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Thread: Why we do it.

  1. #21
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    Aw, shucks. C'mon Rhino- I suck.

    People often say that competition adds stress to your shooting by having to perform in front of an audience, however small. While it's no comparison to having an audience that shoots back, it's something.
    In a similar vein- Knowing you're the only guy there who is shooting from concealment, ducking behind fake walls, and shooting from Weaver can add a little pressure too. You kinda want to do something besides just look goofy.

  2. #22
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    My feeling now is- Matches are what you make of them.
    How true.


    For alot of people competitions add a ton of stress, some none at all. I'm sure some of you have seen the person who is real accurate, put him/her under stress and oh my-- The there's plenty who do really well under stress, regardless of how they shoot otherwise.
    GET IN YOUR BUBBLE!

  3. #23
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    Guess I'll weigh-in on all this.

    I've been at various local USPSA, IDPA, and 2-gun/3-gun matches since 1993, both as contestant and RO/SO. I've always found personal energy in taking on a "worthy problem", both in my work and my other non-shooting pursuits, so the compete-against-yourself aspect of shooting competition has a lot of appeal to me.

    Also as a believer/practitioner in the Second Amendment, I derive the skill and equipment honing benefit that competition brings. "If it can go wrong, it will at a match." That includes both hardware and software (brain). Likewise when everything does come together. It is truly amazing some of things that can be experienced when space-time becomes stretched. (If you've been there, you know what I'm talking about.) Not a substitute for training -- or as well I might add for personal study and thought -- but is a valuable part of the mental mix needed for responsible self defense.

    On top of all this, it has been a tremendous social forum for many more like-minded folks than I would have ever met sitting at home all weekend.

    As far as the burn out, I took a major time-off during 1998-99 following a personal/family crisis that compelled me to disengage from a lot of my more socially oriented pursuits, including matches. I'll spare you the details, suffice to say that I had reached one of those points in life that just needed some chilling out for awhile.

    Likewise, after an intense 2004-2006 running local monthly 2-gun/3-gun matches, I have all but dropped out during 2007 since (1) continuation of my 2/3-gun venue became no longer viable operationally, (2) I have even less free time now than ever, and (3) I am not really sure what direction I now want to take shooting-wise. Other than managing to attend a couple of other 3-gun matches over the summer, most of this year has been spent just plinking from various weapon platforms to get a feel for what may grab me. Maybe I'll rediscover happiness in the coming year.

  4. #24
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    Neat thread -

    Boy, some of you guys are so spot on with your observations. I think everyone has their own reasons for shooting matches, but there are usually a lot of common themes with folks who shoot games.

    I think for me though it boils down alot to setting and achieving goals. I'm basically a performance junkie and I love to compete. I've been competing in some arena since I was a teenager.

    Practical shooting whether USPSA, IDPA, or 3 gun type events build exceptional gun handling/shooting skills [period]. It's platform to help you develop a much higher level of performance with a pistol [or whatever] than just about any other activity.

    Over the years, though, I've always been intriqued by some of strong anit-competition shooting mindset that some folks throw out there. Man, I can understand if a guy or gal just doesn't want to do it - not their thing or whatever. But to more or less go on the offensive toward others who choose this endeavor makes me wonder what's really going on with them. We've all seen those types.

    I think, based on my own observations, that the root cause behind some folks taking a passionate stance against this can be summed up in one word - FEAR. It's the fear of failure and/or the fear of damaging the ego. This isn't that different than some people who fear public speaking more than death.

    Competition is one of the "great levelers" of ego. Pure and simple.

    I do it because it fits my personality to reach the highest levels of performance possible. I do it to win. Lots of times I lose, but I never quit. I do it to achieve my personal shooting goals. I do it to see the documentable evidence over time that I am in fact getting better on a given sent of benchmark drills. I do it to be around like minded people who share the same interests as I do. I do it to help others and share the things that I learn. And I do it because I'm not afraid to expose my ego in the arena while others are watching.

    That's just me though...

  5. #25
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bryan W View Post
    Over the years, though, I've always been intriqued by some of strong anit-competition shooting mindset that some folks throw out there. Man, I can understand if a guy or gal just doesn't want to do it - not their thing or whatever. But to more or less go on the offensive toward others who choose this endeavor makes me wonder what's really going on with them. We've all seen those types.

