Welcome to IDPA Shooting

For a while now I’ve been kicking around the idea of documenting my experiences in taking up the hobby of shooting IDPA (International Defensive Pistol Association). This is an action pistol sport where competitors shoot a timed stage or course of fire.

I started shooting IDPA around 2005 and have been hooked ever since. I had to borrow guns from my inlaws to start with, and was taught how to reload my own ammo by my father in law – a high ranking officer in the Ohio State Patrol. He was eager for me to start shooting and would take me to the indoor range at New Albany to concentrate on the fundamentals of grip, sight alignment, trigger control and mental discipline.

I had to take a break from shooting in 2006 and 2007 due to my family expanding with 2 more girls, a new job and new house. Earlier this year I managed to take a weekend away from the family and take an IDPA class with Scott Warren, a master in the game of IDPA. He took us through the fundamentals to more advanced training techniques and the mindset needed to compete and win. Until that point I had never seen a champion shoot in real life. It was inspiring to say the least.

It was after that class that I decided that I’d take IDPA more seriously and take on the competitive mindset, unfortunately my home life was rather tumultuous and I did not get started until a couple of months ago.

What follows is a documentary on my own training, performance and research into the sport of IDPA.