Physical Education: Sports Statistics: Shot Charts and Strategy
Using shot data to make smarter game decisions
Physical Education: Sports Statistics: Shot Charts and Strategy
Using shot data to make smarter game decisions
Physical Education - Grade 6-8
- 1
A basketball player takes 12 shots from the left side of the court and makes 6 of them. What is the player's shooting percentage from the left side?
Shooting percentage equals made shots divided by total shots, then multiplied by 100.
The player made 6 out of 12 shots. The shooting percentage is 6 divided by 12, which equals 0.50, so the player shot 50% from the left side. - 2
A shot chart shows that a team made 8 of 10 layups, 4 of 12 mid-range shots, and 3 of 10 three-point shots. Which shot type had the highest shooting percentage?
Calculate the percentage for each shot type before comparing them.
Layups had the highest shooting percentage. The team made 8 out of 10 layups, which is 80%. Mid-range shots were 4 out of 12, about 33%, and three-point shots were 3 out of 10, or 30%. - 3
During a soccer match, a player takes 5 shots from inside the penalty box and scores 2 goals. The same player takes 6 shots from outside the penalty box and scores 0 goals. What strategy should the player consider for the next game?
The player should try to create more shots from inside the penalty box. The player scored 2 out of 5 shots inside the box but did not score on any shots outside the box, so inside shots were more effective. - 4
A volleyball team records attack attempts. Player A has 10 kills on 20 attempts. Player B has 8 kills on 12 attempts. Which player has the better kill percentage?
Kill percentage is kills divided by total attack attempts.
Player B has the better kill percentage. Player A's kill percentage is 10 divided by 20, or 50%. Player B's kill percentage is 8 divided by 12, which is about 67%. - 5
A basketball team makes 9 of 15 shots in the paint and 5 of 20 shots outside the paint. Explain one offensive strategy the team should use based on this data.
The team should try to get more shots in the paint because it made 9 out of 15 there, which is 60%. It made only 5 out of 20 outside the paint, which is 25%. The data shows that paint shots were more successful. - 6
A hockey team takes 18 shots from close range and scores 3 goals. It takes 12 shots from the blue line and scores 1 goal. Calculate the scoring percentage for each area.
Divide goals by shots for each area, then multiply by 100.
The close-range scoring percentage is 3 divided by 18, which is about 16.7%. The blue line scoring percentage is 1 divided by 12, which is about 8.3%. Close-range shots had the higher scoring percentage. - 7
A basketball player attempted 24 shots in a game and made 9. In the next game, the player attempted 16 shots and made 8. In which game was the player more efficient?
The player was more efficient in the second game. In the first game, the player made 9 out of 24 shots, which is 37.5%. In the second game, the player made 8 out of 16 shots, which is 50%. - 8
A shot chart uses green dots for made shots and red dots for missed shots. Most green dots are near the basket, while most red dots are far from the basket. What does this pattern suggest?
Look for where the successful shots are grouped.
The pattern suggests that the team is more successful near the basket and less successful on long shots. A good strategy would be to create more close shots and take long shots only when they are open or necessary. - 9
A soccer coach tracks corner kicks. The team takes 10 short corner kicks and creates 4 shots. It takes 8 long corner kicks and creates 2 shots. Which corner kick strategy created shots at a higher rate?
Compare shots created per corner kick.
Short corner kicks created shots at a higher rate. The short corner rate is 4 shots divided by 10 corner kicks, or 40%. The long corner rate is 2 divided by 8, or 25%. - 10
In basketball, a two-point shot is worth 2 points and a three-point shot is worth 3 points. A team makes 6 of 10 two-point shots and 3 of 10 three-point shots. Which group of 10 shots produced more points?
The two-point shots produced more points. Six made two-point shots are worth 12 points, while three made three-point shots are worth 9 points. - 11
A lacrosse player scores on 4 of 8 shots from the center and 1 of 7 shots from the side. How can this data help the team's offense?
Think about how teammates can help create the player's best shot location.
The data shows that the player is more effective shooting from the center. The team can help by passing to the player in the center area or running plays that create center shots. - 12
A basketball team wants to improve its shot selection. The team made 14 of 20 fast-break shots but only 6 of 24 contested half-court shots. What practice focus could help the team use this information?
The team could practice creating fast-break opportunities and also work on passing to find open shots in the half court. Fast-break shots were much more successful, while contested half-court shots had a low percentage. - 13
A team chart shows 30 total shots: 12 from Zone A, 10 from Zone B, and 8 from Zone C. The team made 6 shots from Zone A, 2 from Zone B, and 4 from Zone C. Which zone had the highest success rate?
Be careful. The zone with the most made shots is not always the zone with the highest percentage.
Zone C had the highest success rate. Zone A was 6 out of 12, or 50%. Zone B was 2 out of 10, or 20%. Zone C was 4 out of 8, or 50%. Zone A and Zone C are tied for the highest success rate at 50%. - 14
A basketball coach says, "We should always take three-point shots because they are worth more points." Use statistics to explain why this may not always be the best strategy.
A higher point value does not help if the team rarely makes the shot.
This may not always be the best strategy because a shot's value depends on both point value and how often the team makes it. If the team misses most three-point shots but makes many close two-point shots, the two-point shots may produce more points overall. - 15
Create a simple game strategy from this data: your team makes 70% of close shots, 40% of mid-range shots, and 25% of long shots. Write two choices your team should make during the next game.
A good strategy is to look for close shots first because the team makes 70% of them. The team should also use passing, cuts, and drives to create open close shots, while taking long shots only when the shooter is open or the game situation calls for it.