What makes a good club level stage?

[Coach]

I want to hear everyone's thoughts.

 

[downrange72]

it requires movement
it has a high round count
straight forward no thinking just shoot
Options
Targets at distance. I suck especially at this, so I need to work on that

I got to choose multiple, not sure if that was the intention

 

[ModernGunner]

Not familiar with the requirements for a 'club level stage'. Obviously, there's some sort of rules for it depending on the affiliated 'Association'.

That said, depends on what the 'objective' of the match is? Combat realism? Marksmanship skill above everything else?

JMO, but anything 'beyond' straight-forward bullseye shooting should be geared as much as possible toward a combat scenario.

So, moving targets, engage targets while moving, targets close, targets at distance, round count that taxes the capacity of the magazines. A stage that requires LOTS of 'critical thinking'. No targets larger than, say, 9" - 10" (sq. or dia., depending on the target). High level of difficulty. No '14th place ribbon for "participation"', LOL...

Oh, and stock guns or VERY minor 'street mods' only. Same with holsters, etc.

Many other ideas come to mind, but those pretty much cover the options offered.

 

[Snizz1911]

I think everything you've listed goes into making a good match, but I'm not sure there's a way to quantify what makes a great stage. Obviously every stage can't contain all of those though, but a good mixture makes for a good match. Who's to say what's better, a hoser stage, speed shoot, memory stage, etc. That's all personal preference. So if you have a good mixture of types of stages, with a little of the above choices thrown into each stage in theory it should be a well rounded match.

Personally I "like" options, stages that make you really think about your plan, some difficulty thrown in whether it be distance, some no shoots etc. But to my point above, I wouldn't want every stage to be like that.

Things I don't like are stages that look/break down the same throughout the match. I think it's valuable getting stage designs from a variety of club members to prevent this. After shooting some club matches out of state I think we are pretty lucky here in Indiana. There's a good match every weekend

 

[rvb]

I like all those. Variety is a great thing.
-rvb

 

[Coach]

Not familiar with the requirements for a 'club level stage'. Obviously, there's some sort of rules for it depending on the affiliated 'Association'.

That said, depends on what the 'objective' of the match is? Combat realism? Marksmanship skill above everything else?

JMO, but anything 'beyond' straight-forward bullseye shooting should be geared as much as possible toward a combat scenario.

So, moving targets, engage targets while moving, targets close, targets at distance, round count that taxes the capacity of the magazines. A stage that requires LOTS of 'critical thinking'. No targets larger than, say, 9" - 10" (sq. or dia., depending on the target). High level of difficulty. No '14th place ribbon for "participation"', LOL...

Oh, and stock guns or VERY minor 'street mods' only. Same with holsters, etc.

Many other ideas come to mind, but those pretty much cover the options offered.

It is a question about USPSA stages.

 

[Rob377]

Not familiar with the requirements for a 'club level stage'. Obviously, there's some sort of rules for it depending on the affiliated 'Association'.

That said, depends on what the 'objective' of the match is? Combat realism? Marksmanship skill above everything else?

JMO, but anything 'beyond' straight-forward bullseye shooting should be geared as much as possible toward a combat scenario.

So, moving targets, engage targets while moving, targets close, targets at distance, round count that taxes the capacity of the magazines. A stage that requires LOTS of 'critical thinking'. No targets larger than, say, 9" - 10" (sq. or dia., depending on the target). High level of difficulty. No '14th place ribbon for "participation"', LOL...

Oh, and stock guns or VERY minor 'street mods' only. Same with holsters, etc.

Many other ideas come to mind, but those pretty much cover the options offered.

Do you even compete, bro?

 

[Coach]

I like all those. Variety is a great thing.
-rvb

Is this some sort of push for strange?

 

[rvb]

Is this some sort of push for strange?

 

[Coach]

Glad you liked that.

 

[Friction]

I shot a match up in Holman WI. earlier this year and I though they did a good job making use of some bays where the space was pretty limited. That's certainly not unique to them, and its not something that local IN clubs are lacking in but they found ways to create a good balance of short and long shots, steel and paper, movement and reload options that made each stage fun and challenging for all classes. On pretty much every stage there was an opportunity for the individual shooters to take targets on the move or from static positions depending on their preference.

They also modified the start rules to add to the challenge of a stage instead of just adding to the novelty of it. Starting a stage in a phone booth or a dentist chair in TX was neat but it didn't really add anything to the match. The first stage in the video only allowed shooters to start with 1 mag in the gun and everything else was on the table. The round count was such that you could develop a target sequence to make it to the table before you needed to reload, or go directly to the table and then retreat back to the other targets. I liked the concept of risk/reward the worked into the stage. Another smart aspect of it was that the targets you could skip to make it to the table were steel so it was easy to remember which targets you skipped. However, the angle from the table made them about half the size they were from the port so the challenge was based on marksmanship not memory.

