How relevant are sports stats to prediction? This post on Breaking Down Sports Stats To Make Better Predictions discusses the role of statistics in sports.
Statistics have always been a part of sports prediction, and even today their role in sports cannot be overlooked. Stats can teach you a lot of things about a team or player; their strengths, weaknesses, and how they play when tested with different circumstances.
Sports have existed for decades and have evolved into a part where it relies heavily on team and player stats to navigate its world. Sports stats do a lot, they help you understand why teams win or lose, and how athletes and clubs perform over a season.
Most bettors believe that sports stats are irrelevant, but you should know that they are a vital part of games. With statistics, you can master the complexities of sports, and get a unique perspective on a game.
In this article, we discuss everything you should know about sports stats to make better predictions, including where to find reliable sports stats.
Read: The Art of Sports Predictions: Tips to Increase Your Chances of Success
Article Guide:
- What are sports stats?
- Types of sports stats used to make better predictions
- How to use sports stats to make better predictions
- Where to find accurate sports stats to make better predictions
What Are Sports Stats?
Sports stats are a collection of data related to sporting events, often for prominent sports like football, basketball, basketball, or table tennis. Data gotten from statistics can be recorded live or analyzed later to look for trends.
Types Of Sports Stats Used To Make Better Predictions
In sports, there are certain sports stats used to determine a team or a player’s performance.
Every sport has a set of statistics that are unique to them, we examine some of these stats below.
See: Using Team Statistics To Make Accurate Football Predictions
1. Goals Scored And Conceded
These sports stats measure the attacking and defensive strengths of a team, which is a vital factor in predicting the outcome of a game.
2. Ball Possession
Ball possession is another sports statistic to make better predictions. Clubs with a higher possession percentage are good at controlling a match. While teams with low ball possession are more defensive.
3. Shots On Target
Shots on target highlight a team’s attacking proficiency by displaying the number of times they got their shots on target.
4. Form
The form provides data on teams’ or athletes’ recent performance, it shows how they’ve performed in the past and how they may perform in an upcoming match.
5. Head-to-Head Record
Another vital sports stats to note for making better predictions, it shows how two teams or players scheduled for a match have played against each other in past games.
6. Average Point Per Game (PPG)
PPG is the average number of points for a player per game, over the course of a series of matches, a whole season, or a career in a sport.
See also: Using Advanced Statistics To Outsmart Your Competition In Football Predictions
7. Free Throw Percentage
A free throw percentage is a sports stats gotten by diving a player or team’s made free throws by the total number of free throws he or they attempted.
8. Average Assists
This sports statistics tracks how many assist a player averages per game over a given time.
9. Average Three Point Shooting
An average three-point shooting is the number of times a player makes a field goal in a basketball shot from beyond the three-point line.
10. Steals Per Game
Steals per game is a sports stats in basketball that measures the average number of steals per game of a player.
How To Use Sports Stats To Make Better Predictions
There are a lot of things sports stats are used for. And without it, the whole industry would have a hard time making sense of the numbers generated in matches.
Professionals in soccer, basketball, tennis, or athletics use sports stats to predict or measure performances. While bettors, need stats to make better predictions.
Below we’ve broken down how to use sports stats to make better predictions:
Related: Analyzing Offensive Versus Defensive Stats For Improved Football Predictions
1. Decision Making
Top-level management in sports agencies uses sports stats to facilitate decision-making. They analyze past data and actions are taken to avoid or repeat similar outcomes.
Managers use statistics to choose tactics, identify opposition weaknesses, draft players, or even hire personnel.
2. Training And Improvement
Sports stats have been known to serve as a template for players to use to better their performance or rectify mistakes. Trainers can also see where athletes are weak by reviewing data from past games.
3. Virtual Assistant Referee (VAR)
VAR is based entirely on statistics. This software records and analyzes data in real time; referees can review previous activities and make decisions based on them.
