Impossible IDPA question?

[Cameramonkey]

So I doubt anyone knows, but after learning about IDPA firsthand, I have one question: Why no "down two?"

Anyone know the OFFICIAL logic behind the jump to three?

Yes, I ask weird questions. I see things that dont make sense on the surface and my curiosity makes me wonder "but WHY?" I always want to know the why of things... I'm not content knowing the whats... I find it interesting to know the whys of the world.

And if you have speculation, I welcome it, but please couch it as such. I dont mind speculation, but the Cliff Clavens who push their speculation and/or WAGs as fact annoy me. ("I dont know" are some of the wisest words ever spoken IMHO)

So what say you INGO? Whats the deal?

 

[chezuki]

My speculation is that it's to weight the scoring in a fashion that promotes good hits over speed.

 

[Grelber]

'Down two' sounds too much like 'Down You' and it was thought that pasters would end the day muddy and nerve wracked.

Belly button lint is actually 90% protein, little known fact.

 

[Rob377]

IDPA was started when people got annoyed with nice/newfangled guns showing up in USPSA, but they had their roots there. USPSA scoring zones are A/(B/C)/D, but if you take the point values (for major), they're 5/4/2. Translated into IDPA terms, thats -0,--1,-3.


They wanted to appear different from USPSA, but making a circle lower A/-0 zone and making the whole head box an A/-0 was enough. They needed to save time and energy for making the reload and penalty rules.

 

[gregkl]

Heck, it probably wouldn't matter to me. When I shoot my first IDPA, if I hit the cardboard anywhere, it will be a success for me! I'll probably end up having a bunch of bad guys crawling around wounded and maybe a few dead hostages.

 

[DustyDawg48]

Just to sound official, the Down 3 area is in a non-vital location of the target/body so hitting that zone should bring with it a harsher penalty than just a half-second increase over the down 1 zone.

 

[Cameramonkey]

Heck, it probably wouldn't matter to me. When I shoot my first IDPA, if I hit the cardboard anywhere, it will be a success for me! I'll probably end up having a bunch of bad guys crawling around wounded and maybe a few dead hostages.

Its easier than you think. Relax and dont over think it. Oh, and if its your first, take my advice... granted I;ve only shot a sample CoF during an IDPA training class, but it worked for me: GO SLOW! Take your time. I didnt rush it, I took my time, and I came out with reasonable times and just a couple "down 1"s on the targets that were far AND had to be shot on the move. Its easier than it looks as long as you dont rush your shots and get sloppy.

Remember "slow is fast, fast is slow." given the penalties in this sport are times, that old adage rings true.

Just to sound official, the Down 3 area is in a non-vital location of the target/body so hitting that zone should bring with it a harsher penalty than just a half-second increase over the down 1 zone.

That sounds reasonable to me!

 

[wtburnette]

Its easier than you think. Relax and dont over think it. Oh, and if its your first, take my advice... granted I;ve only shot a sample CoF during an IDPA training class, but it worked for me: GO SLOW! Take your time. I didnt rush it, I took my time, and I came out with reasonable times and just a couple "down 1"s on the targets that were far AND had to be shot on the move. Its easier than it looks as long as you dont rush your shots and get sloppy.

Remember "slow is fast, fast is slow." given the penalties in this sport are times, that old adage rings true.

Very true. I've shot two matches thus far and the above is the best advice for starting out. Shooting on the move, reloading while timed, shooting from cover, from different positions and under different scenarios is difficult when you first start out. I rushed in my first match and did terrible and slowing down on my second match helped me immensely. The sport it a LOT of fun. Good luck to anyone just starting out!

 

[rhino]

So I doubt anyone knows, but after learning about IDPA firsthand, I have one question: Why no "down two?"

Anyone know the OFFICIAL logic behind the jump to three?

Yes, I ask weird questions. I see things that dont make sense on the surface and my curiosity makes me wonder "but WHY?" I always want to know the why of things... I'm not content knowing the whats... I find it interesting to know the whys of the world.

And if you have speculation, I welcome it, but please couch it as such. I dont mind speculation, but the Cliff Clavens who push their speculation and/or WAGs as fact annoy me. ("I dont know" are some of the wisest words ever spoken IMHO)

So what say you INGO? Whats the deal?

I suspect someone who represents the IDPA HQ would have an answer, but I don't know if it would make any more sense than any of the many arbitrary and capricious rules that pervade IDPA.

If you want to know the factual, historical aspects, you need to go to two people: Larry Vickers and Rob Leatham. The scoring system is named after Larry Vickers because he introduced it with IDPA when it started. He has stated on camera that Rob Leatham actually invented the system and told him about it.

My speculation, for what it's worth, is that they wanted to combine simplicity with a time penalty that was appropriate for a specific segment of their customers. The specified that a point would be worth 0.5 seconds. Missing by a little is then a 0.5 second penalty. That's reasonable for a novice, but probably too long for a skilled shooter. A "down 2" scoring area would not be a significantly increased penalty over "down one." However, a full extra second per shot (1.5 seconds for "down three") seems like a penalty that would provide sufficient incentive to be more focused on accuracy.