How do you approach the ‘game’?
By: Craig Conley

I have been shooting firearms competitively for some time now and have found that
I.D.P.A has become my favorite venue for this sport. As I have competed around the
western states, I have observed that there are two distinctly different approaches to the
‘game’.

Now before you get your feathers in a tussle, let me say that I recognize that all of the
organized competitive shooting sports are just that, games. You are not in the real
world, not shooting real human targets and no one is shooting back at you. So just how
does a sport like I.D.P.A help a concealed weapon carrier to survive in a ‘real world’
situation?

I believe that a shooter can make the conscious decision to approach the game as pure
competition or as a semi-realistic venue to hone your tactical skills and training in
preparation for a ‘real world’ event.One accomplishes the latter by having a warrior mindset. A warrior will find every opportunity to train, hone and perfect his or her skills so that they will prevail in all foreseeable confrontations. How does that translate to ‘the game’? It means approaching I.D.P.A. as a training tool. As the founders of I.D.P.A would put it…“Prior to the formation of IDPA, there was no place to compete and hone one’s skill with equipment designed for and suitable for self-defense. Other shooting sports are just that, sports that have no relevance to self-defense. IDPA offers an exciting forum for practical shooters in which truly practical equipment,It all comes down to your approach. If you go to a match with a competitive mindset,then the day is just a fun time of playing the ‘game’. However, if you go techniques and courses of fire are mandated.” (source:www.idpa.com)  to the match with a warrior mindset, then you would have an opportunity to test your training in a ‘simulated’ real world scenario. You would listen to or read the basic briefing in regard to safety and how many shots on each target, so that you stay within the rule set of theday.

You would not, however, walk the stages before hand or visualize how you would problem solve the scenario until the buzzer sounds. You might even keep yourself from watching how other shooters approached the stage and solved the problem. Your goalwould be to use the pressure of time and the unknown scenario to simulate the natural stress that you will experience in a real world conflict. At the buzzer, work through the
stage as if you heard glass breaking in the middle of the night at your home. Be smart, be
safe, use good tactics, and solve the problem. By taking this approach, you can reinforce
your training and engrain your reflexive response and situational awareness. There are
not many times or places that the average shooter can practice shooting scenarios from
holster and under concealment.

As Dan Bettreal said in his series on CarryConcealed.net, “The Human Factor”…
“To prepare yourself for making this ultimate decision without
hesitation you should strive to build up your availability of memory
slides. Since most of us don't have to make these types of decision on
a regular basis, the only other way to build these slides is through
training.”

Another observation from Agent Ronald J. Adams in the classic piece called “Street
Survival – Tactics for Armed Encounters”, which has been a required training resource
for law enforcement academies all around the nation since the early 80’s,“For certain, when you are under sudden stress and fear, your pupils dialating, your heart thumping, your lungs heaving, your adrenalin surging, your stomach and bowels in turmoil, your ability to distinguish time, colors and distance diminished, you revert, without thinking to the habits you have learned in training.

Unless you have trained realistically, this alone may cost you your life.”
Don’t get me wrong. I am not saying there is anything wrong with treating the day as a
game, and enjoying it. That is the right of every shooter. But if you choose to use the
‘game’ as a training tool, then you have that right as well. Invest the time it takes to learn
your skills with training, dry practice and live fire practice. Set measurable goals for
your progress and track your results. Use opportunities, like I.D.P.A, to test your skills
and use that feedback to build confidence and confirm your progress toward your goals.

Forget the timer. Shoot each stage with good tactical movement and make your shots
count. I believe that you can treat a sport like I.D.P.A as a training opportunity for concealed
carry if you ‘approach’ it that way.
 

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