    I think, based on my own observations, that the root cause behind some folks taking a passionate stance against this can be summed up in one word - FEAR. It's the fear of failure and/or the fear of damaging the ego. This isn't that different than some people who fear public speaking more than death.

    Competition is one of the "great levelers" of ego. Pure and simple.
    There is much truth stated above!

  6. #26
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    I think Bryan is "spot on." I haven't shot many matches partly due to health issues, other than photographs. I've shot a few IDPA, Glock, and finally in the past several months a couple of USPSA matches and a steel match. Watching USPSA matches and shooting pictures at the matches along with gotm4's prodding started me in USPSA. I enjoy it much more than IDPA. I'm not really very competitive, but I am not anti-competition. I think it is a great way to get rounds downrange safely under slightly stressful conditions.

    Negative people will often try to drag down someone of whom they are jealous, so they try to minimize the other person's abilities. They are the ones losing out on a good experience and a lot of fun doing it.
    John 8:32 (KJV) And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

    "Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt." - Abraham Lincoln

    There are none so blind as those who refuse to see.

    When I was crossing the border into Canada, they asked if I had any firearms with me. I said, "Well, what do you need?" -- Stephen Wright

  7. #27
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    Quote Originally Posted by 9x19 View Post
    I think Bryan is "spot on." I haven't shot many matches partly due to health issues, other than photographs. I've shot a few IDPA, Glock, and finally in the past several months a couple of USPSA matches and a steel match. Watching USPSA matches and shooting pictures at the matches along with gotm4's prodding started me in USPSA. I enjoy it much more than IDPA. I'm not really very competitive, but I am not anti-competition. I think it is a great way to get rounds downrange safely under slightly stressful conditions.

    Negative people will often try to drag down someone of whom they are jealous, so they try to minimize the other person's abilities. They are the ones losing out on a good experience and a lot of fun doing it.
    9x19 -

    Good luck with your shooting. USPSA is a lot of fun for sure and you're more open to push the envelope.

    I very much remember my first USPSA major match, which was the 94 Limited Nationals in Reno, NV. I had just started shooting and was lucky enough to get an extra slot that our section had, so I got to go with some friends to shoot. It was a real eye opener for me personally. My first classification was C class and that was my first experience seeing the very best pistol shooters on the planet, in person, shooting. I was pretty much in awe of how fast they were driving the gun. I'm pretty sure that was a big driver in pushing my own goals higher over the years.

    Train hard; set some good short term / long term goals for your shooting; practice effectively; watch videos of yourself if you can; learn as much as you can from others about the sport, the mechanics of high performance shooting, and mental preperation for sports. You'll be on your way for sure.....

    Dang, that's a pretty long "to do" list.... sorry bout that...lol Hey, just have fun and shoot A's, real fast...

  8. #28
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bryan W View Post
    I very much remember my first USPSA major match, which was the 94 Limited Nationals in Reno, NV.
    I have that match on VHS, complete with Doug Boykin drawing his gun prematurely on a stage where the shooter started facing uprange. I suspect he was not DQ'd because he was in the super squad.

    But as always, I could be wrong.

  9. #29
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    I treat shooting IPSC and IDPA like an electrical panel...
    before I step in the game mode I turn off all the tactical breakers and keep the heavy ones on like fundamentals, movement, sighted and unsighted fire, etc... and use the game as a building tool just for those circuits that are still on... then when I leave I turn all back on.

    I think its a great proficiency tool for the fundamentals, we just need to know in our mind where the line is.
    TRAVIS HALEY
    Founder | CEO
    Haley Strategic Partners, LLC.
    http://haleystrategic.com/

  10. #30
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    When I have the time, I enjoy shooting competitions as a fun outlet to spend time with other people that enjoy the same passion for shooting that I have. Win or loose does not matter that much to me. If I have a good time and get some trigger time, I am happy. Don’t get me wrong I like to win and work hard to win.

    I never have understood why some tactical instructors look down on “shooting games”. Any sport that develops hand and eye coordination, builds muscle memory, increases your speed and accuracy has to help when you find yourself in a real gunfight. I’m all about tactical training but competitions are just another “gun drill” to help the tools in your toolbox work.


    There are only three types: Trained, Un-trained or JAFO.
    Which one are you?


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