Major Matches are one of the key elements of IDPA competition. We are required to periodically participate in Classifier Matches, we enjoy regular club matches, and many clubs sponsor regular practice matches. Major sanctioned IDPA matches are the pinnacle of IDPA competition; such matches must be approved by IDPA headquarters. The specifics for getting such an approval are detailed in the Rule Book. All the details of a Major Match are pretty much cut and dried. This does not mean all such matches are equally successful. In fact some of them have elements that are just terrible.

Many experienced shooters have gone to matches that were no fun. A brief solicitation quickly developed as a list of things that leave match participants dissatisfied.

Setting up the Match
First, things can go wrong from the beginning. There are things match committees and match directors do that cause problems before the match even starts. Putting on a successful sanctioned match requires lots of planning and teamwork.

• Not providing for logistical support ─ This means that the details such as water for the shooters, bathrooms, and parking are all considered and planned out in advance.
• Boring and repetitious stages ─ Variety is the spice of matches. Too often the stages are so similar that they tend to blur together. Not only are dull stages less fun, they do not provide a well rounded challenge for all shooters
• Mistaking high round counts for interesting stages ─ According to the rules, a sanctioned match must have at least eight stages of fire with a minimum of 100 scored shots. Some Match Directors mistake quantity for quality. It is not necessary that every stage have 18 rounds; in fact there should be a variety of round counts helping to keep each course of fire different
• Failing to account for the enormous variety of shooters ─ A major match with at least 75 shooters can expect a variation of 18" in height, 200 pounds in weight and 60 years of age. Stage design needs to take differences in physical abilities into account. Do you require shooters to fire over high barriers that a tall man can easily see over but requires women or younger shooters to stand on tiptoe? And above all, to not expect older, full-figured men to have to get up for a prone or kneeling position to complete a stage. All stages should allow Marksman level shooters to have a reasonable way to successfully complete the scenario.
• Novelty props that slow the match ─ A novelty prop is something that is weird, has no benefit in a "defensive" situation, and causes significant delays in the operation of the match. Novelty props are often lots of fun, but they must not impede the flow of the match.
• Shotguns and carbines ─ There is a place for 3 Gun Matches, just not in sanctioned IDPA matches, which are pistol only competitions.

• Closed Squading ─ This means that shooters are required to remain with the squad they are assigned with for the entire match. Forcing shooters to stay in the same squads and move together as a group has two major drawbacks. First, not all squads will shoot at the same rate. This means entire squads will naturally back up behind the slower ones, making everyone slower. Second, it is more enjoyable to shoot with friends. It is also much more enjoyable for the shooters to pick the own order of scenarios after the first stage. The only exception to this is for very large matches where the flow of shooters needs to be closely regulated.
• Using different procedures for sign in at different stages ─ There are a number of ways to organize stages for shooters to move through stages. What is very confusing is having a different process for each stage, one asks shooters to hold their sign in sheets and sign a list, another to hand over their score sheets to the SO. This leads to confusion and misunderstandings. Almost any system will work as long as it is the same for all stages. The match director needs to let the stage SO’s and scorekeepers know what that procedure is.
• Safety Officers who interpret the rules ‘their way’ instead of in accordance with the rule book ─ It does not matter if the stage SO announces in the course walk- through that he will call shooters out of cover if more than their head and hand is exposed; the IDPA rule book defines cover as 50% of the upper torso. Match Directors need to be aware of how SOs will be calling each stage before the match begins. Sanctioned matches must be run strictly by the IDPA Rule Book.
• Inconsistent calls by Safety Officers ─ Each stage must be judged the same way for each and every shooter. The way it is called in the morning must be the way it is called in the afternoon. Friends, rivals, and strangers must all have the same enforcement of the rules.
• Not making provisions for the relief for Safety Officers and scorers ─ Acting as an SO or score keeper at a sanctioned match is a long, tiring job. Ideally there should be two qualified SO’s available at each stage, one acting as SO the other as score keeper. Having Safety Officers remain at the same stage all day reduces inconsistencies in how the stage is run. The SO working as the scorekeeper can be relieved by a floating scorekeeper to allow them to get a meal or take a bio break while maintaining a consistent stage. Allowing for a break keeps the SO’s fresh and prevents slowing down the match because a stage is shut down for the convenience of the SO’s.

• Cancelling a match ─ Once a match is scheduled the club should do everything possible to hold the event. Participants often have associated out of pocket expenses such as airfare that cannot be recovered. If a club is has to cancel a match for any reason all match fees must be refunded. Cancelling a match and not refunding the money is inexcusable. Actually it can be considered fraud.
• Refunds ─ There should be a clear policy for refunding the money when a participant has to cancel for unavoidable events like a death in the family or a hurricane after the announced refund cut off date. This must, of course, be handled on a case by case basis. Remember, we are all in the same community; clubs should consider the needs of individuals who are faced by situations beyond their control.
• Long delays in posting the results ─ Sanctioned matches bring in shooters from a large geographical area. That means many participants will have a long way to go after the match. Major matches need to complete scoring and post the scores as quickly as possible after the shooters have finished. With modern software and good organization, some events have posted scores 15 minutes after the last shot. Others have taken over two hours, while tired shooters watch the sun go down, facing long drives home in the darkness.
• Requiring participants to tear down stages ─ It may be standard procedure for participants to pitch in and tear down stages after club matches ─ it should not be when your shooters have paid >$90 for the privilege of shooting the match. Part of that money can be used to hire a couple of guys to help break stages down. What is especially galling is, after a long hard day, being verbally abused for not doing the breakdowns fast enough to suit the match director.
• Prize Tables ─ There is absolutely no requirement for a prize table. In fact, the IDPA does not approve any type of incentive program based on shooter performance. That said, many clubs take advantage of sponsors to offer prizes at a raffle after a match. This is a very good thing. A poor Prize Table is a lost opportunity to generate customer satisfaction. We have all seen a shooter who had a bad day shooting suddenly have a Great Match when he gets lucky at the drawing. Shooters should have an idea before the match begins as to the level of the prizes that will be given out. Setting expectations is critical to customer satisfaction. Further the club needs to ensure sure prizes are awarded promptly and fairly.