Why do you shoot matches?

[grousemaster]

Don't knock competition until you've done it for awhile.

I think you may be debating semantics because you are talking about competition differently than I am.

I totally get, understand, and agree with the viewpoint of camaraderie, learning experience, etc, not debating that at all..... which is largely what it sounds like competition shooting is about from your description; and I'm in agreement with that........ What I'm talking about regarding competition is different than that. I'm talking about competition in the whole "winning vs. losing" sense, beating the other people at whatever it is you're doing, getting awards and accolades, status, etc. I'm not into that. I'm into competing against myself, to make myself do better than I have in the previous times, yes, of course..... but I don't care if I shoot better or worse than anyone else (unless it's a self-defense situation).

I guess I could try competition shooting if it's like the latter vs. the former. I do admit that the word "competition" turns me off for the same reason sports do, because I just don't care and am not into it.

afraid to lose?

[selurcspi]

Dude, Leo is infamous, not famous.

Not infamous, not famous, but Notorious!!!!

[promod1385]

Don't knock competition until you've done it for awhile.

I think you may be debating semantics because you are talking about competition differently than I am.

I totally get, understand, and agree with the viewpoint of camaraderie, learning experience, etc, not debating that at all..... which is largely what it sounds like competition shooting is about from your description; and I'm in agreement with that........ What I'm talking about regarding competition is different than that. I'm talking about competition in the whole "winning vs. losing" sense, beating the other people at whatever it is you're doing, getting awards and accolades, status, etc. I'm not into that. I'm into competing against myself, to make myself do better than I have in the previous times, yes, of course..... but I don't care if I shoot better or worse than anyone else (unless it's a self-defense situation).

I guess I could try competition shooting if it's like the latter vs. the former. I do admit that the word "competition" turns me off for the same reason sports do, because I just don't care and am not into it.

afraid to lose?

Oh snap!

[SkyRock]

Don't knock competition until you've done it for awhile.

I think you may be debating semantics because you are talking about competition differently than I am.

I totally get, understand, and agree with the viewpoint of camaraderie, learning experience, etc, not debating that at all..... which is largely what it sounds like competition shooting is about from your description; and I'm in agreement with that........ What I'm talking about regarding competition is different than that. I'm talking about competition in the whole "winning vs. losing" sense, beating the other people at whatever it is you're doing, getting awards and accolades, status, etc. I'm not into that. I'm into competing against myself, to make myself do better than I have in the previous times, yes, of course..... but I don't care if I shoot better or worse than anyone else (unless it's a self-defense situation).

I guess I could try competition shooting if it's like the latter vs. the former. I do admit that the word "competition" turns me off for the same reason sports do, because I just don't care and am not into it.

OK, I understand what you're saying, and I believe we agree. But, in competition, you're exposed to different ways of doing things you may not have thought of. That's my point. If you see someone doing something different than you to "solve the problem" (and I don't mean get a better score!), then perhaps you could try it and find it suits you well.

Skip the scores. Learn from watching.

Good luck, and maybe we'll see you on the line.

[WelcomeD]

The reason i would participate in any of the above mentioned comps or matches is to have fun and practice for cheap and fun. I just started shooting at Burnsville winter league. Its fun and closest thing ill get to real life scenerio without spending the $$$ for those training sessions that specialize in defense scenerio set up like real world (need lots of space to set these up = $$)

#1 Trigger time
#2 Learn from those that are better than me.
#3 To have fun

I could go on and on. As for people in competition you will always find those that will try and cheat anyway possible just so they can have a label and feel better about themselves. Shoot and compete for the joy of it and if do well then you get your own satisfaction.

[selurcspi]

I started shooting small bore rifle competition in the Royal Navy and I found out that the discipline required for practice was rewarded by the fun experienced in matches. Later I began shooting Bullseye, USPSA and PPC pistol matches, partially to be allowed to own guns and partially to give me a little adrenalin pressure. What I found out it was that while precision shooting was great practice/discipline and enjoyable in itself, for the real fun, there is nothing like action shooting. The shooting in USPSA and IDPA Matches is much more enjoyable, and the people you meet can teach you a lot. They can also cause you to analyze what you do to be able to explain what you do to them; both of these things improve your abilities. Most of you know that I shoot a comp gun the matches; I do it mostly because I wouldn’t shoot the thing anywhere else. Again, most of you also know that it’s not the Arrow, it’s the Indian, fancy guns don’t make a better shooter. Some may see the race gun and associate the fancy rig with gamesmanship and cheating, but truth be known these two terms are polar opposites. A gamesman will look at the rules of the game and find every possible advantage “WITHIN” the rules; a cheat will use methods that are contrary to the rules.
A lot of you have heard my explanation of a magazine change for the purposes of a Man v Man run at the steel shoot, the reason for that detailed explanation is that over the years we have seen some shooters cheat in this situation and we want the shoots we run to be fair. Truth be known, I admire the gamesman and I hate the cheater.

The bottom line is, shooting, particularly action shooting is a lot of fun and the people you meet are almost always genuinely nice, helpful, “salt of the earth” folks who love the sport.

[tazdevil]

Many, Many reasons. But some of the most important (to me):

1: To honor my father, who fought for this country in a war that was not popular by any means. His passing a few years ago left a large hole in me that I didn't realize could exist. I know he would've enjoyed doing competition shooting as much as I do.

2: 3 Gun and Tac shotgun is the closest thing to military experience I will ever get, due to medical condition (rejected when I tried to enlist under the delayed-entry program for High Schoolers).

3: Physical exercise is just more fun when shooting's involved!

