What Makes a Good Course of Fire ?
by
Gary W. Burris

I've tried over the years to understand exactly why some scenarios seem to work really well while others fall flat. The answer still eludes most that try to design a scenario. In order to gain an understanding of what works let's start with the basics by reviewing some of the guidelines set forth by the founders of IDPA

Of the many concepts established by the IDPA, none is more important than Course Design. When the IDPA founders set out to structure "Defensive Pistol" guidelines, the one area that became very critical to the long-term survival of this shooting discipline was the idea that courses of fire should reflect reality. Requirements like the use of cover, reloading behind cover and the limit of 18 rounds per string of fire were based upon the principles that defensive pistol shooting should help promote sound basic self-defense tactics and test the skills you would need in a real self-defense encounter.

The whole purpose of the IDPA is to be a practical shooting sport. Therefore, course of fire design should be practical and something that would happen in real life. Fending off a crazed band of invaders from Mars or fighting your way out of a warehouse full of Jamaican drug dealers is a lot of fun. But, these should never be part of a sanctioned IDPA match. Save this stuff for fun matches. I'm not suggesting that sanctioned IDPA matches should not be fun. You can enjoy and have fun shooting practical scenarios.

Scenarios are limited to a maximum of 15 yards to emulate real life. Shooting at targets on special occasions in excess of 15 yards can be done to test the shooter's skill. The goal is to make the distances at which we engage targets to be within the norm of most self-defense scenarios.

The distance that a shooter must travel in any scenario is clearly an issue too. Movement of the shooter from start position to the final firing position should not exceed ten yards. IDPA matches are not track and field events.

Here are some things to consider when designing a course of fire.

Gotcha's - Built in procedural errors or lost points need to be avoided. These become obvious when there seem to be a large number of procedural errors given in a particular scenario. Or, shooters have a lot of points down for the stage. An example might be a stage where a revolver shooter has to reload while a moving target passes by.

Complicated design - If the Safety Officer has to spend a lot of time explaining the course of fire, then the scenario is probably too complicated. This often results in "Gotcha's" as indicated above. It would be better to break up the stage into two or more shorter, simpler stages.

Bottlenecks - These can be very frustrating in a shooting match. Bottlenecks are usually the result of complicated courses of fire or scenarios with multiple strings that require a lot of time to execute.

Multiple strings - Sometimes these are OK if the round count is small. Targets in these scenarios are usually scored and taped between strings. Also, the shooter has to reload between strings and these things take time.

Unfair stages - Your design must not give an unfair advantage to shooters with double stack magazines over shooters with single stack magazines. This can be avoided by requiring a tactical reload or limiting the number of rounds in the first magazine. Additionally, you need to consider whether or not your design favors right handed shooters over left handed shooters and visa versa.

Physically demanding COF - As stated before, this is not a track and field event. Think about it, seldom in real life encounters does the shooter have to cover a very long distance. Beware of course design that places too much emphasis in moving over long distances or getting around obstacles.

Steel - The IDPA clearly requires that steel targets be minimized in sanctioned matches. I shot in a state match that had two all steel stages. One had 18 steel targets. Personally, I think there are some safety issues involved here too.

House clearing stages - House clearing is not practical for the average shooter. Law enforcement may do this on a regular basis but they would never try to beat the clock while clearing a house. The best "house clearing" scenario I've seen was in the 2001 Arkansas state match. It was designed as a par time stage with plenty of time to move through the scenario while using proper tactics. However, "house clearing" scenarios usually foster poor defensive shooting techniques.

Tactical - A scenario design that requires the shooter to do anything that is not tactically correct should be avoided. There are enough shooters who engage targets out of tactical order without being compelled to do so.

Safety traps - I once shot a scenario that required that we take cover behind a desk and shoot head shots over the top of the desk. The problem was that due to the setup of the targets, some of the rounds escaped the backstop. Shooters in another location were running for cover. Another thing to consider in COF design is muzzle direction during movement or reloads. Mentally think through your scenario to be sure that you haven't created a trap.

Topography - You may not know until you physically set up your COF on the range whether your design is sound. You may need to adjust the order of engagement, position or height of targets to make things work right. Scenarios that work on an outdoor range will seldom work on an indoor range without some slight modification.

