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The Problems of Notational Analysis other than Volleyball
So far, my performance analysis experience relates to volleyball statistics only.
It was time to branch out into other sports, particularly those sports that have money for paid performance analyst jobs.
This was, as they say, easier said than done.
NCAA Volleyball Statisticians’ Manual: A Bible of Sorts
I do not remember how I came to find the above manual (whether randomly or specifically looking for volleyball statistics) but I am glad I did.
It became a bible of sorts for me.
All the hard work was done for me and I just had to learn and follow the manual.
The different scenarios and approved rulings helped matters greatly.
With practice and manual guidance, it was good.
NCAA Statistics Webpage: Natural Starting Point
So I decided to branch out into other spots and the NCAA Statistics webpage was the natural starting point.
Familiar with the two sports, I printed off the basketball and soccer manuals.
Problems of Knowing the Rules of Other Sports: What is a “Player-Control Foul” in Basketball?
One thing I found out about statistics is you really need to know the sport you are working in.
I have an intermittent interest in the NBA and I did represent my high school in basketball so I thought I had a grasp of the rules.
Apparently I did not.
I did not understand what “dead-rebound” is or the specific rules on goaltending (it affects the shot attempts).
What the heck is a “player-control foul”?
However, once I learn and practice all of that, the manual looks comprehensive.
Problems of Soccer: What is an Unsuccessful Pass?
If the NCAA Basketball Statisticians’ Manual was comprehensive, I was disappointed with the small NCAA Soccer Statisticians’ Manual.
It only recorded statistics for Shots (as defined by on target only), Goals, Assists (two can be awarded for a single goal) and Goalkeeping Saves.
There was not anything on passing statistics.
As seen in my previous blog with passing statistics (
) it would have been a useful starting point to define “passing”.
Problems of Defining Operational Terminology: The Badminton Example
After an internet search on badminton notational analysis, I did not find much.
The main problem was defining operational terminology (similar to the above with regards to passing).
One example I saw was defining different strokes as either ‘Effective’, ‘Fairly Effective’ or ‘Ineffective’.
Whilst they were defined, it was quite loose and open to interpretation.
This would have meant intra-operator reliability would have been low.
Starting at the Beginning
I am not sure whether sports statistics are standardized or whether each team or statistics company has their own special definitions.
I do not where you would begin with a new sport or a specific notation analysis. But
I think the most important thing in statistics is having a philosophy in the statistics you are trying to record.
For example, a shot attempt in basketball is not charged when under pressure such as when the shot clock winds down or those taken from half court.
The philosophy is because your shot percentage (shots made/ shot attempts *100) should reflect your true shooting ability.
I hope there is a Statisticians’ Statistics Manual out there as a guide when creating statistics and philosophy examples when defining operational terminology.
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