4: Because it is a challenge, and someday hope to be able to win some matches, or place well.

5: The fun of it!

6: I can't quit.

[rugersol]

Don't knock competition until you've done it for awhile.

I think you may be debating semantics because you are talking about competition differently than I am.

I totally get, understand, and agree with the viewpoint of camaraderie, learning experience, etc, not debating that at all..... which is largely what it sounds like competition shooting is about from your description; and I'm in agreement with that........ What I'm talking about regarding competition is different than that. I'm talking about competition in the whole "winning vs. losing" sense, beating the other people at whatever it is you're doing, getting awards and accolades, status, etc. I'm not into that. I'm into competing against myself, to make myself do better than I have in the previous times, yes, of course..... but I don't care if I shoot better or worse than anyone else (unless it's a self-defense situation).

I guess I could try competition shooting if it's like the latter vs. the former. I do admit that the word "competition" turns me off for the same reason sports do, because I just don't care and am not into it.

OK, I understand what you're saying, and I believe we agree. But, in competition, you're exposed to different ways of doing things you may not have thought of. That's my point. If you see someone doing something different than you to "solve the problem" (and I don't mean get a better score!), then perhaps you could try it and find it suits you well.

Skip the scores. Learn from watching.

Good luck, and maybe we'll see you on the line.

ya get outta it, what ya put in!

if ya go in, thinkin' yer gonna dazzle everyone, ya probly won't like it much!

a lotta guys ... like me ... get into it, jest to get/stay proficient ... at some point, by sheer repetition ... and a lotta dumb luck ... ya actually win a stage, now 'n then ... and whether ya say it's vs yourself, our someone else, don't matter ... ya find yourself trying jest a little bit harder, next time!

... I hear some guys even start practicing?!

There's plenty of guys like Mike ... obviously not vying for the new Chevy ... and are plenty ok with it!

Some matches, ya might see a lotta them guys squadding together ... as well as the guys who think they can win! ... not that it's a big deal, if there's a mix!

Anyhow, like with most things, if ya've never done it, ya really don't know! And if yer really scared, we even got designated hand holders, and huggers!

[user293]

I shoot USPSA matches cause I'm pretty competetive person. Volleyball, baseball, shooting whatever I like to compete. And I love shooting so I competitively shoot haha. I also love taking shooting to that next level. It's just fun for me. Taking some hardware home after some hard work is pretty cool too.

[tizzo]

I like running around with a loaded gun, seriously, it's fun. That and **** talking gamer buddies and then being able to back it up... sometimes.

[45Badger]

I,d like to give it a try ,,but I,m not sure what kind of special equipment is needed,,besides a Pistol of some sorts

For steel shoots in Hutch, a holster, 5 or six mags, and a mag pouch or two is plenty to get you started.

[XDM45]

Don't knock competition until you've done it for awhile.

I think you may be debating semantics because you are talking about competition differently than I am.

I totally get, understand, and agree with the viewpoint of camaraderie, learning experience, etc, not debating that at all..... which is largely what it sounds like competition shooting is about from your description; and I'm in agreement with that........ What I'm talking about regarding competition is different than that. I'm talking about competition in the whole "winning vs. losing" sense, beating the other people at whatever it is you're doing, getting awards and accolades, status, etc. I'm not into that. I'm into competing against myself, to make myself do better than I have in the previous times, yes, of course..... but I don't care if I shoot better or worse than anyone else (unless it's a self-defense situation).

I guess I could try competition shooting if it's like the latter vs. the former. I do admit that the word "competition" turns me off for the same reason sports do, because I just don't care and am not into it.

afraid to lose?

One cannot win or lose if one doesn't subscribe to such beliefs.

[XDM45]

I guess I could try competition shooting if it's like the latter vs. the former. I do admit that the word "competition" turns me off for the same reason sports do, because I just don't care and am not into it.

OK, I understand what you're saying, and I believe we agree. But, in competition, you're exposed to different ways of doing things you may not have thought of. That's my point. If you see someone doing something different than you to "solve the problem" (and I don't mean get a better score!), then perhaps you could try it and find it suits you well.

Skip the scores. Learn from watching.

Good luck, and maybe we'll see you on the line.

Absolutely we're agreeing on that.

I'm also (if you believe in the whole Meyer-Briggs personality), an INTJ who's motto is "Does it work?" I don't care if someone does something the "right" or "wrong" way as long as it's functional; so there's many ways of doing something. Now which way works best for me? Which would be considered optimal and/or best practices? I'd have to try a few out and see what works for me and what doesn't....and I can see the opportunity for learning at an event.

[Rem700]

If you only compete against yourself how do you know if you won/improved?
Competition can cause adrenaline for many, which may show a little of how things can go to $h!T under pressure.

[XDM45]

If you only compete against yourself how do you know if you won/improved?

I look at the number of shots taken at a target and what percentage hit the target closest to the bullseye. The higher the percentage of shots closer to dead center, the better I am in that regard.

Likewise, grouping also counts. How close are the shots to each other? As those things improve, I know that I'm doing better.

Lastly, how did I did this time vs. last time?

Competition can cause adrenaline for many, which may show a little of how things can go to $h!T under pressure.

Constant training is good to develop muscle memory and many other skill sets to the hope that it prepares you for any given situation; but nothing is 100%. That being said, it's still a good thing to do, to train, (in many areas), and perhaps these competitions are a good way to do that, to connect with people, to learn new techniques, tips, tricks, etc; and perhaps I should give it a try..... again, as I mentioned in a previous post, I look at the word "competition" differently. I don't know what people would call the matches otherwise.