D.O.P.E.

Sharpshooting Your Health Data

You can see the DOPE card on this shooter rifle in this picture.

Human judgment is not perfect. As obvious as that expression is, we often find ourselves too trusting of our own ability to glean relevance from the data we collect. The Information Age is upon us, and while more information is available to us instantly than ever, our ability to make sense of it offers a new challenge.

What can be helpful is a framework that shows us how to utilize the totality of the information collected towards a meaningful outcome in performance longevity. I primarily work with individuals in the special operations community, so as of late I've found the analogy of collecting DOPE to be a useful one. DOPE, or Data On Previous Engagements, is a system of data collection used in long-distance rifle marksmanship to help shooters understand how their equipment performs in a variety of conditions.

Even if you're not in a tactical field or a hunter that uses rifles (I'm not), there are some key concepts in this article that will be reinforced throughout. My goal is to show how key concepts in understanding the ecology of dynamic systems is an ever-present reality and that the ways human beings deal with that complexity show up over and over again, regardless of the domain of performance you may be pursuing.

What is DOPE?

DOPE is widely used in the long-range precision marksmanship community to ensure consistency and accuracy in rifles across conditions. A variety of factors influence the ability of a shooter to consistently and accurately hit their target. DOPE is a system of data collection that allows shooters to record performance metrics and environmental factors in order to make any necessary adjustments to their equipment or shooting technique to improve the likelihood of a successful shot.

Traditionally, DOPE was collected on namesake cards that shooters carry in tandem with their rifle. These DOPE cards are usually stored in a weatherproof casing with a window that allows the shooter to quickly access the necessary data to tune their rifle appropriately. On the cards is information relating both to the internal characteristics of the equipment and environmental factors that influence projectile behavior. Let's look at some of these in a bit more detail.

Internal Factors

Ballistic information like muzzle velocity (the speed at which the bullet travels), bullet trajectory (the drop of the bullet at various distances), and ballistic coefficient (a measure of the bullet's ability to overcome air resistance) all help predict projectile behavior.

Another set of internal factors is information about the weapon itself. Along with the behavior of the bullet is information about the cartridge itself. Rifle zero (when the sights are aligned with the point of impact), windage (corrections made for wind), and elevation (vertical adjustment needed to account for bullet drop) are important aspects to consider. Additionally, manufacturer, caliber, powder load, and grain (bullet weight) are all important information in precision marksmanship.

External Factors

Not only do the intrinsic values of the rifle make a difference, but the external values of the environment do too. First off, knowing the distance to the target is essential information, as is knowing altitude, humidity, temperature, and wind.

All of these factors together affect the behavior of a bullet regardless of how tight the tolerances are on the equipment itself. Knowing how your equipment (and you) behave in a variety of conditions is key for shooters, whether it is a military or law enforcement sniper making a crucial shot on a threat or a hunter executing a precise and ethical kill. Interaction with the environment as the final straw seems to be a universal truth.

Shooters use the data on their DOPE cards, or from modern digital devices, to make on-the-spot adjustments to their scope based on the data they've accrued. Experienced shooters in my Check Engine Light classes have told me—and this certainly makes sense—that when you've shot a rifle over and over in many different conditions, you begin to have an intuitive connection to the adjustments that need to be made. Not that data is unnecessary, but your informed experience tightens the range of mistakes and necessary adjustments to hit the target.

My point in sharing any granularity on the topic of DOPE here isn't to deliver any real insight into precision marksmanship. I'm far from qualified for that. The point is to show that, like us, there is a complex interaction of components that are all working together to hit the target. Having a better understanding of that fact will improve our ability to make the necessary adjustments so we can hit our intended target in a variety of conditions.

So what does all of that have to do with how you manage your health data?

Actually, quite a bit.

Health DOPE

The data collected from wearable devices doesn't exist in a vacuum. All of your HRV, sleep, and activity data is driven by the context in which the measurements were taken. What looks like a garbage sleep score when life is relatively calm might be darn good if you're adjusting to a new time zone.

Just like rifle DOPE has both internal and external conditions that shape the outcomes, so do the factors that influence both health and performance. Humans have internal qualities like our genetics, fitness levels, temperament, and personal history. All of these can affect the way we handle stress, for example. But equally as important is the interaction that our internal variables are having with the environmental context we are experiencing at the time.

Let's examine an example of this more closely.

Someone managing stress through mindfulness might use a wearable to track their breathing rate, heart rate variability (HRV), and sleep patterns. The device logs data over several weeks, showing how specific breathing techniques or relaxation exercises influence HRV and stress levels. This allows the user to identify which methods are most effective, adapting their routines based on the "target array" of metrics. Just as DOPE helps marksmen consistently hit their target, wearable data enables users to make informed decisions for achieving health goals with precision and consistency.

Additionally, just like a shooter gets better at adjusting their rifle by knowing how it performs in different conditions, you can also get better at making refined adjustments in your health and performance tools based on your experience measuring in different contexts. As a result, you will become more attuned to markers, both digital and intuitive, of potential changes in your health "environment." This means you can make better adjustments sooner and have less overall turbulence in the consistency of your outcomes. Some wearable device software already accounts for this possibility to some degree. For example, the Oura Ring app allows you to tag aspects of your health data and then search those tags later to better identify trends.

I cannot emphasize this point enough, and it is one of the core themes of this article and the way I teach in general. The measurements we take cannot be separated from the context in which they are taken. Complex systems, especially biological ones, do not operate on linear single cause-and-effect pathways. Data is most helpful when taken as a whole.

First, Know Your Target

Wearables, sleep, HRV—subjective data—motivation, mood, workout feel. This applies to the entire array of metrics, both objective and subjective, that inform you. One important aspect of marksmanship that gets overlooked in health and performance quite often is the clear definition of the target—or more precisely, a target array.

This series of targets and the conditions by which they are hit are the first step in using the data. It's an implicit step in target shooting but not so much in more variable environments, like those a backcountry hunter might encounter. All of this to say, all the data collection and clever interpretation adds up to exactly fuck all if you're shooting at the wrong thing to begin with.

Get Good Hits

I'm not anything even resembling a shooting or marksmanship expert—at all. I have found, however, that using the idea of DOPE has proven useful in the community I teach most frequently. I hope strength and conditioning coaches working in the tactical field find this analogy useful as well.

It can be a bridge to helping users new to wearable technology better understand how to frame the use of this information in ways that are more clearly actionable and ultimately helpful in the pursuit of more consistent performance and health. Now go get some data, adjust as needed, and get more good hits!

Thanks for reading,

Rob

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