New Shooter Introduction

The Shooters' Meeting:

ALL SHOOTERS MUST ATTEND THE SHOOTERS' MEETING held at the beginning of a match. Each shooter will be briefed on general and special safety rules or concerns. The shooting stages will be described and special instructions for the stages will be given. Additionally, new shooters will be identified and assigned an experienced shooter to help them through their first match. A New Shooter Introduction will be given before the match that will cover the following topics. Part of the Shooters' Meeting will include a Weapon and Holster check (see below).

What is IDPA all about?

IDPA is a Safe and Fun shooting sport where practical defensive equipment is used in simulated self defense scenarios.

What do you want from IDPA, and what relevant experience have you had?

During the Shooters' Meeting, tell the Safety Officer what you hope to gain by shooting IDPA. Also tell the Safety Officer what relevant shooting experience you have had. This will help him/her tailor the introduction to your needs.

Basic Skills:

There are a few basic shooting skills that the new shooter should know or be learning. Shooters should have the following basic knowledge and skills in order to safely shoot in our matches:

Gripping the firearm with the trigger finger OUT of the trigger guard
Controlling the muzzle of the firearm at all times, keeping it down-range
Loading and unloading the weapon safely
Drawing from the holster and re-holstering
Sight picture, how to align the sights
Trigger control, how to squeeze the trigger
Reloading the weapon (tactical reloads and slide-lock reloads)
Moving with a drawn weapon (finger off the trigger, muzzle down-range)
Range commands and procedures

How is an IDPA Match Organized?

An IDPA match consists of several "Courses of Fire", also called "COFs" or "Stages". Each COF is run by a Safety Officer. The Safety Officer is there to see that the stage is run safely and consistently for all shooters. The Safety Officer's commands and judgments are final. Each COF is setup on a separate range to contain the bullet's trajectory and provide a safe backstop for the bullets as they pass through the targets. A single COF may have several starts and stops, these are called "Strings of Fire", or just "Strings". Each string is started with a "beep" from a timer and ends when all the targets have been neutralized. The timer actually "hears" the gun shots and records the time from the beep to the last gun shot. The total time it takes to complete a stage is your score, but the time is adjusted for accuracy. That is, poor accuracy adds time. The lowest total time for all stages is the winner of the match.

Weapon Safety Check:

The Safety Officer will ask to see your weapon. He/she will give you specific instructions on how to hand it over. The Safety Officer will give the weapon a quick safety check to see that the gun functions properly, including any safety mechanisms built into the gun. You may not shoot a match with unsafe equipment.

Holster Safety Check:

The Safety Officer will want to see your weapon as it sits in the holster. He will be checking for safe holster design, and to see whether the trigger is completely covered when the gun is in the holster. You may not shoot a match with unsafe equipment.

Muzzle Control:

The Safety Officer will explain what is meant by muzzle control. The muzzle must point in a safe direction at all times. This includes during the draw, when shooting, when moving, when doing reloads, or when clearing a malfunction. If the muzzle of a shooter's gun sweeps past a person, the shooter will be disqualified on the spot.

Straight Finger:

The Shooter's finger must NOT be inside the trigger guard UNLESS the sights are aligned on a target. When the gun is drawn and the shooter is not immediately firing, the trigger finger must be straight as shown below.
Finger

If the shooter has his/her finger inside the trigger guard and is not immediately shooting a target the Safety Offices will yell "FINGER". If the shooter does not immediately remove his/her finger from inside the trigger guard the shooter will be disqualified.

Negligent Discharge:

Any time a shooter's gun goes off and the muzzle is not pointed directly at a target, it is considered a Negligent Discharge, (ND). The shooter is disqualified from the match for a ND where the bullet lands closer than two yards from the firing line. All NDs are dangerous, and the shooter responsible for a ND will be taken aside for a safety briefing. A second NDs no matter where the bullet hits is grounds for a match disqualification.

Dropping Your Weapon:

If a shooter's gun is dropped on the ground, DON'T TOUCH IT. Only the Safety Officer may pick up a dropped gun. The gun will be made safe and returned to the shooter, and the shooter is disqualified.

Hot and Cold Ranges?

A "HOT" range is one where the shooter's guns may be loaded at all times. This is not unusual since IDPA simulates concealed carry type situations.