Revolver neutral - We all know that revolvers are in their own division and are not competing against CDP, ESP or SSP shooters. Scenarios with more than six scored shots will require revolver shooters to reload (a fact of life). Now that I'm actually competing with a revolver, this term has new meaning to me. Scenarios do not have to be "revolver neutral" but they should be "revolver fair." Your design must not include a "Gotcha" that will penalize the revolver shooter. For example: if his gun runs dry in the middle of the scenario while in the open, you cannot penalize him for moving to cover for a reload and then re-engaging targets that were supposed to be engaged while on the move to cover. Therefore, you need to consider within your design when the shooter will need to reload.

Down with Two Day Competitions
by
Gary W. Burris

Why do clubs sponsoring state level IDPA competitions think a match lasting two days is any better than a one day match? Even matches held at an indoor range where the stages need to be changed often can be done in one day. All that is required is a little preplanning and good scenario selection. Maybe it's an ego thing or something. There are sure to be some matches that warrant an extra day. But, I would wager that every match lasting two days that I've competed in could have been done easily in one day.

Is it that folks think because it is a "state" level competition that there must be a lot of stages and a high round count? There doesn't have to be, and rarely needs to be, more than twelve stages in any competition.

Possibility clubs think they cannot handle all the shooters in just one day. To this I say "Nuts!" A match that is well managed should be able to accommodate a large number of shooters. For one thing, how about starting earlier than 9 AM and/or running a little later than 3 PM? Or, how about having two, one day competitions if there is a really large number of shooters?

So, why am I on my soapbox? Here's the deal, I would like to participate in more championship matches but those lasting two days are cramping my style. I have to take two vacation days instead of one (usually Friday and Monday) to allow for travel to and from the matches. Plus, I incur extra hotel and living expenses.

Do those who sponsor state level competitions think that only local shooters will participate? There might be a lot more out-of-state competitors if the needs of those shooters were considered.

by
Gary W. Burris

Check your ammunition to insure that you don't have a bullet that might fail because there is a primer with obvious defects. Pistol shooters can remove the barrel from the gun and drop each round into the barrel to insure they will feed properly. Revolver shooters can load the rounds into the cylinder for the same reason. You may want to buy factory ammunition for use in major competitions instead of using reloads.

Look at your holster and magazine carriers. Are they adjusted properly? I know a shooter who got a DQ because the screws had fallen out of his adjustable holster and his loaded weapon fell to the ground. Do you need to use a product like "Leather Lightning" to slick up the inside of your leather so your gun or magazine can be easily removed? Make sure there are no defects that might cause a problem during competition. Is your belt in good condition? It's a good idea to do a dress rehearsal with the clothes and equipment you plan to use in competition.

You should check your safety gear. Ear protection should be cleaned and fresh batteries should be installed if you have the type that uses batteries. Shooting glasses need to be cleaned too.

Finally, clean and functionally check your gun and magazines. All the forgoing is common sense. And it will put your mind at ease knowing that at least from an equipment standpoint, you are ready to go.

by
Gary W. Burris

Safety is the first thing I want to mention. Remove all live ammunition from your gun and magazines and put them safely away in another room. Double check your gun to be sure it is empty. Select a place in your home where you are sure of your backstop. It would be embarrassing to throw a round past grandma's head while she is watching TV in another room. You might want to pull the blinds or close the drapes over windows so your neighbors won't be tempted to call 911. My advice is that you not to use a mirror to watch yourself when practicing at home. I believe looking into a mirror distracts you from concentrating on what you are doing. It is difficult to pick up the front sight if you are watching the guy in the mirror. Plus, you won't see yourself in a mirror at the range. I have a number of dummy bullets (no primers or powder) that I use for practicing at home. The added weight better simulates a loaded weapon.

I like to practice concealed. To practice drawing your gun, the first thing to concentrate on is getting a good grip. You don't have to draw the gun. Start standing naturally with hands at your sides. Move quickly to your gun with the strong hand while the weak side hand moves to a central location at your chest. Grasp your gun. Stop and see if it feels right. If not, position your hand correctly on the gun. You may have to reposition your holster. Do this until you get the correct grip every time.

Now pick a spot on the wall and draw your gun as if you were going to put a round in that spot. Be sure to get a good sight picture. After you have done this a number of times, try doing the same thing with your eyes closed. Then open your eyes to see where the gun is pointing. This is a way to find your natural point. Use this to your advantage and position your body so that when you draw for your first shot in a match, you will come to your natural point. Next pick light switches, convenience outlets or whatever that are different angles and elevations as your target. Practice sighting these targets in random order.

Now check that your gun is empty again and pull the trigger at your various sighting points. And when you are comfortable that you can draw and shoot at any point, try multiple points in one draw.

