Best examples of analyzing set plays and their effectiveness in modern scouting

Real examples of analyzing set plays and their effectiveness in basketball

Basketball might be the cleanest laboratory for studying set plays. You can track every possession, identify the play call, and measure shot quality using expected points per possession (PPP) and shot location.

Take a late‑game after‑timeout (ATO) sideline out‑of‑bounds set. A staff might tag every time they run that specific action over a month and log:

• Outcome (score, miss, turnover, foul drawn)
• Shot type (rim, mid‑range, catch‑and‑shoot three, pull‑up three)
• Defender matchup on the final shooter
• Time remaining and score margin

One example of analyzing set plays and their effectiveness: a stagger screen ATO designed to free the team’s best shooter for a corner three. Over 25 uses, the staff finds:

• 11 made threes, 6 missed threes
• 3 drives to the rim off a hard closeout
• 5 busted possessions (bad spacing or blown screen)

That’s 14 quality attempts out of 25, with an estimated PPP over 1.3. On paper, that looks great. But the film adds another layer: opponents start top‑locking the shooter and switching the second screen. Now the play still looks efficient in the spreadsheet, but trend analysis shows declining shot quality as scouting catches up. The best examples of analyzing set plays and their effectiveness combine that PPP data with video cues about how defenses are adapting.

Modern tracking data, like the NBA’s player tracking and second‑spectrum style systems now filtering down to elite college and pro leagues worldwide, let coaches quantify:

• Average defender distance at the moment of the shot
• Time from catch to release
• How often the play creates an advantage (two defenders on the ball, forced rotation)

When those numbers start dropping, it’s a signal that the set needs a counter or a redesign.

Soccer: examples of analyzing set plays and their effectiveness on restarts

In soccer, set plays are mostly corners, free kicks, and throw‑ins in the final third. Because goals are rare, you can’t just judge a corner routine by whether it scores. Smart analysts look at expected goals (xG) and repeatable patterns.

One real example of analyzing set plays and their effectiveness: a Premier League club tracking a near‑post corner routine over half a season. The play:

• In‑swinging corner to the near post
• Main target making a curved run from the penalty spot
• Two teammates setting light, legal screens by occupying zonal defenders

Over 40 corners using that pattern, the analytics team logs:

• 8 shots on target, 5 off target, 12 headed clear, 15 failed deliveries
• Total xG of 3.1 from those shots
• 2 goals scored

Two goals in 40 corners might not sound impressive, but 3.1 xG makes this one of the better options in the playbook. Comparing routines, another back‑post overload play produces only 1.2 xG over a similar sample. So even though fans remember a dramatic back‑post winner, the data says the near‑post action is more reliable.

This is where the best examples of analyzing set plays and their effectiveness stand out: coaches don’t chase the most memorable highlight; they stick with the routine that consistently generates high‑quality chances. Video review then adds detail:

• Is the main target winning the aerial duel often enough?
• Are blockers timing their runs to avoid fouls while still disrupting markers?
• Are opponents starting to assign a dedicated defender to the near‑post runner?

Clubs increasingly rely on public and private xG models, similar in concept to those described by research groups and analytics communities that collaborate with universities and federations (for example, the kind of methodological thinking you’d see in sports analytics programs at places like MIT or Harvard, even if the exact models are proprietary).

American football: red‑zone set plays and route combinations

American football might be the richest sport for examples of analyzing set plays and their effectiveness, because every offensive call is, in a sense, a set play. Red‑zone situations (inside the 20‑yard line) are particularly revealing.

