When Beating Your Friends Is More Important Than Defeating Your Enemies

By Alex Nieuwland, SI Staff Instructor

Almost exactly ten years ago, a friend of mine invited me to my first IDPA match.  I still remember the first stage I ever shot. It was called “Officer Down.”  For string 1, I started out laying flat on my back with my legs pointed at the target, holding a hammer in my left hand, and a Glock 19 in my right hand.  At the buzzer, I sat up and shot both targets twice.  For string 2, the hammer and gun switched hands.  The only matches I had previous experience with were much more sedate, and I thought IDPA was the greatest thing since sliced bread.

 Fast forward 10 years.  I have shot countless IDPA matches and been an IDPA Safety Officer for longer than I can remember, but I have also received some of the best training money can buy through force-on-force training with Suarez International.  I still shoot IDPA matches, and will continue to do so, but I have also realized that most of my fellow IDPA shooters are training to beat their friends, not training to defeat their enemies.

Allow me to explain…  If Osama Bin Laden suddenly parachuted from the sky onto our (cold) range during an IDPA match, which direction would everyone’s guns (after some furiously fast loading) be pointed in?  Exactly, all guns would be pointed at OBL, or at his slowly cooling, bullet-riddled corpse.  Everyone at the match can therefore safely be placed in the “friends” category.

OBL, however, is extremely unlikely to parachute into an IDPA match.  My friends and I are much more likely to encounter one of his followers when we are NOT at a match.  And which guns are my IDPA friends using when they are not at a match?  Probably NOT the gun they shot the match with.

You don’t agree?  Well, let’s look at the data…  Every year, IDPA publishes a list of the gear used by participants in the IDPA Nationals.  In 2009, the number of shooters using a Glock 34, a Glock 19 or a Glock 26 was 71, 4, and 0.  In 2010, the numbers were 68, 7, and once again 0.  Now, I know a LOT of serious shooters, but I only know one (my fellow SI Staff Instructor Randy Harris) who actually carries a Glock 34 every day.  On the other hand, the Glock 19 and Glock 26 are some of the most popular carry guns on the market today.

I use the term “cheater heater” for a handgun that is modified to make it handle differently from the competitor’s actual carry gun, or is of a different model from the competitor’s actual carry gun.  This data shows that cheater heaters likely outnumbered actual carry guns by at least 10 to 1 at these matches.

What is there to win at an IDPA match?  Nothing but a worthless trophy.  All of the expensive prizes are given out by random drawing.  The person who finished last has as much chance of winning them as the person who finished first.  So by their actions, the cheater heater users are saying that beating their friends to win a worthless trophy is more important than defeating their enemies.

But IDPA is just a game!  Agreed.  Any time you are shooting for score instead of shooting for blood it’s just a game.  Force-on-force training is a MUCH better way to train for winning your gunfights than shooting IDPA matches.  Shooting IDPA matches, however, allows you to do something you can’t do in force-on-force training: shoot real guns firing real bullets with real recoil and real malfunctions under time pressure with movement and with realistic accuracy demands.  It allows you to determine if you have achieved the unconscious competence level with your gun handling skills.  That is not a replacement for force-on-force training, but when you combine that with the skills learned from force-on-force training it’s a combination that’s hard to beat.

So IDPA is a great opportunity to bring out the guns you would actually use during a gunfight.  If you don’t, your actions show your ego is more important to you than defending yourself and your family from serious harm.

But you carry a J-frame?  Five shot .38 Special revolvers are perfectly legal in the Stock Service Revolver division.  Bring it out!  If you’re worried about finishing the entire course of fire with such a small ammo supply, might I suggest upgrading your carry gun?  A Glock 26 is not much bigger and holds more than twice as many rounds.  My fellow SI Staff Instructor Jon Payne is working on a DVD that makes this point very well.

But you carry a .380 or a .32?  Talk to your match director.  If he says it’s allowed (and he probably will), you are good to go.  Otherwise, refer to my answer above.

But you carry a Glock 26?  The Glock 26 is a popular carry gun and perfectly legal in the Stock Service Pistol division.  Bring it out!  Sure, you’ll have to pay very close attention to your sight picture for those long distance shots, but that’s part of the trade off of choosing to carry a Glock 26.  The gun is capable of making those shots.  You are the limiting factor, so get good with it!

But you’d rather use a Glock 34, or an M&P Pro with a 1.5 lbs trigger, or a double stack 1911 with a huge magwell, and powderpuff ammo?  You, my friend, have a decision to make: Is it more important to you to beat your friends or to defeat your enemies?

IDPA is also a good place to use your freaky fast draw, an important skill when it comes to winning gunfights.  If you normally carry in an inside the waistband holster at 4 o’clock, why not bring that holster?  It’s perfectly legal in IDPA, so unless beating your friends with competition gadgetry is more important to you than defeating your enemies, there really is no need to buy a bulky competition-only outside the waistband holster carried at 3 o’clock.

