Jim, all I can say is that they must conduct these matches differently where you live than the ones I have participated in. Not trying to start anything, but have you every tried an IDPA match or watched one ?
IDPA Course Design Rationale
"When the IDPA founders set out to structure "Defensive Pistol" guidelines, the one area that became very critical to the long-term survival of this shooting discipline was the problems that shooters are asked to solve must reflect reality. Requirements like the use of cover, reloading behind cover and the limit of 18 rounds per string of fire were all based upon the principle that defensive pistol shooting should help promote sound basic self-defense tactics and test the skills you would need in a real self-defense encounter. Other guidelines in Course Design such as most ranges being 15 yards or less reflect the fact that real life self-defense requirements rarely require handguns to be used beyond this distance. If on special occasions you want to utilize targets in excess of 15 yards this can be allowed to test shooting skill. Our goal is to make the ranges at which we engage targets to be within the norm of most self-defense scenarios."
"If barricades or other range props that are designed to allow the shooter to use them for cover are provided, make sure that they are used properly. Make the shooter stays behind the cover area while actually shooting or reloading. A common problem is when using some form of low barricades, many shooters will want to squat and shoot, then move quickly to the next firing area. This type of tactic is very common in IPSC. Clearly, the squat position is fastest to use in many events... but it is a match tactic and not a viable survival one. If you are going to use low cover for protection, you will not use this gamesman squat. The answer to solve the problem of using a low cover position is to require the shooter to have at least one knee on the ground when actually firing. Now someone is bound to note that older shooters will be slower on this than young ones ... or a person with a prior knee injury will not be able to do this technique as well as someone with a good set of knees. This is a fact of life, and will be exactly the same in a real life self defense scenario."
"4. When cover is available, it MUST be used both when shooting and reloading. "
"19. PROPER USE OF COVER: If cover is available, the shooter must use it! More than 50% of the shooter’s upper torso must be behind cover while engaging threat targets and/or reloading. If the shooter is shooting from low cover, one knee must be on the ground while shooting. When using vertical cover such as a wall/barricade, 100% of the shooter’s legs/feet must be behind cover while engaging threat targets and/or reloading. If in the opinion of the SO adequate cover is not being used (if the shooter does not have to move between target engagements, this is a strong indicator that adequate cover is NOT being used), the SO will yell COVER. If the competitor immediately moves to adequate cover, NO penalty will be assessed. If the competitor does NOT immediately move to adequate cover, a three (3) second procedural penalty will be assessed. All reloads must be executed behind cover, if cover is available, and must be completed before leaving cover (Shooters may not move from one position of cover to another with an empty weapon). The firearm will be considered LOADED when the fresh magazine is seated and the slide is closed or revolver cylinder is closed. Failure to reload behind cover or moving from cover with an empty weapon will result in a three (3) second procedural penalty per infraction. "
I'll have to keep that one on file...