How To Improve Your Soccer Bets Using The Rateform Method

How To Improve Your Soccer Bets is a series of articles that describe some well known and well used statistical techniques that will help the soccer punter make more informed bets. Each of the techniques has its own advantages and disadvantages and using them in isolation will improve your chances of winning. However, together they will prove invaluable in your battle with the bookies. In each article we will describe in detail how a particular method works giving you enough information for you to go ahead and create your own forecasts. We will also give you information as to where you can already find websites that use this technique in comprising their weekly forecasts.

The statistical methods described in this set of articles will help you to arrive at a better decision about the match, or matches, that you are betting on.

In this article we will be describing the well known Rateform method. The Rateform method has its origins in The Rating Of Chessplayers by Professor Elo, and from the Punters Revenge by Tony Drapkin and Richard Forsyth. The basis of the Rateform method is that each of the two teams taking part in a match is given a point score that is based on their current form. Although this sounds very simplistic, and it is, its calculation is a little more involved.

Here are the basic rules?

1. Each team is given a point score representing their current form.

2. At the start of the season each team is given 1000 points.

3. When a match is played both teams contribute some of their points towards a kitty.

4. The home team supply more points into the kitty than the away team. This is done to reflect the home teams advantage of playing at home.

5. The winning team takes the kitty, unless the result is a draw in which case both sides share the points. In the case of a draw the away side gains points and the home side looses points.

Here is how a typical calculation is made?

home team points total = HTPOINTS
away team points total = ATPOINTS
home team contribution to kitty = HTKITTY = 7% of HTPOINTS
away team contribution to kitty = ATKITTY = 5% of ATPOINTS
the kitty therefore = KITTY = HTKITTY + ATKITTY

if the result is a HOME WIN then
home team receives KITTY points added to HTPOINTS
away team receives zero points added to ATPOINTS and looses its 5% contribution to the kitty

if result is an AWAY WIN then
home team receives zero points added to HTPOINTS and looses its 7% contribution to the kitty
away team receives KITTY points added to ATPOINTS

if the result is a DRAW then
home team receives KITTY / 2 points added to HTPOINTS
away team receives KITTY / 2 points added to ATPOINTS

Let?s look at a simple example of how you could apply this?

To calculate the possible outcome of a match based on rateform the away rateform is subtracted from the home rateform and the difference is compared against set values for home, away and draw possibilities.

For example we could make our set values as follows:

AWAY WIN ß -250 DRAW 150 à HOME WIN

RATEFORM DIFFERENCE = HOME TEAM RATEFORM ? AWAY TEAM RATEFORM

So, if the RATEFORM DIFFERENCE is less than -250 then the match is likely to be an away win, if the RATEFORM DIFFERENCE is greater than 150 then the match is likely to be a home win, and if the RATEFORM DIFFERENCE lies between then the outcome is most likely to be a draw.

Now it?s your turn?

Of course you may choose to use different values to those shown above and by experimenting you may come up with better values to use. You could also decide not to reset each teams points to 1000 at the start of the season but instead let them carry over into the next season. Another alternative would be to have a rolling calculation where you calculate the rateform for each team on say the last six months.

If you have the necessary skills you could go away and build your own spreadsheet of data or even write a piece of software to take in results and fixtures and apply the Rateform method to your data. Or, if you?re lazy like me, you could grab some free software that already does this for you. If this last option is for you then visit 1X2Monster where you can download a FREE copy of the Footyforecast 2.0 software which utilises all of the statistical methods described in this series of articles. You will also be able to download FREE weekly database updates for your software, how cool is that?

Here is a list of all the articles in this series?

How To Improve Your Soccer Bets Using The Rateform Method.
How To Improve Your Soccer Bets Using The Footyforecast Method.
How To Improve Your Soccer Bets Using The Win Draw Loss Method.
How To Improve Your Soccer Bets Using The Simple Sequence Method.
How To Improve Your Soccer Bets Using The Score Prediction Method.
How To Improve Your Soccer Bets Using The Superiority Method.

Malcolm Nossiter is the owner of 1x2monster.com and footyforecast.com. He has been providing hundreds of 1X2 tips every week since 1999. Please visit 1x2monster.com for a fountain of information on soccer betting.

