin to much right now. It is natural and shows that you are alive. Have fun with it. As you continue to compete, you will get that under control better. It never goes away. But you will learn to control it in time. I finally got mine under control pretty well at the Carolina Cup for the first time in a major match. Was a neat feeling.

Again congratulations on classifying Marksman. I expect to see someone ELSE make this report tomorrow. :D

[Redrum]

Thanks Bubba,
I edited my post and corrected my rookie mistake. I was fully expecting to either remain unclassified or a Novice. When they told me that I classified MM I was shocked. Well I got the first one out of the way. Now I know what to expect for the next one...maybe next month or thereafter. The club here holds one a month...inbetween the weeks that competition is held.

GOOD LUCK TO MIQUELA! Try to relax...yeah, right!

-Redrum