They also used walls differently then most local matches by creating hallways off the main path that lead to different shooting positions and target ranges that made the courses feel bigger then they actually were. The requirement to move into a section then shoot a target 90 degrees off of the direction of movment added to the depth of the course. I found that to be more challenging and more fun then just using the walls to create a cubby with a target at the back. There is an example of this in second stage in the video. (and yes, I shouldn't have engaged the last target after the reload but I put a round in the hard cover from 2 meters and pride took over)

The main thing they did that was different from some typical local matches was they setup a very dynamic field course with a huge shooting area that was littered with targets inside the shooting box with different challenges and options to run it. It's the third stage on the video and its the most complex and fun state I've shot to date. Guys tried to run it different ways and each shooter was able to draw on their particular strengths or preferences so it made for an interesting time. I know most guys will ***** about having to go prone, which I get, but even without that it was still a very impressive stage.

[video=youtube;0JEofPZY_2g]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JEofPZY_2g&list=UU97PxDYg_hHZpwJejE7OYSQ[/video]

 

[Coach]

I shot a match up in Holman WI. earlier this year and I though they did a good job making use of some bays where the space was pretty limited. That's certainly not unique to them, and its not something that local IN clubs are lacking in but they found ways to create a good balance of short and long shots, steel and paper, movement and reload options that made each stage fun and challenging for all classes. On pretty much every stage there was an opportunity for the individual shooters to take targets on the move or from static positions depending on their preference.

They also modified the start rules to add to the challenge of a stage instead of just adding to the novelty of it. Starting a stage in a phone booth or a dentist chair in TX was neat but it didn't really add anything to the match. The first stage in the video only allowed shooters to start with 1 mag in the gun and everything else was on the table. The round count was such that you could develop a target sequence to make it to the table before you needed to reload, or go directly to the table and then retreat back to the other targets. I liked the concept of risk/reward the worked into the stage. Another smart aspect of it was that the targets you could skip to make it to the table were steel so it was easy to remember which targets you skipped. However, the angle from the table made them about half the size they were from the port so the challenge was based on marksmanship not memory.

They also used walls differently then most local matches by creating hallways off the main path that lead to different shooting positions and target ranges that made the courses feel bigger then they actually were. The requirement to move into a section then shoot a target 90 degrees off of the direction of movment added to the depth of the course. I found that to be more challenging and more fun then just using the walls to create a cubby with a target at the back. There is an example of this in second stage in the video. (and yes, I shouldn't have engaged the last target after the reload but I put a round in the hard cover from 2 meters and pride took over)

The main thing they did that was different from some typical local matches was they setup a very dynamic field course with a huge shooting area that was littered with targets inside the shooting box with different challenges and options to run it. It's the third stage on the video and its the most complex and fun state I've shot to date. Guys tried to run it different ways and each shooter was able to draw on their particular strengths or preferences so it made for an interesting time. I know most guys will ***** about having to go prone, which I get, but even without that it was still a very impressive stage.

[video=youtube;0JEofPZY_2g]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JEofPZY_2g&list=UU97PxDYg_hHZpwJejE7OYSQ[/video]

I will design a stage with prone in it if you want. Normally when prone is involved you have to wear hearing protection all the time because it gets so loud, and the tear stained shirts are everywhere. Who knows though monistat might sponsor the stage and three days later most everyone will be fine.

 

[CB45]

I think it's hard to incorporate all those options in one stage. I like to see all those elements in a club match. Indiana clubs do a really good job of preparing shooters for level II matches.

Anything in excess usually doesn't end up being fun, but a mix of a few things ends up being a cool shooting challenge.

 

[Litlratt]

I think it's hard to incorporate all those options in one stage. I like to see all those elements in a club match. Indiana clubs do a really good job of preparing shooters for level II matches.

Anything in excess usually doesn't end up being fun, but a mix of a few things ends up being a cool shooting challenge.

Reluctant to say it, but I agree with Chad.

 

[blkrifle]

Reluctant to say it, but I agree with Chad.

you hate to agree with anyone....Chad should feel special!

 

[Fuzz]

I am new to this sport and have only been shooting once a month at Ft Wayne. I joined to improve my skills not to become serious competitor. I know there is a lot of gaming that goes on but there will always be the skills development aspect. I don't have the skills of 98% of you but I do enjoy a variety of stages. I like the hard stages as well as the qualifiers. A good mix is more fun for me. The hard stages push my skills while the easier stages let me feel better about my skills. Just my .02

 

[VERT]

When I shot club matches in South Dakota several years ago, they designed some stages with prone and kneeling shots. Some of the older guys did not fair so well. Even though I would really enjoy a stage such as this it might not be the best option. Also gotta be careful of the muzzles.