So I'm trying to improve at IDPA.

I'm trying the radical tactic of "Practice".

I've set a target out at 7 yards. Shooting 2 in the chest, one in the head.

I need to know what the times you guys average for this.

From the Surrender position, drawing, I was averaging 3.5 seconds with good accuracy.

From a Low ready position, I was averaging 2.5 seconds.

What should I be targeting?

Experts say human reaction time takes .25-.5 to react to the stimulus of the threat, beep, whatever. So we'll call it .5. It takes a least another .5-.75 to draw and break the first shot. .25 split between shots. .5 transistion to the head. So a good round number would be 1.75-2.25, as a goal, and it is an doable one. Usually shooters loose more time from not working the trigger on the way out than they do anything else.

Take a PACT timer with a random delay, with the par beep set on 1.5. Do your draws dry. Maintain a good fluid movement, keeping the gun high as you push it out, as if it is on rails. The snap should come at full or slightly before full extension. Once you feel good. Load a mag with alternating ball and dummy rounds. Practice the first two shots one live, the second dry. Once you feel good about that, go to every third round being a dummy. Practice the first two to the chest live, and the transistion being a dummy. Make sure you are moving your eyes before the gun starts to move on the transistion. Then run the whole drill live at half speed, a few times. Practice good form. Only do less than half at speed. Once you get the form down, the speed will come.

Oh, and it goes without saying, PREP THE TRIGGER!

This is not from concealment and it might be a little farther back than 7 yards.

This is me with the "big gun". A 1911 in .45 ACP. I could consistently do the big gun "mozambiques" at a 1.8.

With the Beretta 9mm I have shot 1.5 somethings and can consistently nail 1.6's .

http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=posercam&sitesear...m%2Bdouble%20trouble

I would say a concealment garment could tack on .25 to .5 seconds.

Here is Ben Stoeger doing a concealment draw:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6759355253641866407&hl=en

Poking around the rest of Ben's website might not be a bad idea for you either:

http://benstoeger.com/



Oh yeah, one other thing... at your/our/mine level of the game, matches aren't won or lost because of our double or triple tap times. They are lost because of "mikes" aka misses and hitting no shots and whatever takes up time during a stage that is NOT shooting (i.e. reloads with retention, moving from point A to point B and on to point C).

quote:

Originally posted by Chills1994:
With the Beretta 9mm I have shot 1.5 somethings and can consistently nail 1.6's.

You're shooting the Mozambique drill in 1.5 seconds? How are you not an IDPA Master? Those times are smoking! For me, faster than 1.8 seconds and the sights are gone and the head shot becomes a hope and prayer.

The drill Jones discusses, draw to the first shot with a goal of 1.5 is one of the drills the better IDPA shooters I know around here are practicing often. Also, I don't think IDPA uses the surrender position so you can put your arms down and save a tiny bit of time unless you plan to shoot USPSA too in which case carry on

From hands at the sides. two seconds is a good time. 1.75 is very good, and 1.5 is excellent.

It is a good drill to teach you a draw and a quick transition.

I agree with the poster above who noted that real key to success in IDPA (or USPSA) is not a 1 second draw as opposed to a 1.25 draw, or a .17 split time between shots, but rather more efficient motion from place to place and more accurate shooting. If you are doing everything else close to perfect, work to reduce that draw by .15 second. Otherwise, there are other things you can more profitabley spend your practice time on. One "technical/mechanical" skill that can be meaningfully improved and which can save you s significant amount of time is reloads. Many beginners have very slow reloads.

On drills, I average 1.7-2.2 seconds from concealment, engaging an IDPA target at 10-yards - engaging two rounds to the body (zero down). The key is practice drawing from concealment at home, in front of a mirror, with your eyes closed (obvious disclaimer, with a cleared weapon of course). Make it muscle memory then, once mastered, start prepping the trigger while drawing and you'll shave off .5 seconds at least.

When engaging two to the body and one to the head, I average 2.5 seconds all day long with center hits. When I try to force the shot, like HuskySig said, your head shots become a lottery. At this point, I'm only an Expert in SSP but only lacking a few seconds from Master. Hopefully I'll get a good and clean classifier in the upcoming months.

Another thing, try practicing the classifier and become accustomed to shooting from distances > 20-yards from cover. The third stage of the classifier is where most lose the majority of points. The first two stages are cake, it's the third stage that is often times the deal breaker. In addition, work on shooting with your strong hand and weak hand only.

