- Safety - IPSC matches must be designed, constructed and conducted with due consideration to safety.
- Quality - The value of an IPSC match is determined by the quality of the challenge presented in the course design. Courses of fire must be designed primarily to test a competitor's IPSC shooting skills, not their physical 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 must be designed, and IPSC matches must be conducted in such a way, as to evaluate these elements equally.
- Diversity - IPSC shooting challenges are diverse. While it is not necessary to construct new courses for each match, no single course of fire must 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 to shoot targets on an "as and when visible" basis. Courses of fire must not require mandatory reloads nor dictate a shooting position 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 or stances.
- Difficulty -- IPSC matches present varied degrees of difficulty. No shooting challenge or time limit may be appealed as being prohibitive. This does not apply to non-shooting challenges, which should reasonably allow for differences in competitor's height and physical build.
- Challenge - IPSC Handgun matches recognize the difficulty of using full power handguns in dynamic shooting, and must always employ a minimum caliber and power level to be attained by all competitors to reflect this challenge.
On The Upper Pad II ~ CM 99-56
