5 Reasons to start with IPSC/USPSA practical shooting competition

I shot another match this last Saturday and all I can say is do it. It just reminded me how important it is so as to stay sharp, fast and accurate. Just go and sign up to your nearest IPSC/USPSA and start shooting. 99% of the time it’s a friendly community willing to help a new shooter. Sure you can nitpick about it not being tactical enough or what not but it sure beats NOT shooting. And the speed and accuracy you need to do well there is very real.

1) Spend your time and money wisely, invested in actual training that develops speed and accuracy. Dont waste a box on ammo just "plinking" or some random paper punching. Ammo isnt exactly cheap. Last Saturday I shot a bit over 50 rounds maybe 60 or so. The practice and fun I got out of that doesnt compare to shooting outside competition. If you don’t have money to burn then use the little ammo you can spare in training or competition. Nothing wrong with an afternoon of fun plinking with a 22 with the kids, but just know to tell what’s fun shooting and what actually develops your skills.

2) You don’t need any fancy gear. Your Glock 17 or Glock 19 will do well enough to get started. You dont need a fancy “race” gun an Production is the most fun and most popular division anyway.  For starts and intermediate level your stock Glock is more than enough. Sure, the top guys maybe run CZ or Tanfoglios but a Glock is more than enough until you reach some serious competition level.

3)No one expects you to be John Wick. Take your time, shoot slow and have fun. Safety above all.  Its stupid to hurry if you’re going to have misses and hit "no shoots", slow down, aim. Slowly improve your speed when you start getting small enough groups that allow you to step it up a notch. Competitive shooting will drastically improve your speed and accuracy.

4)Competition adds a level of stress to your shooting you typically do not have when training. This means you learn to shoot under pressure. Train as you expect to fight. Keep everything as similar as possible. Gun, carry position, clothes. If you do this to practice for real self defense scenarios then maybe you wont be as competitive as you would if you made certain changes. You have to make up your mind if you care more about winning (and using a gun you don’t actually carry) or you care about realistic training.

5)Great opportunity to meet like-minded people.  It’s not a waste of time, even if you shoot less than 2 minutes the entire morning. You will be hard pressed finding a place with better chances of meeting people with common interests. It’s been true for me in four different countries where I've shot so far.

Go, sign up and start shooting!

FerFAL
Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre is the author of “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse” and “Bugging Out and Relocating: When Staying is not an Option”