Wow.
Funny, last time I checked and all of the research I have done has shown that none of those so called "bad habits" would effect a sd shooting. The single most important skill you can develop is the ability to hit the target as quickly as possible. Cover is rarely if ever a factor in a defensive shooting except on those situations that unfold slowly. Neither is threat assessment - the time you spend assessing could get you killed. When it's time to shoot, you should be shooting, nothing else. What kind of bad habits can you develop? Let's see: safe gun handling under pressure, engaging multiple targets under pressure, reloading under pressure, moving safely under pressure, and countless others. You should fear for your safety and that of others.
Holy cow.
Honest question for you: How many--if any--honest-to-god actual shootings have you personally been involved in where YOU had to pull the trigger and it was an actual life-or-death situation for either yourself, your partner, your spouse/family or someone else?
I ask this because we are now discussing the even possibility of drawing on and taking another human being's life. If you have not been there, it is impossible to even project with any authority what it will be like, what it will feel like, how you will react, how you will survive, how you will mentally and emotionally deal with the aftermath, etc.
I am a fan of IPSC and shot it for years back in my law enforcement days. I am also one of those individuals who has had to use his weapon in life or death situations far too many times in my professional past. I had to work very hard to keep my IPSC mentality and approach separate from my real mentality and approach. So did the other four agents in our office who shot IPSC. And all of them had also been in life or death gun situations.
Fact: Cardboard and poppers do not shoot back.
Fact: Cardboard and poppers do not move nearly as fast or erratic as live targets do.
Fact: Cardboard and poppers do not sue you.
Fact: Cardboard and poppers do not have contact with OPR after they have been shot.
Fact: Rare is the department or agency that will allow you to carry a racegun in a race holster with lightened (ie, barely major) rounds as your duty weapon and ammo.
I learned about real shoots the hard way. My first real experiences in the service resulted in a purple heart with two clusters. My civilian experience in LE was primarily undercover and working with organized "out-of-towners" who were always well-armed, well-protected and whose protective details rarely hesitated to draw and fire on you. I've had two extended hospital stays thanks to being outnumbered and with no chance to retreat. The last time was the final straw when I turned in my B&C from my hospital bed.
I've also worn way too much black tape over my badge and flinched at way two many 21-gun salutes during my years in that business.
IPSC is a game. Nothing more. Nothing less. You can--and should--develop some good shooting habits. Good shooting habits transfer into all sorts of situations. But unfortunately, so do bad ones.
What I liked--and still like--about IPSC is the rapid target acquistion and aimpoint skills you can develop; so long as the participant never forgets that cardboard doesn't shoot back and is rarely stationary.
I like the fact that most IPSC courses have you moving and all have you starting from a draw.
I ABSOLUTELY like the safety that ISPC teaches. I like the friendships and friendly (most of the time) competitive nature that surrounds the IPSC culture.
But there are a lot of disconnects between the classrom, the IPSC playground, the books, forums, etc and the real world the second you draw your weapon and pull the trigger.
It's important to always, always bear that in mind.
Jeff