My 1st IDPA @ Arms Room

[terryg]

I did my first IDPA shoot at the Arms Room tonight. Overall it was a good experience and I think I will enjoy them more once I figure things out better. But the pace was soo fast that I really have no clue how I did overall and what I did right and wrong. I guess it has to be fast or the thing would take all night - but for a new shooter it only added mystery to something that is already not understood very well.

There were three new shooters tonight and it felt, at times, like we were a nuisance to some of the experienced shooters there. Not all of them of course. Tom Estep was fantastic and extremely welcoming, but he wasn't in our shooting group. One experienced shooter who doubled as one of the SO for some setups was very helpful and gave me some post shoot tips and another answered some questions I had. But somehow it didn't feel as welcoming as I had hoped.

First and foremost, my focus was to do things safely. I took my time and I must have done this part ok as I didn't get called out for anything. But my second goal was to come away with a better feel of what is important and what I need to work on. This is where I am left disappointed as I really have no clue what I should work on. The targets got scored and taped up before I had even recovered my magazine and round. I have no basis to compare my scores or my times (other than being pretty sure that the 19 I dropped in the first setup is not so good ).

Anyway, it was a lot of effort to get out there tonight and really thought I would have a blast. I guess I'm just a little bummed that it didn't live up to the high expectations I had put on the event. It was definitely worth $15, but I'm not quite sure it was worth having to clean my gun.

[Beiruty]

Best to compare your score with your previous score. IPDA and USPS are fun matches.

[thatguy]

Welcome to IDPA shooter!

[gwashorn]

I think I know who you were last night but not in my group except I think to shoot one of the first scenarios to let you get back into your group. Glad you made it. And yes Tom is very good. Fast paced last night more than usual I think. Everyone getting ready for the State IDPA match in a couple of weeks. So many pushing for training for the matches. So not a nuisance and most certainly welcome. So do come back over and over. Most important as you said is safety. yeah, we score and tape quickly so we can get out. It is a blast and you will enjoy it more. Do give us another chance. When we first started in the beginning, many times we did not get out until after 10pm. so we have stepped up the pace some to get out a bit earlier. But keep coming, get there early and setup, have mags ready and such and it will go just fine. When you shoot, note who is watching you and then ask them what did I do right and wrong. More than happy to help. Probably the most helpfull thing is to just be ready and watch the others. I think Randy will be sending out the score sheet. Jeff's computer is still down for getting it up on pistolscores. See you there again.

[canvasbck]

Hey Terry,
I was the SO in Tom's group (I was the fat guy in the orange vest). I just got through totaling the scores and you did very well for a first timer. You will have the scores E-mailed to you this morning. I wasn't in your group, so I couldn't see how it went for you. I can tell you that the experienced shooters in our group definantly do not feel that new shooters are a nuisance, especially on a night where we get through by 9:00. As long as a new shooter is being safe, no one minds them taking all the time he/she needs.

As a new shooter, it's in your best interest to ask LOTS of questions. Most shooters don't mind sharing with you. Just pick out one of the experienced shooters that is socializing and not focusing on his/her upcoming run and ask away. Many shooters who are willing to share tips and advice will not give it out unsolicited, they don't want to appear to be a know it all or force a critique on someone who isn't interested in hearing it (I have seen someone receive a lot of grief for sharing some advice that the shooter was not interested in hearing). So advice will seem hard to come by until you are actively soliciting that advice.

Also, nothing wrong with asking the person who just taped your target "where were my hits on that one?" 90% of the time, they will remember which ones they just taped and will point to where your shots were.

BTW.......the score sheet showed you had 9, not 19 on the first stage. You may have benefitted from the scorekeeper not hearing the downs properly. I hope we will see you back again, it is a pretty good group of folks. Also, nothing wrong with asking to be grouped with Tom if he's someone you would be comfortable asking advice from, I know he doesn't mind giving it, he has a wealth of knowledge that he is willing to share.

[TLynnHughes]

Well darn...one of the few nights that williamkevin and I aren't there, so we missed ya!

I agree with everything gwashorn said. New shooters are not a nuisance. Come back and give it another chance. But be very careful, it can be totally addicting.

Hopefully we'll see ya next Monday night.

T.

[terryg]

Thanks for the quick reply and the encouragement. I hope I didn't imply that anybody was rude - because the certainly wasn't the case.

One example is that after the first shoot - we were on scenario 3 - me and the other two newbies were sort of waiting around in the third bay and suddenly we were by ourselves. I finally realized that everybody else had moved to another setup. I went back and grabbed the other two guys and we all re-joined the group.

