[XD9 Owner]

Ok so I have shot a couple of USPSA matches now and the first match I primarily concentrated on time and the second match I concentrated on alpha's. I better my first match than my second match. I'm just wondering what I should concentrate on the most, time or accuracy?

 

[CatsEye]

You have hit on the age old question that all competition shooters confront. I don't know of any great secret to tell you either. I shoot mostly IDPA so I will talk in those terms but the idea is similar. I always try to shoot accurately but I am also willing to give up some points for the sake of speed. For me, about 20-25% points down to round count is acceptable. If I shoot 100 rounds in a match and I'm 20-25 points down then I consider that a good trade. If I shoot out of control then I give up too many points. If I focus on accuracy alone then speed suffers. Other than thinking about going faster or being more accurate I prefer to think in terms of "visual patience". I want to see my sights as well as required for each target. I want to fire the shot as soon as I see whats needed, not before, not after. It is not something you learn overnight, you have go get a feel for where you level of ability is right now.

 

[XD9 Owner]

You have hit on the age old question that all competition shooters confront. I don't know of any great secret to tell you either. I shoot mostly IDPA so I will talk in those terms but the idea is similar. I always try to shoot accurately but I am also willing to give up some points for the sake of speed. For me, about 20-25% points down to round count is acceptable. If I shoot 100 rounds in a match and I'm 20-25 points down then I consider that a good trade. If I shoot out of control then I give up too many points. If I focus on accuracy alone then speed suffers. Other than thinking about going faster or being more accurate I prefer to think in terms of "visual patience". I want to see my sights as well as required for each target. I want to fire the shot as soon as I see whats needed, not before, not after. It is not something you learn overnight, you have go get a feel for where you level of ability is right now.

I hear ya. My Springfield XD is only a couple weeks old too so I'm not completely used to the gun yet. I shot decently in both matches but I did see a difference between the two. Maybe I just had an off night. Thanks for the advice though. It's appreciated.

 

[UltimateTDC]

im just getting into IDPA (only shot 2 matches so far) after working at a gun shop for over a year...ill tell you the advice ive had several different people tell me...

"Work on accuracy first, speed will come later as you get more comfortable with your gun, competition, and moving and shooting."

 

[Poink88]

"Work on accuracy first, speed will come later as you get more comfortable with your gun, competition, and moving and shooting."

I believe this. There is no alternative to learning properly and letting the good habit set.

One shooting champion (can't remember who) said in an interview that he believes in luck but learned/found that the more he practice, the luckier he gets.

 

[Loves2Shoot]

It is points divided by time for IPSC, so if you are not accurate, you have to shoot really fast. In IDPA, you get a .5 second penalty for not hitting the -0, since a -0 split for the average shooter should be in the .3 range, that is a huge penalty, a good shooter will be in the .15-.2 range, so it is a 100%+ penalty.

You should ONLY drop points on targets that it is not worth taking the extra time to get the - 0 or the A in IPSC. You will find the top shooters don't drop many points they don't mean to take a chance on.

 

[slugger6]

Accuracy, accuracy, accuracy. "You can't miss fast enough to win a gunfight."

 

[Loves2Shoot]

Accuracy, accuracy, accuracy. "You can't miss fast enough to win a gunfight."

... but, it doesn't matter how accurate you are if you don't get off the shot.

The biggest mistake I see people make when shooting is to think you have to be SLOW to shoot accurately, thus they never push their boundaries and are forever slow. The next mistake is thinking the people that shoot really fast don't know where their bullets are going, because they know where the bullets are going BEFORE they hit the target.

 

[Mo0se]

A tip for improving speed..

From 7 to 10 yards, the only thing that matters is the front sight.

The front sight should be in focus while the target, and rear sight are faintly blurry.

Try it.

YouTube - CPL Travis Tomasie Pro Tip on Calling Your Shots

 

[memo]

Just a an aside, whether I'm going for accuracy or speed, good fundamentals will help in both cases.

When I first started running IDPA-style drills, my accuracy while moving or under pressure was absolute crap... but I noticed that my fundamentals had gone out the window. Trigger control, focus on the front sight, proper breathing and stancework... they all evaporated when I started "pushing" the engagements.

Once I slowed down enough to get my basics back on track, the speed started coming naturally. If you practice something *correctly* enough times, eventually you'll be able to do it *correctly* faster.

 

[Loves2Shoot]

If you practice something *correctly* enough times, eventually you'll be able to do it *correctly* faster.

+1

I you practice incorrectly, you will just screw up faster.

 

[CatsEye]

Accuracy, accuracy, accuracy. "You can't miss fast enough to win a gunfight."

While that has merit it doesn't tell the whole story. I know many shooters who are more accurate than I am and almost always finish a match with fewer points down. That doesn't mean they can beat me though. USPSA and IDPA are sports based on time. That means we shoot as fast as we can within our skill level. The balance to it all comes from understanding what our current skill level is and shooting within that. I often use local matches to work on both ends of the spectrum. One match I may really push the speed and another I may focus on sight picture and accuracy. When I bring the two back together I believe I am better at each and have a better understanding of where my skill level is right now.

 

[UltimateTDC]

slow is smooth smooth is fast

 

[Bansheex]

I find that when I start to speed up, I start to make mistakes (jerking the trigger ect.) If I slow myself down a bit and concentrate on what I'm doing, I get faster. Faster will come with practice, lot's and lot's of it!

 

[kirk22287]

I think you need to be able to balance speed and accuracy. It doesnt matter how fast you are if you can't hit the target, on the other hand it doesn't matter how accurate you are if you never get the shot off. That being said I only move as fast as I can accurately engage the target, I do however push my limits when I practice. How else are you going to get better?

 

[slugger6]

... but, it doesn't matter how accurate you are if you don't get off the shot.

Of course!

 

[Russ7777]

take the question out of the competition arena for a moment, and put it in live fire situation. What is more important; shooting fast, or disabling your attacker? In my book putting bullets on the target is far more important than missing the target really fast.

 

[slugger6]

]I think you need to be able to balance speed and accuracy. It doesnt matter how fast you are if you can't hit the target, on the other hand it doesn't matter how accurate you are if you never get the shot off[/B]. That being said I only move as fast as I can accurately engage the target, I do however push my limits when I practice. How else are you going to get better?

That's it in a nut shell.

 

[TACC XD]

Shoot straight, Shoot often, and hit "0"s or "A"'s ! Speed comes with practice.