IPSC COURSE OF FIRE OBJECTIVES
Safety
IPSC competitions must be designed, constructed and conducted with due consideration to safety.
Quality
The value of IPSC shooting competition is determined by the quality of the challenge presented in the course design. Courses of fire shall be designed primarily to test a competitor's IPSC shooting skills, and not their physical strength or gymnastic abilities.
Balance
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 shall be designed, and IPSC shooting competitions shall be conducted in such a way, as to evaluate these elements equally.
Diversity
IPSC shooting challenges shall be diverse. While it is not necessary to construct new courses for each competition, no single course shall be repeated to allow its use to be considered a definitive measure of IPSC shooting skills.
Freestyle
IPSC matches are freestyle. Competitors must be permitted to solve the challenge presented in a freestyle manner and, for handgun and shotgun matches, 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.
Difficulty
IPSC shooting competitions present varied degrees of difficulty. No shooting challenge or time limit may be protested as being prohibitive. This does not apply to non-shooting challenges. Specific requirements for non-shooting challenges should reasonably allow for differences in competitor's height and physical build.
Challenge
IPSC competitions recognize the difficulty of using full power firearms in dynamic shooting, and shall always employ a minimum caliber and power level to be attained by all competitors to reflect this challenge.