Gary, I think you hit the nail on the head. It must have been people getting ready for the State match. There was a sort of 'intensity' in the air that I wasn't expecting. It also seemed to be a pretty full crowd. My daughter's plays and practices volleyball at the AVA facility nearby, so I have stopped in a watched a few matches in the past. It seemed like a lot more people in there last night than the other matches I have visited.

canvasbck, Thanks for the advice. After about my third shoot, I did start asking questions during the scoring - including where a round hit that was just taped up. I just had to get a little assertive. Like I said, I understand that it has to move fast - I myself had to leave by about 8:50 last night - so I do appreciate it. But I wasn't prepared for how quick everything got taped up. It felt like playing a basketball game without knowing the score.

BTW - it was a 19 drop (plus a 5 point FTN penalty ). It was the third scenario, but my first shoot of the night.

It helps a lot now that I have the final scores. I can sort-of connect the time and points to the various scenarios. I will come out again. It may be a little while until I can free up a Monday night again, but I will be back.

[canvasbck]

I know which group you were in now and yes, mot of that group was either people getting ready for State or LEO's, who tend to be intense anyway. I imagine the intensity was up in that one. In our group, I was the only one who is getting ready for that match so we were much more laid back and had some fun with each other.

Your analogy about the basketball game without knowing the score is pretty accurate for the way that shooting sports go. You don't know where you stand until sometimes several days later. Even though we keep score, your main competition in these things should be yourself. I have had shoots where I finished very high in the standings, but was not satisfied with my performance for the night. I have had other matches where I was very satisfied with my performance even though I wasn't particularly high in the standings. But I'm not going to lie, it does feel good to beat someone who normally outshoots you.

To make it seem more like a real time sporting competition, it helps to identify someone in your group with a comperable skill level to your own (after you have shot enough matches to even know what your skill level is) and start a friendly rivalry where you keep up with how that person shot a particular stage, ect. This makes for some fun competition as well as helping you to both push each other and get better.

For any other perspective new shooters who may read this thread...................As long as you don't do anything unsafe and follow the directions of the SO...........YOU WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED A NUISANCE FOR TAKING YOUR TIME AND NOT KNOWING "WHAT TO DO NEXT". Most, if not all of the experienced shooters that I know want to see our sport grow, and that happens when you get new shooters. So my message to any new shooter is "glad to have ya"

[terryg]

Your analogy about the basketball game without knowing the score is pretty accurate for the way that shooting sports go. You don't know where you stand until sometimes several days later. Even though we keep score, your main competition in these things should be yourself.

Yeah, that makes since. It's not that I wanted to see how I ranked hoping to be at the top as I deliberately took my time wanting to make sure I did things safely (especially when moving backwards and turning around). But being able to see all of the scores together gives you and idea of the overall range. You can see what a good score looks like.

And, more specifically, you can see which scenarios you performed better or worse in - in relation to the group. So the group scores give you a reference point. You can say "Ok, I it really felt like I took my time on this one but I was still in within the bell curve and my accuracy was higher" - that sort of thing. I didn't know that the emailed results would show everybody's score - so I thought I would be left with my own numbers but no way to reference them.

-----

One thing I found very challenging was that I could not get a since of where my shots landed during the shoot. When I would watch others, I could clearly see where the shots landed. But during the shoot, I was focusing on the front sight (and on being safe, of course). So I really had no clue whether I should send any extra rounds toward the targets.

How do most experienced shooters gauge their accuracy? Do they shift focus back to the targets and find the holes? - Or do they just get a since based upon the sight picture when the round fires?

[canvasbck]

Your analogy about the basketball game without knowing the score is pretty accurate for the way that shooting sports go. You don't know where you stand until sometimes several days later. Even though we keep score, your main competition in these things should be yourself.

Yeah, that makes since. It's not that I wanted to see how I ranked hoping to be at the top as I deliberately took my time wanting to make sure I did things safely (especially when moving backwards and turning around). But being able to see all of the scores together gives you and idea of the overall range. You can see what a good score looks like.

And, more specifically, you can see which scenarios you performed better or worse in - in relation to the group. So the group scores give you a reference point. You can say "Ok, I it really felt like I took my time on this one but I was still in within the bell curve and my accuracy was higher" - that sort of thing. I didn't know that the emailed results would show everybody's score - so I thought I would be left with my own numbers but no way to reference them.

-----

One thing I found very challenging was that I could not get a since of where my shots landed during the shoot. When I would watch others, I could clearly see where the shots landed. But during the shoot, I was focusing on the front sight (and on being safe, of course). So I really had no clue whether I should send any extra rounds toward the targets.

How do most experienced shooters gauge their accuracy? Do they shift focus back to the targets and find the holes? - Or do they just get a since based upon the sight picture when the round fires?

I hear ya, I will often see which scenario I scored particularly fast/slow in and try to analyze what I did to cause it. Some of the bigger monthly matches will have the stage description along with the scores so you can remember exactly which stage it was when you see a particular stage that you were real fast or slow in relation to the rest of the shooters.

