I shake my head when I read that competition is not "real" or equal to a "gunfight", or whatever excuse anyone can place on the activity of match shooting. The people with this mindset are best left alone, if not you must love wasting your time on dead-end souls. Let these people stay lost. Any activity that one can do at any level of ability, is 100% better than no activity at all. One can attend every class in the world, what happens when you remove the guidance of a trainer? How do you perform? That's what real practice and competition bring to the table.
As I get older my give a damn about peoples status and interest in activities I enjoy is less and less, I really do not want to openly share my experience or knowledge with just anyone anymore. I only want to help people who I respect. My respect is given to anyone who cares enough to actively seek self-improvement, not read about it, or talk about it.
Match shooting is the best testing grounds for mental and physical ability while holding a firearm in one's hands. I say this because every time you win or fail you learn something and go home. In a gunfight, you only walk away if you win, not much to learn beyond I survived. The odds of winning are not high if you have never been tested on critical skills. Match shooting tests you on near same critical skills.
Keep in mind a "gunfight" is a two-way range, a "shooting" is a one-way range. I do not prepare myself for a simple "shooting", unskilled people of all ages survive, it takes skill, ability and mindset to win a gunfight. Matches offer the best option to develop and hone the skills needed.