Walt

I wouldn't place too much emphasis on your score at an IDPA match. Most of the shooters at the few that matches that I've been to are strictly gamers. The emphasis seems to be on getting the highest score possible, rather than correctly using cover, accuracy, etc. Ive seen guys do everything from intentionally not engage targets to just spraying rounds in the targets general direction. They do the math and reason that the penalties assessed from skipping targets/shitty accuracy will be offset by their completing the stage super fast. Good for gaming, but not so much for the real world.

I agree with Cromps that you need to be both fast and accurate. For me, it has always been more effective to focus on being accurate and making proper use of cover before I start to speed things up. Crawl. Walk. Run. Of course accuracy always suffers when you speed things up, but starting slow lets you gauge exactly how much your accuracy will suffer. In the end the goal becomes engaging as quickly as possible with "good enough" accuracy for that given situation.

EDIT: IDPA matches are a great way to sort things out if you don't have access to a range that will allow you to set up multiple targets, run and gun, use cover. Were I faced with those restrictions, I would use the opportunity to focus on developing skills rather than trying for a high score.

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