IPSC - International Practical Shooting Confederation

History The art of shooting can be traced back as far as the Middle Ages but it wasn't until the 19th century that shooting actually developed into a sport. In the 200 years since, shooters have come together at the local, national, and international level to practice and compete in a variety of shooting disciplines. IPSC-style competitive shooting developed in southern California, U.S.A. in the late 1950's and quickly spread throughout the shooting world. As the sport attracted more interest, participants sought a more structured format and competition environment. As a result, in May of 1976, the International Pistol Conference was held in Colombia, Missouri where sportsmen from around the world participated in determining the structure, organization, and future of IPSC marksmanship. A constitution was established and the Confederation was born.

IPSC was established to promote, maintain, and advance practical marksmanship.

Sport IPSC athletes must blend accuracy, power, and speed into a winning combination. Handgun targets are 75 centimeters by 45 centimeters with a 15 centimeter center representing the "A zone" or bullseye. Most shooting takes place at relatively close distances, with rare shots out to 50 meters. Hitting a 15 centimeter zone might seem easy to an experienced pistol shooter, but in IPSC only full power handguns are used (9mm or larger).

Mastering a full power handgun is considerably more difficult than shooting a light recoiling target pistol, especially when the competitor is trying to go as fast as possible. Time is a key factor. Scores are divided by the time taken to achieve them, adding to the challenge.

Handgun shooters may enter any one of five Divisions depending on the style of firearm they use.

IPSC is not restricted to handguns. There are four disciplines; IPSC Handgun, IPSC Rifle, IPSC Shotgun and IPSC Action Air.

Quoted from http://www.ipsc.org