Rules
Here are the current rules in force for IPSC
2012 Rules
2009 Rules
Range Officer Guidelines
Guidelines for Stage Design:
IPSC matches must be designed, constructed and
conducted with due consideration to safety. (2009 Jan 2nd
ed. Rules 1.1.1).
Be careful that you don’t create dangerous
situations, or traps designed to make someone do something dangerous
like break a 180.
Courses of fire must be designed primarily to test
a competitor’s IPSC shooting skills, not their physical abilities.
(2009 Jan 2nd ed. Rules 1.1.2).
Try not to create courses that require more
running, climbing or crawling than shooting.
Accuracy, Power and Speed are equivalent elements
of IPSC shooting, and are expressed in the Latin words "Diligentia,
Vis, Celeritas" (“DVC”). A properly balanced course of fire will
depend largely upon the nature of the
challenges presented therein, however, courses must
be designed, and IPSC matches must be conducted in such a way, as to
evaluate these elements equally. (2009 Jan 2nd ed. Rules
1.1.3).
It may be difficult to incorporate all the
properties into each shoot, but overall your entire shoot should
reflect a balance of all the factors.
IPSC matches are freestyle. Competitors must be
permitted to solve the challenge presented in a freestyle manner,
and to shoot targets on an "as and when visible" basis. After the
start signal, courses of fire must not require mandatory reloads nor
dictate a shooting position, location or stance, except as specified
below. However, conditions
may be created, and barriers or other physical limitations may be
constructed, to compel a competitor into shooting positions,
locations or stances. (2009 Jan 2nd ed. Rules 1.1.5).
The exception is with Standard Exercises. Where
ever possible you should design courses that can at least be started
in different ways to allow diversity in the solution of the shoot
and ideally have solutions that are as varied as possible. It makes
for a much more challenging and interesting shoot.
IPSC matches may contain the following types of
courses of fire:
1.2.1. General Courses of Fire:
1.2.1.1. “Short Courses” must not require more than
9 rounds to complete and no more than 2 shooting locations.
1.2.1.2. "Medium Courses" must not require more
than 16 rounds to complete and no more than 3 shooting locations.
Course design and construction must not require more than 9 scoring
hits from any single location or view, nor allow a competitor to
shoot all targets in the course of fire from any single location or
view.
1.2.1.3. "Long Courses" must not require more than
32 rounds to complete. Course design and construction must not
require more than 9 scoring hits from any single location or view,
nor allow a competitor to shoot all targets in the course of fire
from any single location or view.
1.2.1.4. The recommended balance for an IPSC match
is a ratio of 3 Short Courses to 2 Medium Courses to 1 Long Course.
Where possible, it is further recommended that no single COF in a
match represents more than 15% of the total match points available.
As it relates to course construction and safety
you must read Chapter 2 of the IPSC Handgun Rules, January 2009, 2nd
Edition from 2.1 to 2.3.6.
Remember that we shoot IPSC for fun!(99.9%
of us anyway!). Please make sure that you plan your efforts to
create a situation that all participants regardless of skill level
can have fun and be SAFE, that way the sport will grow and we will
all continue to enjoy IPSC shooting.