Competition vs. Training

I'll disagree with Ralph on this, I personally believe competition is a great way to hone your skills, and to take what you have learned in training to practice.
There are very very few ranges that will allow drawing from a holster, shooting on move etc. Plus competitive shooting instills a certain amount of stress, which is something you will have in the real world. Even quality training does not fully prepare you for the real world. Even force on force type classes do not prepare you for the real thing, after all everyone goes home after the class, in a real fight there is no "Lets try that over again". Also as Brigid wrote the other day if we do not work on those skills we will not retain them. If you take a class, then do not follow up with practicing the new skills they will soon fade in a short period. But if you attend a club match once a month you can hone and refine the skill, over time your heart does not beat as hard, your breath does not come in panting gasps. You calm down, and when you do you shoot better.

All Training is unrealistic, it teaches the mechanical skills, the hows and whys, etc, but it does not involve the distortions of combat. Does it have a purpose? Of course it does, it gives you the basic skills and knowledge to prevail.

All competition is unrealistic, I mean are you really going to take on 35-40 targets by yourself? But allows you to practice the skills & knowledge you got in training to a simulated environment. I played the game for several years, and may again. I was not a big winner, as I always attempted to do it the way I would in real life, while everyone else "played the game", but I nearly always came in around the top five in a match.

The only thing that prepares you for combat is combat where every decision you make could be life or death,where even making the right ones is no guarantee you'll survive. Combat is a place none of ever want to be in.

Massad Ayoob, has written of a number of shootings where competitive shooters prevailed

Training will give you the knowledge,skills and attitude. Competition will allow you to hone the knowledge and skills you learned in training, and you just have to have the attitude that it is what it is.

For a few we have access to a range that allows us to do whatever we want, I have my own. Hell if I want to stand on my head and draw from the holster I can. But for the large majority that's not an option, where the local gun club that does IPSC or IDPA is.

Training and competition complement each other