Consider a bunch formation concept on 3rd‑and‑goal from the 8‑yard line:

• Three receivers in a tight bunch
• Outside receiver runs a fade
• Inside receiver runs a shallow cross
• Point man runs a pivot/option route based on leverage

Over a season, the offensive staff tags every usage of this concept in the red zone. They track:

• Completion percentage
• Touchdowns vs field goals vs turnovers
• Yards after catch
• Coverage shell (Cover 2, Cover 3, man, match)

Let’s say the data shows:

• 65% completion rate
• 8 touchdowns, 1 interception on 20 attempts
• Higher success against man coverage, weaker against pattern‑match zone

One example of analyzing set plays and their effectiveness here is adjusting the call sheet. Against teams that lean heavily on man coverage in the red zone, this concept moves up the priority list. Against match‑zone teams, coaches might favor a different play that stresses zone rules.

Film reveals more nuance:

• The pivot route is winning consistently when the defender plays outside leverage.
• When defenders start jumping the pivot, the fade becomes more open.

So the staff adds a tagged variation: same formation, but the quarterback is coached to pre‑read leverage and prioritize the fade when defenders overplay the pivot. That kind of micro‑tuning based on repeated examples of play outcomes is exactly how modern playbooks evolve.

Volleyball and quick‑hitter examples of analyzing set plays and their effectiveness

Volleyball offers clear, repeatable set plays: quick middle attacks, slides, and combination plays off perfect or near‑perfect passes.

Take a simple example: a 5–1 system with a quick “31” set to the middle hitter, paired with a pipe attack from the back‑row opposite. On a perfect pass, the setter can:

• Go quick to the middle
• Go pipe
• Run a combination to freeze blockers

Over a tournament, the staff tags every time they call that quick‑plus‑pipe combination. They track:

• Side‑out percentage when this play is called
• Hitting percentage for the middle vs the pipe
• Blocker movement (how often does the middle blocker commit?)

They might find that when the middle has been hot, blockers start cheating inside, which opens the pipe as a high‑efficiency option. The best examples of analyzing set plays and their effectiveness in volleyball blend raw stats (hitting percentage, side‑out rate) with tactical reads:

• Are blockers reading the setter’s shoulders?
• Is the libero’s passing accuracy high enough to justify calling this set frequently?
• Does the tempo of the set stay consistent under pressure?

National federations and high‑level programs have adopted standardized coding systems for this type of analysis, often inspired by research and coaching education materials shared through organizations like USA Volleyball.

Six concrete examples of set play analysis across sports

To make this practical, here are six real‑world style scenarios that coaches and scouts use as reference points when looking for examples of analyzing set plays and their effectiveness.

1. NBA hammer action for a corner three

A hammer set sends the ball handler driving baseline while a weak‑side screen frees a shooter to the opposite corner. Analysts track:

• Frequency of wide‑open corner threes (defender 4+ feet away)
• Turnovers from help defenders jumping the baseline drive
• Fouls drawn on the drive

If the play consistently creates high‑value corner threes, coaches keep it in heavy rotation, but they’ll also add a counter where the driver hits a cutter instead of the corner when defenses overhelp.

2. College basketball horns set into pick‑and‑roll

A horns alignment (two bigs at the elbows) can flow into multiple options. One program might favor a specific horns‑to‑spread pick‑and‑roll sequence. Their analysis focuses on:

• PPP when the ball screen goes to the right vs left
• How often the roll man gets a touch vs the weak‑side shooter
• Turnover rate when defenses ice or switch the screen

This example of set play analysis often leads to play‑call tags like “Horns 5R” to indicate the more efficient side or matchup.

3. NFL play‑action shot from a heavy run look

A team that runs outside zone frequently may build a set play off the same look: hard outside‑zone action with a deep over route and a post behind it.

Analysts compare:

• Explosive play rate (gains of 20+ yards)
• Sack and pressure rate
• Interception risk vs standard drop‑back concepts

If this concept generates explosives with a manageable turnover profile, it becomes a signature call. When defenses start dropping safeties deeper, the same formation might morph into a check‑down heavy concept that still looks like the shot play on film.

4. Soccer short‑corner routine into overload cross

Instead of swinging a corner directly into the box, a team plays a short corner, pulls two defenders out, and then creates a 3v2 overload on the wing.