Soccer Injuries - Head To Toe

Soccer is a very popular sport both locally and worldwide. References to the sport go as far back as 200 BC in China and around 4 BC in Greece. However, soccer as you and I know it did not have a formal set of rules set down until 1848 at Cambridge University.

Soccer is a very physically demanding sport, thus making those who participate vulnerable to injury. The National Athletic Trainers Association (NATA) has done various studies on injury rates in high schools athletics, including soccer. It was found that most injuries in soccer occur to the ankles and feet, followed closely by the hip, thigh and leg area. Common injuries include ligament sprains/tears, muscle strains, contusions (bruises), cartilage tears (more common in the knee) and fractures. Higher percentages of injuries occur while kicking and when engaging in controlled pattern activity. Injury rates were higher at different positions as well. Halfbacks had the highest rate of injury where the goalkeeper had the lowest. Interestingly, soccer was the only sport studied that had more injuries during games than in practice. The statistics are very similar when comparing males and females in respect to the above information.

Head injuries are also of some concern. Studies by the NATA have shown that ball velocities can reach speeds up to 100km/hr (62 mph). However, most situations in which a player will head the ball would be at speeds slower than 100km/hr. Average speed from a punt is 70km/hr (43 mph) and a drop kick or goal kick 85 km/hr (53 mph). Most opportunities to head a ball are at velocities less than 65 km/hr (40 mph).

Where the ball strikes the head and how the player strikes the ball are also of importance. Head-ball contacts that occur on the side of the head or the forehead of an unprepared player can lead to ?whiplash? like injuries. It is recommended that contact be made at or near the hairline. Although the evidence is not conclusive that repetitive head shots cause significant impairments in the long term, it is still worthy of precaution.

It is no secret that preventing injuries is preferred. With the higher demands on young athletes today, off-season training including weight training and general conditioning is an important step towards preventing in-season injuries. A 15 minute warm-up before practice and games and a brief cool-down period is also recommended. Rest and fluid breaks are important as well. Protective gear such as mouthpieces and shin-guards can be very helpful. There are even various types of headgear that can be worn to protect the head.

While we all get bumps and bruises, more serious injuries that involve high levels of pain, swelling and loss of function should be evaluated by your physician. Your physician may refer you to physical therapy for treatment. Your Excel physical therapist can guide you through a rehabilitation program to get you back on the playing field as quickly and safely as possible. Best of luck to all athletes this spring season!

Brent Todd is a Physical Therapist at Excel Physical Therapy of Nebraska. You can read more articles on Physical Therapy by subscribing to the free quarterly newsletter at http://www.excelpt.com

Soccer Crossing - Increase Your Chances to Win

Soccer crossing can bring greater chances to win at higher levels. An expert coach should train his / her team to build their whole attack around servings balls into the penalty box and battling for the ball in the air.

The team trained that way will be noted for the ground attack. Such a team can score a higher percentage of their goals from crosses served into the box. In this article, I will give you a brief insight into some of the details that go into creating scoring chances from wide postures.

Find A Way To Build An Attack

Before successfully crossing the ball, the player in a wide position in the attacking third of the field needs to do several things. For example, the first and the most important thing he needs to do is to look up to see where to pass the ball.

The players must keep in mind that if they kick the ball anywhere, it may work occasionally, but that is not the right approach. Before successfully crossing the ball, the players must make sure that they have the best chance possible.

The coach must train the players that a cross is nothing. It is just a long distance pass. Therefore, the player must look up to find out where your teammates are. Only then, he should pass the ball.

Again, it is not just that you have to kick the ball the way you like. You need to listen to your coach. Your body is already facing the direction you want to kick and your coach would want your next-to-last touch to angle the ball towards the goal so that as you cross it.

That is something we call perfect kick in soccer. If you do not follow the coach?s words here, you are very much likely to end up in the ball floating high over the end line.

When it comes to Soccer crossing, there are plenty of things to train the players in order to make a winning team.

Andre Botelho is a recognized authority on the subject of soccer crossing. His web site, Youth Soccer Drills, provides a wealth of informative soccer articles, resources and tips for soccer coaches, parents and players.