The Merits of Competition Shooting

the incredible value of shooting and competing

This article, based on the title, will talk about competition shooting. Let me first put a foundation on what competition shooting is for our purposes here. Competition shooting is action shooting. Either U.S.P.S.A. or I.D.P.A. I'm not going to delve too much into which style of shooting is "the best" for Living With Heed. It is the benefit of the activity that this article will address.

There is a lot of complexity in these organizations with "divisions" and "class" that I also won't be jumping too deep into. I think in IDPA you're pretty safe with any division. If one wants to compete in USPSA and wants to do it in "Open" division I say charge on! The guns are like space guns and are very cool. Today though I tend to shoot either Single Stack Division or Production Division and would recommend the same to anyone just signing up or looking to get some time in with more ... practical ... guns.

So why compete?

The first reason and perhaps the most obvious reason is that shooting these matches is fun. You run around, engage targets, reload, shoot around barricades, shoot steel targets and paper targets ... I mean it's just a ton of fun. Brass is flying, smoke is in the air, and you're running the gun as fast as you capably can. 

The second benefit that anyone with a competitive bone in their body will enjoy is the fact that you will inherently become a better shooter. It'll happen because it is human nature to want to do better the next time. If all you did was shoot five matches this year I would bet that after those five matches you'd be a better shooter than when you began. You'd learn to focus a bit more, watch those sights a bit more, and understand when you can shoot a little faster as well as when you need to slow down a bit. You'll just shoot better.

If you get the bug at all then you'll even want to progress more. You'll do what we call "dry firing" which is practicing at home with an empty gun. Likely you'll squeeze in a few live fire practice sessions as well. Your progress will be unbelievable.

A huge portion of that progress will be generated because of the third benefit. You'll learn how to shoot under pressure. I've been competition shooting for many years. Early on I was competing at the highest levels of the game. No matter where I shoot I get nervous before each stage. Really nervous. In these formats of shooting you have to push the limits of speed all while maintaining your hits. The balance point is very thin and crashing on either side leads to less than desirable performances. 

Stepping up to shoot your first match takes a little courage. The activity can be intimidating and self doubt inevitably creeps into the mind. That first step though is a step to a better armed and better prepared gun handler. 

Embracing the self doubt and resolving to fix it is the step of preparation that competing will address. The reality is that if you find yourself in a Living With Heed moment and you need to use your firearm then little things like pressure and self doubt can kill you. Competing doesn't eliminate these notions but my contention is it better prepares you to deal with them. On top of that there is still the second benefit - you'll be a better shooter. You'll be better prepared to do what you need to.

Competition shooting is not training for defensive situations. The two should not be confused. Rob Leatham does an admirable job explaining his approach in this youtube video (I realize he disputes some of my ideas here which is fine, we all can develop differently). There are different preparations for both and I would advocate for training for both. The argument for competing here though is to thrust ourselves out of our comfort zone, know what it takes to perform under pressure, be a better shot and have a ton of fun in the process. 

In the debate of IDPA vs. USPSA let me just say this. IDPA is more defensively oriented and thus will reinforce at least some of the more defensively sound practices. I actually like shooting IDPA quite a bit because of that. In my opinion though USPSA style shooting amps up the shooting skills more meaningfully. It is my belief that a good USPSA shooter can more easily adapt and compete in IDPA than an IDPA shooter can to USPSA style shooting. 

It's been my experience that the devout practicioners of either have a distinct disdain for the other and for me I just don't care. I like both, I shoot both, and I see benefit to both. 

Try them all out and see what you like. The steps you take to start competing will make you a better gun handler. A better gun handler will be better prepared to deal with sticky situations. And that is what Living With Heed is all about.