As far as knowing where you hit, when I was still fairly new, I would look back at the target and see where my hits were. Now I have reached the point that I can pretty much (not always but pretty much) call my shot and know as soon as I pull the trigger whether it was a good hit or not, thus I make up the shot, or move on to the next target without even seeing where it hit. While you are still learning, I think that it's a good idea to take a quick look at your shots and make up those that are 3 or 5 down, don't make up the 1 downs, they only cost you .5 seconds and it takes that long to make it up. While you are still at the point where you are checking your shots, mentally tell yourself where you think it is then check to see if your right. Once you get confident in your ability to hit targets and you start working on your speed, your eyes should shift to the next target as soon as you break a shot and you won't see the hole, but you won't need to because you will know pretty much where you hit.

OK, I just read that paragraph and it may be confusing. For your first few matches you shouldn't worry about trying to be fast, just focus on being smooth and accurate, speed will come later. This advice may be worth exactly what you paid for it.

[terryg]

As far as knowing where you hit, when I was still fairly new, I would look back at the target and see where my hits were. Now I have reached the point that I can pretty much (not always but pretty much) call my shot and know as soon as I pull the trigger whether it was a good hit or not, thus I make up the shot, or move on to the next target without even seeing where it hit. While you are still learning, I think that it's a good idea to take a quick look at your shots and make up those that are 3 or 5 down, don't make up the 1 downs, they only cost you .5 seconds and it takes that long to make it up. While you are still at the point where you are checking your shots, mentally tell yourself where you think it is then check to see if your right. Once you get confident in your ability to hit targets and you start working on your speed, your eyes should shift to the next target as soon as you break a shot and you won't see the hole, but you won't need to because you will know pretty much where you hit.

OK, I just read that paragraph and it may be confusing.

No - that's not confusing at all!! It is exactly what I needed. I should take the time to find the holes for now because that will get me in the habit of sending extra rounds when needed. Your are saying that the 'just knowing' stage will come on its own - I shouldn't try to work on that directly.

[gwashorn]

But I'm not going to lie, it does feel good to beat someone who normally outshoots you.

To make it seem more like a real time sporting competition, it helps to identify someone in your group with a comperable skill level to your own (after you have shot enough matches to even know what your skill level is) and start a friendly rivalry where you keep up with how that person shot a particular stage, ect. This makes for some fun competition as well as helping you to both push each other and get better.

"

Canvasbck.... FRIENDLY? Naw, not against you, and the others.... Sure... but you are right, it makes you push to try harder if there is someone you are just chasing and occassionally can get ahead of. then that is when you look at what you did well or not so well, understand it and then come back and try try again...

[Piney]

Welcome==
re: feeling like you're in the way-- Absolutely not!!

Don't be shy--ask folks standing around with you "What's going on here ?" or "What just happened ?" One suggestion is ask these questions well in advance of getting up to the line to shoot. You'll feel more confident , have a plan in mind ( until the buzzer goes off anyway...head shots guys...head shots ! LOL) and things will move more smoothly.

These evening shoots are a bit fast paced--folks want to get home. For a while, we were shooting there until 10:00ish and later. Saturday daytime matches at local clubs (Friendswood, Conroe and out W of Houston) tend to be a bit slower paced.

Shoot safe and accurate. The speed up part will come with practice and technique. Concentrate at first on the shooting. The "gaming" part will become familar with more exposure and practice. Several of the local IDPA clubs have good Tips articles on their web sites.

For a full day's worth of watching the top shoters and also the rest of us ,come out to the State IDPA match in a couple of weeks http://www.tts-idpa.net/txstate2011.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[canvasbck]

Welcome==
re: feeling like you're in the way-- Absolutely not!!

You'll feel more confident , have a plan in mind ( until the buzzer goes off anyway...head shots guys...head shots ! LOL) and things will move more smoothly.

I can guarantee that more than a few times you will have a plan in your head that will disappear as soon as you hear "beep"

I'm pretty sure that all of the timers came off the set of Men in Black.....the buzzer is a mind eraser designed to make you forget that you even had a plan, much less what it was.

[gwashorn]

Welcome==
re: feeling like you're in the way-- Absolutely not!!

You'll feel more confident , have a plan in mind ( until the buzzer goes off anyway...head shots guys...head shots ! LOL) and things will move more smoothly.

I can guarantee that more than a few times you will have a plan in your head that will disappear as soon as you hear "beep"

I'm pretty sure that all of the timers came off the set of Men in Black.....the buzzer is a mind eraser designed to make you forget that you even had a plan, much less what it was.

Can I use that as an excuse for that last one I shot so badly then? I did not mean to shoot the bad guys out of order!