I usually practice my draw from concealment at least 50 times a night before an upcoming major match. Muscle memory is key and everything else comes naturally. The key point to remember is to only shoot as fast as you can accurately. "Fast is smooth and smooth is fast."

quote:

Originally posted by gtmtnbiker98:
I usually practice my draw from concealment at least 50 times a night before an upcoming major match.

If you really want the bump up, you should have a good dry-fire routine going on every day, at a minimum every other day. The more you are familiar with the gun and practice with it the better.

For the OP, on a good day 1.8 seems to be my average. 2.50 is a good goal to work towards from a draw. 2.25 is pretty good compared to most. The real trick is to master using the sights as a gauge for when to shoot instead of worrying about your speed. If the sights are lined up, cleanly pull the trigger. Worry about doing that all the time and the speed will come. Not dropping points is the key to doing well in IDPA.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: MadcapMagician,

HuskySig wrote:

quote:

You're shooting the Mozambique drill in 1.5 seconds? How are you not an IDPA Master? Those times are smoking! For me, faster than 1.8 seconds and the sights are gone and the head shot becomes a hope and prayer.

That part about being an IDPA master made me laugh.

Out.

Loud.

Really, it did.

On steel, it is NOT an exact apples to apples comparison.

I think the rectangular plate in that video is 18 inches by 24 inches and the circular head plate is either 10 or 12 inches in diameter.

Just measuring a cardboard target real quick... the head box is 6.5" X 7" inches.

The torsoe dimensions are about the same.

Besides that, my draws from concealment and my reloads with retention probably suck!

Just last week I was working with an IDPA Competitor on drawing from the surrender position. He started me at 15 yds. and with a timer told me I had to get as close to a second on the first shot as possible. When we started my times were around 2.5 to 2.9 seconds, till we were done a hour later he had me down to 1.3 to 1.7 for the first shot and that was with my 228 with a Red Dot. Today I was out with my 220 stock class gun, just practicing with open sights and I know I was going faster from the surrender position to the first shot.

It was all from the technique he showed me on drawing, coming down with both hands,grasping the gun from the holster, gripping the gun with both hands,coming up and getting a sight picture as you are pushing the gun into the firing position for that first shot.

Try what I wrote about drawing and good luck.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: tenringx,

quote:

Originally posted by Rolan_Kraps:
So I'm trying to improve at IDPA.

I'm trying the radical tactic of "Practice".

I've set a target out at 7 yards. Shooting 2 in the chest, one in the head.

I need to know what the times you guys average for this.

From the Surrender position, drawing, I was averaging 3.5 seconds with good accuracy.

From a Low ready position, I was averaging 2.5 seconds.

What should I be targeting?

Roland, I think I might have misunderstood your post. Are you drawing and firing three times in 3.5 seconds. If so thats not to shaby, considering your gun now is already pulled and you can make time from that point on other targets.

In Bianchi cup competition on the tombstone targets at 7 yds. you get 3 seconds to draw & fire one shot at the 10 ring. I think its 4 seconds for two shots and 5 seconds for three shots.

So if you are doing three shots in 3.5 seconds from a draw thats fairly good. I wish I knew how to post a video on here of Jerry Miculick shooting at a steel plate competition at one of our local clubs. One stage had 28 steel plates in which he knocked down in 14 seconds with a revolver and 3 reloads. Good Luck and keep practicing.

quote:

Originally posted by Chills1994:
This is not from concealment and it might be a little farther back than 7 yards.

This is me with the "big gun". A 1911 in .45 ACP. I could consistently do the big gun "mozambiques" at a 1.8.

With the Beretta 9mm I have shot 1.5 somethings and can consistently nail 1.6's .

http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=posercam&sitesear...m%2Bdouble%20trouble

I would say a concealment garment could tack on .25 to .5 seconds.

Here is Ben Stoeger doing a concealment draw:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6759355253641866407&hl=en

Poking around the rest of Ben's website might not be a bad idea for you either:

http://benstoeger.com/



Oh yeah, one other thing... at your/our/mine level of the game, matches aren't won or lost because of our double or triple tap times. They are lost because of "mikes" aka misses and hitting no shots and whatever takes up time during a stage that is NOT shooting (i.e. reloads with retention, moving from point A to point B and on to point C).

Looks like Ben has it together.