AustralAsia practical shooting gala in Bali
This year is a special year for International Practical Shooting Confederation (IPSC) Indonesia, to host two important events: The 28th annual General Assembly of IPSC and the 2004 AustralAsia Shooting Championship.
The annual meeting of the sports organizing body is expected to be attended by representatives from more than 40 countries, while the shooting event will feature world-class shooters from France, the U.S., Europe, the Philippines, Australia and Indonesia.
The two events will be held on the paradise island of Bali from Nov. 27 to Dec. 4.
Practical shooting attempts to measure the ability to shoot safely, fast and accurately with a full-power handgun, rifle, and/or shotgun.
Three elements -- speed, accuracy and power -- form the three sides of the practical shooting triangle. The shooter's ability in all three elements will be rated in every match.
With safety in mind, shooters take obstacle-laden shooting courses, called stages, that require six to 30-plus shots to complete. The scoring system measures points per second, then weights the score to compensate for the number of shots fired. If they miss a target, or shoot inaccurately, points are deducted, lowering their score.
If shooting has an extreme version, it is the IPSC-sanctioned practical shooting. Competitors negotiate obstacles, run, speed- reload and shoot through several courses as fast as their skills will allow.
Practical shooting evolved from experimentation on self- defense with handguns. The researchers were an international group of civilians, law enforcement officers and military people, generally operating independently of each other, challenging the then-accepted standards of technique, training and equipment.
The work was, for the most part, conducted for their own purposes without official sanction. Even so, their discoveries changed police and military training forever.
In 1976, an international group of handgun enthusiasts interested in what had become known as "practical" shooting met in Columbia, Missouri, and thus emerged the IPSC.
In 1997, IPSC Indonesia was incorporated as one of the regional branches of IPSC International. Today, IPSC International has members from over 60 countries and is headquartered in Canada.
"From a humble beginning of a handful of enthusiastic shooters, IPSC Indonesia has grown to more than 300 members to date. Since the first days of Level 1 competition, we have steadily grown and continuously held Level 2 and Level 3 matches and have participated in international events throughout its seven years of existence," said Bambang Trihatmodjo, director of IPSC Indonesia.
For more information, visit www.ipscindonesia.com.