How does a team reach success?
There are three factors that determine how many goals a team scores:
The Performance experience shows that only one of these factors can be improved significantly – the distribution between green and red shots.
There is a limited number of shooting opportunities in a game, typically 35 shots per game. Of course the team wants as many scores as possible, but the truth is that most shots in a game are green shots. Typically 72 percent of all shots are green and only 2.6 percent of them become scores.
Having the coaches and teammates yelling "shoot, shoot !" at the first instance possible can thus be counterproductive. If a striker shoots at the first instance possible, this is often a green shot and easy for the keeper to save .
The chance of a red shot becomes a score is almost ten times higher (21.6 percent efficiency for red versus 2.6 percent for green shots). To score more a team should thus shoot as many red shots as possible in the offence and forcing the opponents to shoot as many green shots as possible. If a team manages to change the distribution between green and red shots both offensively and defensively, this will dramatically change the team's goal difference.
Here is an example:
An change of ten percentage points - so that the team offensively would shoot 62 percent green shots and 38 percent red, while in the defense game forcing opponents to shoot 82 percent green and just get to 18 percent red shots - would improve the goal difference with two goals (one goal more in the offense and one goal less in the defense) per game.
During an NHL season with 82 games, thus means an improvenent by 164 additional goal of the overall goal difference. This will determine if the team ends up in the top or bottom of the table.
During the season 2010/2011 Performance cooperated with Rogle BK and their head coach Bjorn Hellkvist to improve the defensive game. Rögle managed to improve the defensive breakdown with ten percentage points. Rogle’s first goalie Jonas Fransson got 82 percent green shots against themselves and he also became the season's best goalkeeper, see picture below.
- The number of shots on goal.
- Shooting efficiency, i.e. the proportion of shots that become scores.
- The distribution between green and red shots.
The Performance experience shows that only one of these factors can be improved significantly – the distribution between green and red shots.
There is a limited number of shooting opportunities in a game, typically 35 shots per game. Of course the team wants as many scores as possible, but the truth is that most shots in a game are green shots. Typically 72 percent of all shots are green and only 2.6 percent of them become scores.
Having the coaches and teammates yelling "shoot, shoot !" at the first instance possible can thus be counterproductive. If a striker shoots at the first instance possible, this is often a green shot and easy for the keeper to save .
The chance of a red shot becomes a score is almost ten times higher (21.6 percent efficiency for red versus 2.6 percent for green shots). To score more a team should thus shoot as many red shots as possible in the offence and forcing the opponents to shoot as many green shots as possible. If a team manages to change the distribution between green and red shots both offensively and defensively, this will dramatically change the team's goal difference.
Here is an example:
An change of ten percentage points - so that the team offensively would shoot 62 percent green shots and 38 percent red, while in the defense game forcing opponents to shoot 82 percent green and just get to 18 percent red shots - would improve the goal difference with two goals (one goal more in the offense and one goal less in the defense) per game.
During an NHL season with 82 games, thus means an improvenent by 164 additional goal of the overall goal difference. This will determine if the team ends up in the top or bottom of the table.
During the season 2010/2011 Performance cooperated with Rogle BK and their head coach Bjorn Hellkvist to improve the defensive game. Rögle managed to improve the defensive breakdown with ten percentage points. Rogle’s first goalie Jonas Fransson got 82 percent green shots against themselves and he also became the season's best goalkeeper, see picture below.
"Shoot as much as you can - some pucks always goes in" is not uncommon for what a coach tells his team. But just trying to shoot more is almost useless – if the increased numbers of shots are green shots. A team that increases the number of shots on goal raises usually only the proportion of green shots and the chance to score more goals is therefore small. For a significant change in scoring chances the shots that should be increased are the red shots.
"Shoot as much as you can - then you have a chance to get rebounds" is also not uncommon for what a coach tells his team. But the proportion of green shots resulting in a rebound of less than five percent, since the goalkeeper had a good opportunity to make a save without rebound if the shot is green with good time to prepare the save. Thus shooting green shots to get rebounds is not a winning tactic.
The theory of Quiet Eye shows that it is very difficult to improve the shot efficiency for green shots. It does not matter if the shot is really hard and put in the corners of the goal. If the goalkeeper sees the shot in time, it is green and the chances of saving the shot are great.
"Shoot as much as you can - then you have a chance to get rebounds" is also not uncommon for what a coach tells his team. But the proportion of green shots resulting in a rebound of less than five percent, since the goalkeeper had a good opportunity to make a save without rebound if the shot is green with good time to prepare the save. Thus shooting green shots to get rebounds is not a winning tactic.
The theory of Quiet Eye shows that it is very difficult to improve the shot efficiency for green shots. It does not matter if the shot is really hard and put in the corners of the goal. If the goalkeeper sees the shot in time, it is green and the chances of saving the shot are great.