My premise in IDPA has always been, and will always continue to be, that I will use my actual carry gear.  Back when I was using a leather pancake holster with a thumb break, that’s what I would use in my matches.  I have since switched to an Archangel appendix inside the waistband holster for my usual holster, but unfortunately the writers of the IDPA rule book apparently considered appendix carry so fast that it put all other holster positions at a disadvantage, and banned it in IDPA.  So for matches, I use the same setup I currently use whenever I’m wearing a suit: a stock Glock 19 in a Dale Fricke Gideon Elite holster.  I use factory 115 grain ammo that has the same point of impact as my carry ammo, and similar felt recoil.  I have not done anything to the gun except dry firing it a lot, and installing a new set of sights and some new trigger springs because I wore the old ones out.  As a result, when I do well at IDPA, it shows my skill with an actual weapon, not with carefully selected toys I’m using to play a game.  I’m preparing to defeat my enemies, not my friends.

Net, I see good folks spending an awful lot of time and money training to beat their friends, while assuming that skill carries over into defeating their enemies.  Those who train to defeat their enemies, but also compete in the gun games at a high level know that the two are not the same.  Come train with Suarez International, and experience the difference for yourself.

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NOTE: Would you like us to promote some sort of "Every Day Carry" division at TRPC IDPA matches? If yes, we welcome any ideas you may have to:

a.  Define the division or subdivision
b. Encourage participation

email: patrick@elmore.ws

Conversations:

Pat 5/14/12: "Current idea I'm toying with right now is adding an EDC Division checkbox onto the score sheets. If we have even just a few players, I'd be willing to score EDC as a completely separate match similar to how we score the 2-Gun. EDC shooters would be arranged by their highest other classification with all else being equal. The motivation is to make score comparisons between regular IDPA and EDC more like apples and oranges with the goal of defusing the ego factor."

Jim T 5/15/12:  "I like the idea of an EDC division. The competitor could designate his choice on his score sheet and be scored accordingly. At PMRPC EDC matches are held periodically but with your idea one could shoot in the division for every match if he desires to do so. The only thing to get across to the shooters is that this division is intended for and relies upon an honest declaration by the competitor of a gun/holster rig that the shooter regularly carries (when possible)."

Richard S 5/17/12:  "...Requiring handicaps might cut down on participation, so maybe a reasonable bonus could be offered like knocking a second or three off the score for each one claimed by the shooters? Without getting too complicated, how about:
1) At least one dummy round per stage, to necessitate "jam-clearing'? Revolvers are already handicapped by their innate lower capacity and slower reloads, so their simple 'next trigger pull' would equal things out with semi-autos.
2) Taping over one lens on shooting glasses to simulate injury or vision blocked by sweat, blood or mud?
3) One-handed shooting with reloads might require safety risks in an IDPA venue unless the stage were specially designed for it..."

Scott B 5/19/12:  "...The biggest thing that would bring about hard feelings, as Jim mentioned, is going to be fairly and impartially determining who is declaring their EDC correctly. IWB or OWB, mag pouches or pockets, etc..

There isn't any real way to regulate mag pouch claims, but I have an idea for carry type. Maybe 'divisions' of EDC could be created. Instead of just dividing by pistol type, (ESP vs. SSP vs. CDP etc) how about dividing the classes by carry type? Maybe even just carry type.

Four divisions, Auto-loading IWB, Auto-loading OWB, Revolver IWB, and Revolver OWB. Highest classification of SSP, ESP, CDP for auto-loaders and highest class of SSR or ESR for the revolvers.

I think it'd be pretty fun running my daily carry IWB Glock 26 in the same class as folks who carry commander or officer's size 1911s IWB. Having witnessed a friend shoot a full size 1911 from IWB at a steel match (and watching him dance around after re-holstering due to the shiny new heat blister he just installed on his ..er...cheek), I'd bet not a whole lot of people are going to claim their 5" barreled gun in the IWB division more than once..."

Bob D 5/22/12:  "... I think an EDC carry division is a great idea. Even though the original intention of IDPA was based upon EDC many of the participants have moved towards more shooter friendly pistols. I would gladly participate in a EDC division using my two EDC pistols both in a Cross breed IWB holster. Glock 30 and a Kimber SIS pro.  

I would also support no distinction paid to caliber; 9mm, .40 and .45 compete equally side by side. How do you keep people honest? How do you handle people who truly EDC carry full size weapons? I don't know . Years ago I Carried a 5" stainless steel 1911. I was also in better shape and could make one disappear. That and it was also my only pistol. Now a shorty 1911 or Glock 30 suits me better. I hope this works out..."