Attack Efficiency (Hitting Percentage), Explained

Attack efficiency — often called hitting percentage — is the standard measure of how productive a hitter or team is. Unlike a simple kill count, it accounts for errors, so it tells you who's actually helping you win. Here's how to calculate it, a worked example, and what a good number looks like.

The attack efficiency formula

Every attack falls into one of three buckets: a kill (wins the rally), an error (hit out, into the net, or blocked for a point), or an attempt in play (the ball stays alive). Efficiency is expressed as a decimal, usually written to three places (e.g. .312).

A worked example

Say an outside hitter has 15 kills, 4 errors, and 36 total attempts in a match:

A .306 efficiency is a strong night. Notice how the 4 errors matter: without them the raw kill count looks great, but efficiency captures the cost of giving points away.

What is a good hitting percentage?

Context matters: middles often post higher efficiencies (they get cleaner sets closer to the net) while outsides carry more out-of-system swings. Judge a player against their role, not a single universal number.

Efficiency vs kill percentage

Kill percentage is simply kills ÷ attempts — it ignores errors. Attack efficiency subtracts errors, which is why coaches prefer it: a hitter can have a high kill % while quietly losing you points on errors. Efficiency exposes that; kill % hides it.

How to improve attack efficiency

• Reduce errors before chasing kills. Cutting two errors a set often moves efficiency more than one extra kill.
• Improve serve-receive. Better passing means in-system sets and higher-percentage swings. Efficiency starts with the pass.
• Shot selection. Tooling the block or tipping into space beats swinging hard into a set block.
• Track it by rotation and set number. Efficiency often drops in specific rotations or in tight late-set moments — that's where to coach.

Related: How to track volleyball stats · Side-out percentage explained · Best volleyball stats apps