Free Throw Rate Calculator

In basketball, efficiency at the charity stripe can win or lose games. Your Free Throw Percentage (FT%) is a crucial statistic that measures your accuracy from the free-throw line. Whether you are a player looking to track your progress, a coach analyzing team stats, or a fan settling a debate, this tool provides an instant and accurate calculation.

Free Throw Rate (or Free Throw Percentage) is calculated by dividing the total number of successful free throws made by the total number of free throws attempted, and multiplying the result by 100 to get a percentage.

Calculate Your FT%

The total number of shots that went into the basket.

The total number of shots taken from the line.

function calculateFTRate() { // Get input values var madeInputStr = document.getElementById('ft-made-input').value; var attemptedInputStr = document.getElementById('ft-attempted-input').value; var resultContainer = document.getElementById('ft-calc-result'); // Reset result container resultContainer.innerHTML = "; resultContainer.style.color = 'inherit'; // Validate inputs exist if (madeInputStr === "" || attemptedInputStr === "") { resultContainer.innerHTML = 'Please enter values for both "Made" and "Attempted" fields.'; return; } // Parse as integers (since you can't make half a shot) var made = parseInt(madeInputStr); var attempted = parseInt(attemptedInputStr); // Numeric Validation if (isNaN(made) || isNaN(attempted)) { resultContainer.innerHTML = 'Please enter valid numbers only.'; return; } // Logic Validation if (attempted <= 0) { resultContainer.innerHTML = 'Attempts must be greater than zero to calculate a rate.'; return; } if (made attempted) { resultContainer.innerHTML = 'Error: "Made" shots cannot exceed "Attempted" shots.'; return; } // Calculation var decimalRate = made / attempted; var percentageRate = decimalRate * 100; // Round to one decimal place, standard for basketball stats (e.g., 85.4%) var finalRate = percentageRate.toFixed(1); // Determine color based on percentage (Simple grading scheme) var resultColor = '#2c3e50'; // Default dark blue var gradeText = "; if (percentageRate >= 90) { resultColor = '#28a745'; // Green (Excellent) gradeText = '(Excellent)'; } else if (percentageRate >= 80) { resultColor = '#17a2b8'; // Teal (Good) gradeText = '(Good)'; } else if (percentageRate >= 70) { resultColor = '#ffc107'; // Yellow/Orange (Average) gradeText = '(Average)'; } else { resultColor = '#dc3545'; // Red (Needs Improvement) gradeText = '(Needs Improvement)'; } // Display Result resultContainer.innerHTML = '

Your Free Throw Rate:

' + " + finalRate + '%' + " + gradeText + "; }

Understanding Your Free Throw Percentage

The free throw line is unique in basketball because it is the only time the defense cannot actively interfere with the shot. It is a pure test of skill, routine, and mental toughness.

The Formula

The math behind the calculator is straightforward:

(Free Throws Made ÷ Free Throws Attempted) × 100 = FT%

Realistic Basketball Examples

• A Good Game: If a player takes 12 shots from the line and makes 10 of them, their rate is (10 ÷ 12) * 100 = 83.3%.
• A Struggle at the Line: If a player attempts 8 free throws but only connects on 3, their rate is (3 ÷ 8) * 100 = 37.5%.
• Season Elite: Over the course of a season, if a shooter makes 175 out of 190 attempts, their season average is 92.1%, which is elite territory at any level.

Benchmarks by Level

While standards vary by position (guards generally shoot better than centers), here are general benchmarks for what constitutes a "good" percentage:

• High School: 70%+ is considered solid; 80%+ is very good.
• College (NCAA): The D1 average hovers around 70-72%. Elite shooters are consistently above 85%.
• Professional (NBA/WNBA): The league average is usually around 77-78%. The best shooters in the world regularly surpass 90%.

Use this calculator regularly after practice sessions or games to monitor your consistency and identify if your free throw shooting needs more focused training time.