A "COLD" range is one where the shooter's guns are not loaded until the shooter is at the firing line of a shooting stage. The shooter must show the Safety Officer that the gun has an empty chamber and empty magazine well at the end of each stage.

Targets:

The standard IDPA target is made of cardboard and is roughly a man sized silhouette. The target has four scoring zones on it, marked with perforations in the cardboard. Not all targets are to be shot. The shooter is penalized 10 points or 5 seconds maximum for each non-threat target shot, even if the bullet first passed through a threat target.

There are two traditional ways of distinguishing threat and non-threat targets. The COF description will show how to distinguish between them.

1)Threat targets are noted by being brown cardboard, while non-threat targets are white or have a big "X" marked on them.
2)Threat targets have a weapon while non-threat targets do not have weapons.

Typically it takes 4 points to neutralize a silhouette target, however the COF description will advise how many points it takes to neutralize a target. The shooter is penalized 10 points or 5 seconds for each threat target that is not neutralized.

Sometimes the targets are not silhouettes, but are steel targets, containers filled with water, or some other target. The COF will explain which things are targets, and how to neutralize them.

Use of Cover:

Because IDPA simulated real world self defense situations, the shooter must make use of available cover and concealment.

Both the shooter and targets may have cover or concealment in a COF. If the target has "Cover", it is considered that bullets will not pass through. Any holes made in the targets by the shooter's bullets after passing thought cover are not scored. If a target has "Concealment", holes made in the targets by the shooter's bullets after passing through concealment will be scored.

The shooter must make use of available cover when shooting targets. That is, more than 50% of the shooters torso must be behind cover. Failure to do so will result in a Cover Penalty. The shooter will receive one verbal warning, the word "COVER" will be yelled at the shooter. If the shooter then gets behind cover no penalty is awarded. If the shooter continues to shoot and not move behind cover, a Cover Penalty is given.

Movement:

Most COFs require movement, and some require shooting on the move. The shooter must pay extra attention to the direction of his/her muzzle, and keep his/her finger OUTSIDE the trigger guard. The Safety Officer will keep up with the shooter's movements, and the shooter must be aware of the Safety Officer's presence, and safety.

Helping Out:

There are a couple of simple things that can be done to make an IDPA match run well. The shooters waiting to shoot a COF are expected to help out to make the stage run smoothly and quickly. The next shooter in line will help the Safety Officer by marking the score sheet of the current shooter. The next shooter in line after that will help the Safety Officer by putting tape over the holes made by the current shooter, after the Safety Officer has scored the holes. The next shooter in line after that will pick up empty brass for the current shooter, and will hand the brass to the current shooter after the stage is complete. All empty cases need to be picked up, even if the current shooter does not want the brass. Your participation in helping out is expected and will be greatly appreciated.

Failure To Do Right

Within IDPA there is a Failure To Do Right, (FTDR), penalty. It is only given in those rare instances where a shooter tries to circumvent the rules or intent of IDPA. For example, a shooter loading 14 rounds into his/her magazines, instead of the maximum of 10 would get a FTDR. A FTDR is a 40 point or 20 second penalty for that stage.

Procedural

Within IDPA there is a Procedural Penalty. It is only given in those rare instances where a shooter does not follow the COF description, and no other penalty applies. For example, in a COF where a shooter is required to shoot T1, T2, and T3, then do a Tac-Reload, and finally shoot T4. But, the shooter shoots T1 through T4 without the reload. This would yield an unfair advantage, and no other penalty applies. Thus the above shooter would get a Procedural Penalty, of 6 points or 3 seconds added to the score for that stage.

Drawing From Concealment

Since IDPA simulates real world self defense situations, including concealed carry, some, or many of the COF's will begin with the gun concealed. The draw on those stages will be made from concealment. If the shooter chooses not to draw from concealment, a Procedural Penalty will be given.

Do you have any questions?

At the end of the New Shooter's Introduction, the Safety Officer will ask you if you have any questions. Please ask your questions. We are more concerned about safety than we are about going over something again in a different way to make it crystal clear. At the beginning of each COF there is another opportunity to ask questions. Please ask your questions.

Big Thanks to Tom Janstrom and Ken Reed of the Parma Rod & Gun Club in Idaho for allowing TCSL to borrow from their New Shooter's Introduction Web Page in creating this one) - cbrenner 1/17/2003.