WATCH: My Federal Premium Tips for Breaking Down a Stage

Are you interested in shooting your first USPSA, IDPA, or IPSC match or wish to improve your practical or defensive competition game? Learning how to figure out the best plan on a course of fire based on your comfort and ability level is important to perform your best. Here are 3 videos I filmed with Federal Premium and my tips to help you break down a course of fire.

Getting Started

• Read the stage briefing. Often posted on the stage or available online, the briefing will give you important details like round count, the number and type of targets, the start position, and specific requirements for the stage.
• Count the targets. Especially helpful for high round count field courses, counting targets helps ensure you account for all your shots. For intense stages with several shooting positions, it can be helpful to walk to the targets to get a reverse view. Sometimes stage designers like to place targets deep into positions, counting your targets and shots helps prevent you from missing any when forming your plan.
• Explore all the Options. Many times targets can be seen from multiple positions. This offers more than one option to shoot a stage. Keep an open mind when you begin to form your plan. The obvious plan may not be the best one.

Reloads & Target Engagement

• Plan your reloads. Next, it’s time to address where to reload magazines, moon clips or loaders. Typically it’s best to avoid flat-footed or standing reloads. It’s almost always faster to reload as you move.
• Address target order. Dig deeper into your stage planning by determining the best way to shoot targets in each array. Many times it’s faster to shoot the first target you see first and sweep through the targets as they appear. If you’re shooting IDPA, this is often required. There may be cases where it may be faster to enter deep into a position for a difficult shot and sweep outward so that your easiest target is last.
• Time moving targets. Pay attention to not only how fast targets move and how long they are exposed but also how long it takes for them to be activated. Based on your ability level you may be able to engage other targets while you’re waiting on moving targets.

Conservation of Movement

• Address movement on the stage. Look at ways to take fewer steps on a stage and conserve movement. Count your steps or use a stopwatch to time your movement to figure out the fastest way to move throughout a course of fire.
• Avoid crowding positions. When possible, position your feet a few steps back from walls, barriers, and windows. This positioning often helps save time when exiting positions as well.
• Examine entries, exits, and options to shoot on the move. Having the firearm up and ready as you ease into a position, taking small steps to back out of a position as you engage final targets in an array or shooting targets on the move are other ways to help shave seconds off your time.

As I mentioned in the videos, these are general guidelines. There are no hard rules when it comes to forming the best stage plan. Stage planning is as dynamic as the courses of fire in these sports. You may find the fastest way to shoot a stage involves a flat-footed reload or taking extra steps to shoot targets closer. Because you rarely get to shoot a stage more than once, make a note of courses of fire that challenge your stage breakdown skills and try to set them up in practice to help you continue to excel. The more stages you shoot, the more experience you’ll have in breaking down courses of fire. Keep in mind, as your shooting ability improves, so will your ability to push the speed on target array engagements and movement.

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