4. Decide Winners And Losers
In sports like rugby, the winners and losers in a game are determined using statistics. After data from players are collected, a referee or assistants will then sort it to decide the winning team.
Now, technology has taken over this activity. A computer can easily perform analysis and classify teams based on that, particularly when high volumes of data are involved.
5. Rankings
Statistics entails data presentation. In sports, data is represented in tables to display the rankings of athletes, teams, best players, and fixtures. Fans can easily understand the performance of their favourites with these tables.
6. Sports Stats For Game Predictions
Commentators, bettors, analysts, and a Prediction Site use sports stats to predict the outcome of a game. For example, the statistics gotten from the last five meetings can be used to calculate whether a team will keep their form or not.
The health status of a player is another statistic used to predict an upcoming game. Statistics are helpful when predicting the probability of a player coming back from an injury.
7. End Of Season Awards
Statistics come in handy when awarding players or winning teams at the end of the season. Voting is one of the most popular ways of selecting winners – the collection and tallying of votes is a type of data collection and analysis.
8. Athlete Salaries
Player salaries are paid depending on the player’s performance. Statistics are significant in evaluating a player’s performance throughout the season. This is one of the most important uses of sports stats.
Check: Identifying Trends To Improve Football Prediction Results
9. Sports Investments
One of the vital factors in sports investment is statistics. It is used to decide if a sports club, team, or athlete is turning in profits or losses. Finance data is collected, analyzed, and shown to prospective investors.
10. Betting Sports Stats
Betting companies depend solely on statistics. Analysis and displays are the most common aspect of statistics. Odds are calculated using team form and then shown to attract bettors.
Online betting websites use special software to analyze games in real time and present this data to prospective clients. Punters use statistics to predict match results before placing wagers. These are all pillars of sports stats.
11. Tickets
Ticket sales to fans online or offline are done with assistance from statistics. Online ticketing systems gather data on the available seats and prices and show these data on the Internet.
It automatically calculates locations using algorithms facilitated by statistics. When the stadium has been booked, the system will stop producing tickets on cue.
Prices of cards are based on statistics and probability too. Experts analyze games to know their level of demand. Tickets for matches with high demand are more expensive than those with lower demand.
12. Commentary
Commentary is an important part of sports as it makes games more interesting. Commentators explain what is happening in a match to fans in real time and call out numbers as they speak. This activity fits the descriptive statistics category.
It is one of the best ways to use sports statistics because it brings in more fans and creates job opportunities. Almost all sports have commentators for games.
Where To Find Accurate Sports Stats To Make Better Predictions
Being prepared will constantly give you an edge over other bettors and to beat the odds, no matter your level of experience in sports. Applying sports stats, analysis, and data is the best way for you to do this.
If you’ve wondered “Where can I get sports stats?” we’ve answered your question with this list below:
1. KickForm
KickForm is a free Prediction Site that offers exclusive, scientifically-backed statistics on football competitions.
Their predictions and stats are updated weekly and contain predictions and probabilities for upcoming matches that outline the most probable result for a match, wins, losses and scores.
2. American Statistical Association Section On Sports Data Resources
This is a listing of data resources and online sports statistics forums for some sports, made available online.
3. Tilastopaia
Tilastopaia contains results and records for track and long-distance running.
4. databaseSports.com
Holds statistical, historical, and extra data for college and professional players, leagues, and teams.
5. Tableau Software’s Sport’s Data Sites
The site contains links to sports data on different types of sports like American Football, Basketball, Cricket, Cycling, Fencing, Golf, Hockey, Olympics, Poker, Racing, Rugby, Soccer, Tennis, and Volleyball.
Further Reading:
Football Prediction And Statistics – A Partnership With Incredible Results
Uncovering Unexpected Insights For Football Matchups For Predictions
Football Predictions: Exploring The Impact Of Home-field Advantage
Analyzing Football Betting Trends To Develop Winning Predictions
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