Clutch Shooting Percentage (CSP)

Clutch Shooting Percentage (CSP)

April 6, 2020
Damian
Analytics, App, Metabase, Pool Metrics, Pool Stats, Posts, Sabermetrics
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We are happy to announce, after many hours of mathematical analysis, our formula for a new stat, considered a sabermetric, in the cue sports world: Clutch Shooting Percentage (CSP). This stat measures the effectiveness for a player under adversity, i.e., their ability to perform in a game/match when it matters most.

A similar metric exists in basketball, however, it is a completely different formula. Ours is a function/recurrence relation in three variables: x,y,z. We weight the equation with λ and α accordingly to 8,9 & 10 ball games depending on which calculation is necessary for the measure of a players ability to perform effectively. While we are not releasing the full disclosure of the variables or weights at this time, we believe we have an accurate representation that provides a suitable measure of clutch play in these game formats.

In short, we consider opponent balls potted, consecutive balls potted, and player balls potted, weighting each for a precision sabermetric never before seen in the cue sports. These weights will adjust overtime as we analyze more data and can make better predictions of a player’s clutch performance. There is also an extra calculation in the algorithm within the Pool Stats Pro app, that applies to missed shots. That is just a factor and is not needed in the general formula. A maximum value for CSP during a game is 100.

There are some properties we have discovered about this equation. 1.) It measures a slightly higher CSP for the game of 8-ball, as there are more variables (e.g., 15 balls), opposed to 9 and 10-ball. 2.) For the games of 9 and 10-ball, this function is periodic in nature. This is an especially nice property to have and may lead to further discoveries along effectiveness in clutch play. Periodicity happens everywhere in nature, and it may be no mistake, that our modeled formula to represent a structured game, such as pool, has such a beautiful mathematical property. 3.) It’s a function of three variables, but it is also a recurrence relation. These relations give nice outcomes in mathematics as they build upon previous calculations. Many recurrence relations end up with dynamic properties when further studied.

Below you’ll see the press release showing that CSP is available within the Pool Stats Pro app and the data, when uploaded, can be analyzed with our web backend. We have provided a link at the top of this post, for the current CSP rankings, which will be changing daily as more games are recorded.

Thank you for your support and while a lot of us are unable to play pool during these times, we hope to provide the community with some new stats that bring the cue sports into the data age.