I like to practice slidelock reloads over my bed or the couch. It saves the magazine from hitting the floor and I can retrieve the magazine without bending over a lot. Work on timing to see if you can retrieve the replacement magazine and have it positioned to replace the empty magazine as soon as it clears the gun.

Timing for tactical reloads is almost the same as with the slidelock reload. The only difference is that you catch and retain the ejected magazine. Pick a place to stow that magazine and practice putting it away over and over until it becomes automatic. For me it seems a bit quicker to stow the magazine in the waistband of my pants. You may opt for a pocket or return it to your magazine pouch. If you ever need to recharge your gun with the stowed magazine, it will be quicker to retrieve it from your waistband because it is handy and you can grasp it correctly for reloading.

Practice shooting from cover using a doorway or your easy chair. I like to put everything (draw, reload and shoot from cover) together and randomly practice for 15-20 minutes.

by
Gary W. Burris

Do you ever wonder why you didn't score well in a shooting competition? We all know the basics and a lot of us have had advanced training. Mostly we fail to put those things we know and learn into practice. Here are some advanced shooting techniques and mental attitudes that might help you in your next match.

Have you ever scored down three or missed the target entirely with a shot. Or, have you ever got a "lucky head shot?" Stop and ask yourself, "how could that happen, I was right on the target?" Your problem was that your mind saw the sights on target and then shifted to the next target, along with your muzzle, while you pulled the trigger. The solution to this problem is to finish the shot before you shift your attention.

Have faith in your sight picture and don't allow the target to distract your attention. By this I mean that you shouldn't score your targets while you shoot. If your sights were on target when you pulled the trigger then you should have a good hit on the target. Then shift your attention to the next shot and when the sights move into alignment pull the trigger again.

Remove "double tap" from your vocabulary and from your bag of shooting skills. You should instead place two shots on the target. The average shooter will usually get the first shot where he aimed but the second shot of a "double tap" is pure chance. The skilled shooter will place two shots on target because he had a good sight picture for both shots.

The next time your see a really good shooter engage multiple targets, notice the split times between his shots. If there are three targets requiring two shots each, do you hear tap-tap....Tap-tap....Tap-tap, or do you hear tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap? Which method do you think is faster? Work on improving your split times by using the recoil of the gun to your advantage. Get your sight picture, pull the trigger and while the gun is in recoil, move the gun to the next target so when you have recovered from the recoil you are on target for your next shot.

Trigger reset is just as important and probably more important than pulling the trigger. You pull the trigger, there is a flash of light, the gun goes BANG, you feel the gun recoil in your hand, and you notice that there is a nice hole in the target just where you were aiming. Wow! That was a great shot. Then you remember that there are more bad guys are out there that require attention. When the shooter realizes this, he first has to reset the trigger. This mental exercise lasts a fraction of a second. But note that if only 100 shots are fired this could add up to as much as 5 or 10 seconds over the course of a competition. Another down side is that a shooter will jerk the trigger in an effort to make up this fraction of a second resulting in more points down on the target. Good shooters will release the trigger just as quickly as they pulled the trigger. This is known as "rolling the trigger." Once you master this technique your shooting will be smother, faster and more accurate.

You got a procedural, shot a non-threat or got a failure to neutralize. How you handle these things during competition is very important. Go ahead and give yourself a swift kick in the pants when you screw up a scenario. Now that you have received your punishment for whatever happened, you can go on with the match. I have seen so many shooters get so focused on what went wrong that they screw up the remainder of the match. They dwell on past mistakes or try to go fast to make up for lost time. All this accomplishes is more points down and the shooter falling further behind his competition. Your an adult, can you not shake this off and get back into your game plan? I'll give you a personal example. I shot the Alabama state match and on the second stage I had a terrible showing with something like 29 points down. I told my friend that this stage finished me for the match. He advised me to shake it off and on the remaining stages to just concentrate on making the hits. I gave it a try and at the end of the match I was 60 seconds ahead of my nearest competition. Thanks pal, for helping me screw my head on straight.

The isosceles stance is superior to the Weaver stance for competition handgun shooting. It gives you better upper body mobility for easier target acquisition. These skills are particularly important on standards and skills stages. The Weaver is probably a better choice for real defensive shooting. The stance you use in competition should be the one that is most comfortable for you.

