The International Defensive Pistol Association (IDPA) is America's fastest-growing practical shooting discipline. With more than 12,000 members since its inception in 1996, the IDPA has risen to fill the self-defense niche on today's shooting-sports menu. So what exactly is IDPA?

To quote directly from the rule book: "Defensive Pistol shooting as a sport is quite simply the use of practical equipment, including full-charge service ammunition, to solve simulated 'real world' self-defense scenarios."

Shooting an IDPA match is a little like a round of golf. You show up with your equipment (clubs and balls or guns and ammo), which you use to negotiate a course. Lowest score (strokes in golf and seconds in IDPA) wins. To finish the analogy, it is important to note that a round of golf is different from a golf lesson, just as an IDPA match is different from firearms instruction. Ideally, the match is an opportunity to practice your gun-handling skills in a competitive yet friendly environment.