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The 'Finding 100' exercise is a strategic approach to optimizing your shooting performance. It involves repeatedly shooting the same exercise at different aggressiveness levels to gather data and determine your optimal shooting style. This method encourages a data-driven approach, moving away from arbitrary speed or excessive caution.
Step-by-Step Guide
Choose Your Exercise: Select a shooting exercise or drill. It can be any exercise, but ideally, it should involve multiple targets and allow for variations in speed and approach. Bill Drill and El Presidente are good drills for this, but any combination of targets or a short stage that you can run repeatedly will work just fine.
Establish a Baseline: Start by shooting the exercise at a comfortable pace, one that you would typically use in a match. This serves as your baseline.
Varying Levels of Aggressiveness: Safe Mode (shoot the drill at a slower pace, emphasizing safety and accuracy) vs Aggressive Mode (increase the speed to a level where it feels challenging, almost to the point where maintaining control is difficult).
Gather Data: After each run, record your times and scores. Note down how comfortable you felt, the accuracy, and any other observations.
Analyze Your Performance: Compare the results across different levels of aggressiveness. Look for patterns - are you shooting faster but less accurately when aggressive? Or are you too slow and cautious at safer speeds?
Identify Your '100' Speed: This analysis identifies the pace at which you achieve the best balance of speed and accuracy. This is your '100' speed - the optimal level of aggressiveness for you.
Refine and Repeat: Continuously practice at your '100' speed. As you become more comfortable, reassess and adjust if necessary.
Benefits of the 'Finding 100' Exercise
Data-Driven Improvement: By relying on data instead of feelings, you make objective decisions about your shooting style.
Personalized Pace: Discover a pace that is uniquely suited to your skills and comfort level.
Balanced Approach: Find the sweet spot between speed and precision, leading to more consistent and effective performance in matches.
Match Pace
In a match, you should aim (pun intended) to shoot at about 95% to 98%. The objective of this exercise is not for you to shoot at your 100% level in a match. Consistency across all stages is the key objective in an actual match.
You want to understand your 100% limit so you can shoot consistently within that limit. Giving yourself a leeway of a few percentage points is a small price to pay to avoid, or at least reduce, the mikes and no-shoots.
Conclusion
The 'Finding 100' exercise is valuable for any shooter looking to refine their technique. It pushes you out of your comfort zone, challenges preconceived notions about speed and safety and provides a clear, data-backed path to improvement. Consistency and an open mind to what the data tells you about your performance are the keys to success in this exercise.
Pro Tip: Download our Finding 100 Training Log to keep track of your improvements.
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