New Rules for IDPA Shooters from 05/02/01 Rule Book
by
Vincent Zontini

There are a number of changes in the IDPA rule book published 05/02/01. Although the new rule book includes lots of updated information for safety officers and match directors, in this article I will concentrate on the rule changes that are directed toward the IDPA shooter. Although surely not a definitive list, here are the highlights:

• The Match Director "override" of the rules has been removed (p. 1), i.e. "These rules and any ruling not covered in these rules shall be decided by the match director and his/her decision shall be final,." is no longer included in the opening paragraph of the rule book I've included this item to make the shooter aware that it appears that now the match director has less latitude in modifying the IDPA rules to suite his/her personal tastes. This will hopefully provide the shooter with a more consistent shooting experience club to club.
• The definition of "loaded" has been clarified (p. 4): "A shooter is deemed "loaded" and may move from a position of cover ONLY when the magazine is fully seated and the slide is closed or revolver cylinder is closed."
• A detailed list of reasons for a Disqualification has been added (p. 4) including "Pointing a loaded firearm at their self with the safety off and their finger in the trigger guard."
• Details about the number of awards that should be presented to shooters at sanctioned events has been added (p. 9): "Division Champion, 1st - ? In each classification (# of awards presented should be based on 1 award per 3 entrants, i.e. 9 shooters in a division/class - 3 awards, 12 shooters - 4 awards, etc.) "
• Stock Service Pistol division details were updated (p. 10). Now "Guide rods made of a material different than the factory part it replaces" is specifically EXCLUDED from SSP.
• - Enhanced Service Pistol and Customer Defensive Pistol division details were updated (p. 10-12). 10mm Normal and .400 Corbon were moved to ESP making the CDP division .45 ACP ONLY.
• Stock Service Revolver division details were updated (p. 13). After 10/26/02 the maximum barrel length permitted will be reduced to 4". To facilitate this rule change the shortening of factory barrels has been added to the list of PERMITTED modifications.
• A detailed load chronographing procedure was added (p. 16): "Official chronographing procedure is as follows: Chronograph three (3) rounds at a distance of 10 feet using a weapon of maximum barrel length for the division. If two (2) of the three (3) rounds exceed the power floor, the competitor is in compliance. Prior to each shot, the muzzle of the weapon should be elevated to move the powder charge to the rear of the case, thus giving the competitor every chance to achieve maximum velocity. Should the competitor's ammunition fail to meet the power floor, the competitor will have the option to chronograph three (3) additional rounds through his/her weapon. If there is any question as to the bullet weight, a bullet should be pulled and weighed using a powder scale. Any competitor whose ammunition fails to meet the minimum power floor will be disqualified from the entire match and receive a DNF score."
• The "Tactical Reload" rule (#17) was updated (p. 32-33) to specify that the magazine could NOT be stowed in a shirt pocket. This is being interpreted to include any chest/upper pocket on both shirts and vests.
• The Cover rule (#19) was updated (p. 33). The new text specifies:
  • More than 50% of the shooter's upper torso must be behind cover while engaging threat targets and/or reloading.
  • While shooting from vertical cover the shooter must also keep 100% of their legs and feet behind cover.
  • While shooting from low cover the shooter must also have one knee on the ground.
  • Shooters may not move from a position of cover with an empty weapon. Remember "loaded" means the magazine is fully seated and the slide is closed or the revolver cylinder is closed.

• The "WHAT TYPE OF SPEEDLOADERS & CARRIERS ARE PERMITTED?" answer was updated (p. 35): "All currently available speedloaders are approved. However, only secure holders suitable for continuous daily carry may be used. Basically go to pages 1 & 2 of the rule book and carefully read "Purpose" & "Principles". Speedloader holders such as the Safariland CD model obviously don't comply. Ask yourself, could I carry that speedloader in that pouch all day concealed without worrying about losing it? If the honest answer is yes, you may use it."
• The "WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A "TACTICAL RELOAD" AND A "MAGAZINE CHANGE WITH RETENTION"?" answer was updated (p. 37-38) to include: "Reload with retention has nothing to do with shooting from retention and the shooter's elbow may be wherever they wish."
• The "IF THE GLOCK MODELS 34/35 ARE PERMITTED IN SSP DIVISION WITH FACTORY INSTALLED EXTENDED SLIDE RELEASE, CAN I PUT ONE ON MY GLOCK THAT DIDN'T COME FROM THE FACTORY WITH ONE?" answer was changed (p. 38): "YES, because these are now available as a Glock factory option. Extended magazine releases are not permitted."