USPSA Beginners Course

B

betterdays

New member
I'm not new to handguns but I've never attended a course before and our club is offering it. I would like to compete in the future.

Have you attended the course? Does it help prepare you for competition?
 
I've never attended a USPSA "beginner's" course, but I've shot USPSA matches.

Most similar matches don't have such courses, we just show up as "new guys" and get briefed on the rules and start shooting. Like most venues the older competitors welcome new shooters and are more then willing to get them started in the right direction.

However, if there is such a course (as you indicated there is in your club), as a new shooter I would jump on it.

I know in high power the CMP conducts Small Arms Firing Schools for new shooters. It is a great starting point. Actually a good refresher for old shooters also. It's a highly beneficial program, in fact the SAFS' were started by Teddy Roosevelt and now, are mandated by Congress. (Mandatory for the CMP to conduct, not mandatory for shooters).

I would like to see such a program for other venues in shooting sports, it would help new shooters get started right, if you get the right start, the more likely you will be successful, you'll come back, you'll bring your friends and the sport will grow.

New shooters are the future of our sport, providing safe knowledgeable training would go a long ways toward that means.

So yes I'd attend the course, and I'd encourage more clubs to conduct such courses.
 
I just showed up and shot my first match about a year ago. One of the clubs offers a course but I didn't go to it because it was on a Sunday, the other club offers nothing like that.

About every other match someone new comes just to watch but they generally wish they would of shot the match after the fact. Even the first time they are not that complicated after you watch 7 guys shoot a stage before you do. Be safe and it doesn't really matter how bad you shoot the first time.
 
IPSC Canada requires that new shooters go through a "black badge" course to ensure they know the rules, scoring, 180 line, procedures, and so on. If nothing else, it'll give you a better understanding of the sport and how to participate safely, and it might give you a better feel for which division(s) you want to shoot in.
 
It's a great idea and prepares you for competition by teaching you what will happen during the match without time pressure or embarassment over being a newbie.

I suspect, but can't prove, that folks who do an intro course are more likely to continue in the sport than those whose first exposure is stepping up to the line in front of people who can shoot that "simple" course in 10 seconds and wind up being embarassed that they ran out of all their ammunition, took 6 minutes and 58 second to do so and STILL didn't engage all the targets.

Make it easy on yourself - get some training in a training environment.
 
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