Rhino1 wrote:I've been shooting IDPA for a little over 3 years. I wanted to go out with a friend who shot matches and watch first but he kept being out of town. I just showed up for my first match and did fine. I tell new shooters, safety is first and accuracy is second. Take the time to get a good sight picture and make the shot. Speed will come with time and practice. "You can't shoot fast enough to make up a miss". IDPA has some heavy penalties for inaccuracy (as do other action shooting sports, e.g. newest Multi gun scoring rules).
Come out and have fun.
Hit YouTube and do a search on IDPA. You'll find all kinds of videos of matches that will give you a good idea of various types of stages and courses of fire. Then browse through the IDPA rule book, available at http://www.idpa.com/Documents/IDPARuleBook2005.pdf, to get an idea of regulations and range commands. You'll be all set to go shoot your first match!