How to get started in USPSA & Steel Challenge

[@johnharris948]

This is by far the best explanation of competition shooting I have seen. Thank you for taking the time to make this video.

[@offthedraw]

Thank you! Comments like this make my day

[@MeijiFong]

Very clear! Thank you!

[@offthedraw]

Glad it was helpful!

[@artat777]

Great video very informative. Very positive!

[@MrBnb13]

This was a great video, thank you for helping us noobs

[@offthedraw]

Thank you! If you would like to see more content like this let me know!

[@mattwright10]

Appreciate the video, answered a couple of my questions and lit a fire to get the rest answered!

[@offthedraw]

If there is anything else you'd like to see in a video of this format please let me know!

[@slimykrab]

This dude rocks!

[@bhromig]

very good info im the match director for my local club for scsa and uspsa and im always looking for good videos to send my first timers, because lets be honest this is alot to put in an email

[@offthedraw]

That's awesome! I love that people want to use this video as a resource to share with others in an attempt to grow the sport.

[@jordanketofarrier]

Great video and information! Thanks!

[@offthedraw]

Glad it was helpful!

[@doop6995]

Excellent

[@offthedraw]

Thank you! Be sure to share with people who may be interested in the sport. And Subscribe! I plan on making similar videos surrounding the sport in the future.

[@infidelpracticalpistol9953]

Awesome video, great job.

[@offthedraw]

Thank you! I plan on doing more content like this

[@intj2948]

Great content.

[@rurouniad]

Good video. Would like to see more.

[@offthedraw]

Thank you! I've got one in the works right now!

[@rurouniad]

@@offthedraw as a newbie to all this I’m looking for a steel challenge how too that isn’t overly complicated and covers the guy who just has a Glock 19 and a holster that I can send to a family member

[@offthedraw]

My next video will go over all 8 stages, and how to prepare for them. Should be up in the next week.

[@offthedraw]

​@@rurouniad I just posted my new Steel Challenge video. I would love to know your thoughts!

[@rurouniad]

@@offthedraw on the way

[@nennyof2]

Great information.

[@MADDOG100ful]

Nice

[@jason12518]

Thanks for the advice and "shameless plug" at the range today, see you out there sometime! Informative video

[@offthedraw]

Glad you found the video! I hope it helped clear things up and I look forward to seeing you at a future match.

[@PandaLuv925]

Great video but I'd like to add that IDPA actually can make you a better defensive shooter. IDPA might have real life scenarios as stages. You shoot from cover, slice the pie, retain mags during reloads if they're not completely empty and you can't expose yourself while moving. Accuracy also plays a bigger role than USPSA.

[@offthedraw]

Thanks for the comment. I agree that IDPA is geared more toward practical defensive technique. And I plan to make a video about IDPA in the future. However, I would also caution people that IDPA can be gamified by alot of its shooters. If you go to an IDPA match you'll see alot of people wearing oversized shooters vests that they would never wear in real life just so they can justify carrying a full sized gun on their hip for the competition.

[@mattrognstad]

IDPA is just as much of a game as USPSA; it just has slightly different rules. The vests are silly. Retaining magazines could be the wrong choice as often as it is the right one. It leans too heavily on meaningless accuracy by heavily punishing perfectly effective shots on target with disproportionate penalties. In the real fight (which I hope to never get into), I'd rather put two close C hits on someone than spend an extra half second or whatever to make sure they were both As. A whole second is far too much of a penalty for a C. Hit factor nicely balances speed and accuracy.

[@mike-yd4py]

IDPA is just gamerfying fud crap. Pointless restrictions.

[@Covshooter556]

Isn’t a flashlight on the gun also allowed in carry optics now? As well as using concealed holsters?

[@offthedraw]

A flashlight is allowed yes, and I'm pretty sure a conceal holster is allowed as well. I know personally that if you show up to a local match and want to run gear that isn't technically allowed, as long as it's safe, the RO's will let you compete. In the end it's about growing the sport and allowing people to get good training.

[@julianmercier]

It seems to me this was so much easier 20, 30, and 40 years ago. Working class folks with limited time and money for practice and occaisonaly competition. That has been replaced with people that shoot 52 weekends a year and three times during the week. The days of you winning this month and maybe me winning next month are gone. Now it is the same five guys in places one through five every time. Kind of takes the fun out of it. If you can enjot it, drive on.

[@offthedraw]

I totally get what you're saying. But like with any sport as time goes on the techniques improve and people become more competitive. I personally love how competitive it is. I occasionally will get a stage win. And I do win in my division for Steel Challenge from time to time. But the competition is what drives me to get better. And really, its more about watching yourself improve over time than it is comparing yourself to others. I bet Colonel Cooper would be proud of how much the sport has gathered momentum.

[@julianmercier]

@@offthedraw Maybe at 61l I am just weary of competing. You may recall Jeff Cooper quit IPSC, the organization he helped create, because it strayed from the original intent. I am pretty sure IPSC has quite a few members worldwide, however there are only about 35,000 in USPSA and 25,000 in IDPA. That is out of 110 million gun owners in this country. Just something to think about.

[@mattrognstad]

It seems like you need to set your expectations based on your level of involvement. The people who dry fire daily and get tons of match experience are just going to be better than people who don't. It is totally good to prioritize other things, but it isn't reasonable to expect to beat people who put in 10x the work. I'd encourage you and others with your outlook to focus on your own progress, not how you stack up against the best local shooters. For example, if you've often gotten 50% of a local GM's score at monthly matches and with some practice have progressed to 60%, that's a big move, and you should be proud of it. You won't necessarily place any higher, but you are shooting a lot better, and that rocks!

[@julianmercier]

@@mattrognstad I wish good luck to you. I just do not find it as enjoyable as I used to. Too many people with no duties and responsibilities to compete against. It is supposed to be fun. It was once.

[@randysandstrom9534]

Open this question to keyboard shot masters & game shooters 😊 Do you find that ( most ) players have some type of optic on their gun at these games ? I'm a new to IDPA & uspsa shooter and funds are super tight for optic. PLUS, my current weapon needs to be milled for this add-on Beretta 92fs stock ( maybe ) suggest low cost starter handgun