Another week, another match. I actually shot two other matches this month before this one, but this IDPA match is the one I got on video (3/4 stages).

Analysis after the break.

My focus this match was on speed. One of the things I really disliked about my previous performances was that I was running way, way behind everyone else in terms of my raw times. This time around, I was determined to really hustle and make those transitions fast. While I don’t think I was as fast as I need to be in USPSA, I’m getting there in IDPA terms – I was only about 10% behind the match winner. I just need to drop fewer points. (I came in 9th place overall, and 4th in my division.)

Gear was the usual Glock 34 loadout. I switched back to 147gr 9mm after noticing a significant improvement in my recoil management at a recent USPSA match. Maybe that’s using hardware to solve a software issue, but whatever works… I’m hardly the only guy shooting heavy bullets.

Stage by stage analysis:

Stage 1: First shot was slower than I’d like, but in my defense, hitting that clay was a must shoot. The transitions were pretty nice up front. Movement to the third position was a little slower than I think I want, but I got shooting fast. I need to practice getting my gun up on target when I’ve got a see-through barrier. Reload was slow, but it was also from concealment. Movement and shooting in the last kneeling position was OK, but again, could have been quicker. I took a procedural on this stage because I was supposed to start with six rounds – oops!

Stage 2: Everything was going OK until that first swinger. To be honest, I should have just claimed I couldn’t see it and shot the target in front of me. I lost a bunch of time on that. I did alright on the rest of the stage and really picked up the pace – you can’t see it on camera, but there was a pop-up target at the end that I burned down fast.

Stage 3: Not USPSA-fast, but I tried to turn on the throttle a bit here. Dropped some points, but I felt good about the make-up shot at the end – I knew I had pulled one, and went for it.

Stage 4 (not videoed): This was a “two to the body one to head” on four targets in a flower arrangement. Raw time was excellent, but too many points dropped.

I think that I sometimes forget that accuracy is a much bigger driver in IDPA scoring than speed, and that taking the extra couple tenths to settle on target is probably worth it (vs USPSA, where it’s like… get the C hit fast).

I am also starting to notice that I am developing real skills. My recoil control is starting to mature, my draw is getting faster, and my transitions are much improved. It’s very motivational for that daily dry-fire practice!