Analysis focuses on:

• How often this routine leads to a cross from a better angle
• The xG of chances created from these sequences vs direct corners
• Whether opponents adjust by sending an extra defender wide

This is one of the best examples of analyzing set plays and their effectiveness where the first action (the short corner) is just a trigger for the real goal: a higher‑quality cross.

5. Volleyball double quick to freeze the middle blocker

Running a front‑quick and a back‑quick simultaneously forces the middle blocker to guess. Staff track:

• Hitting percentage on both quicks
• Block touch rate
• Net violations or timing errors

If the blockers are consistently late or split, the play stays. If timing becomes unreliable under fatigue, coaches may reserve it for specific rotations or opponents.

6. High school basketball baseline out‑of‑bounds box set

Even at the high school level, coaches can build their own examples of analyzing set plays and their effectiveness. A simple box set may feature:

• First option: backscreen lob
• Second option: screen‑the‑screener three
• Third option: safety outlet

By charting outcomes over a season, a coach might realize the lob almost never connects, but the screen‑the‑screener action generates open threes at a high rate. That insight leads to re‑ordering the read progression and simplifying the call for younger players.

How scouts use examples of analyzing set plays and their effectiveness

Scouting isn’t just about knowing what the opponent runs; it’s about knowing what actually hurts you. When scouts build reports, they prioritize:

• Set plays with high success rates against similar defenses
• Actions that target weak individual defenders
• Patterns that show up in late‑game or high‑leverage situations

They’ll clip 8–12 real examples of a specific set play, then break down:

• Common entry: how the opponent gets into the play
• Primary and secondary options
• Preferred late‑clock variation

From there, they design counters: switching a screen, top‑locking a shooter, or sending early help. The value comes from pairing data (how often a play scores) with film (how the play looks and feels in real time).

Simple framework for building your own examples of set play analysis

You don’t need pro‑level tracking to learn from these best examples of analyzing set plays and their effectiveness. A high school or amateur coach can use a simple framework:

• Tag every time you call a specific set.
• Log the result: score, miss, turnover, foul.
• Note shot or chance quality, not just the outcome.
• Rewatch film focusing on spacing, timing, and decision‑making.
• Compare that play’s efficiency to your overall offense.

Over a season, you’ll have your own library of examples of analyzing set plays and their effectiveness, tailored to your personnel and competition level.

For coaches who want to tie this into sports science and workload management, resources from organizations like the National Institutes of Health and CDC can help you understand how fatigue, recovery, and injury risk might impact execution quality, especially in tournaments or congested schedules.

FAQ: examples of set play analysis

Q: What are some simple examples of analyzing set plays for youth teams?
For youth basketball, start with a single baseline out‑of‑bounds play. Track how often it leads to a shot at the rim or an open jumper. Rewatch clips to see if screens are actually making contact and if players are in the right spots. That basic example of tracking outcomes and reviewing film builds good habits without drowning in data.

Q: How many possessions do I need before judging a set play’s effectiveness?
You want enough repetitions to see patterns, not just randomness. For most amateur teams, 20–30 clear examples of the same set play is a reasonable starting point. Combine the numbers with film so you don’t overreact to a hot or cold streak.

Q: Are there public tools that help with examples of analyzing set plays and their effectiveness?
Yes. Many video platforms used in high school and college sports now include basic tagging and stat features. You can also use simple spreadsheet tracking plus free video software. For conceptual grounding in performance analysis and workload, educational materials from sites like Harvard or the NIH can help you think systematically about data and decision‑making.

Q: What’s the biggest mistake coaches make when judging set plays?
They focus only on whether the ball went in. A contested fadeaway that happens to drop doesn’t make a set play good. A wide‑open corner three that rims out doesn’t make it bad. The best examples of analyzing set plays and their effectiveness focus on shot or chance quality, not just the scoreboard on one possession.