Head Game

INSIDE THE FOOTBALL HELMET: APPLICATIONS OF PSYCHOLOGICAL TYPE
by: Victoria Jacobs-Gray
A.B., M.ed, Ed.D
by: Kenneth R. Ratledge
B.S., M.S., Ed.S
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Wouldn't it be great to be able to match player personalities with particular football positions to get the best performance from the entire team and thereby improve the chances of success for the players and the team? The focus of this article is on a new and promising line of research that links a player's personality with his playing position on the field.

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is a personality test that has been used for years in various settings, especially in the educational environment. Its reliability and validity are extremely high (greater than 80) with individuals aged 15-adult. Applications of these results may help coaches identify patterns of personality to enhance coaching techniques and interpersonal relations. It could also be used for recruiting purposes in terms of where athletes would fit in best with particular college coaches and their programs.

The MBTI places individuals in each of four bipolar constructs. This yields 16 possible personality types of which some are rarely found playing football. Individuals will show a preference for Extroversion (E) or Introversion (I). This indicates whether a person's interest or focus flows mainly to the outer world of actions, people or objects or to an inner world of concepts and ideas; it has nothing to do with shyness.

The second construct indicates whether the person prefers to perceive the immediate realities of experience, Sensing (S), or possibilities and relationships to experience, Intuition (N).

The third construct indicates how a person prefers to make decisions: objectively and impersonally in terms of cause and effect, Thinking (T), or subjectively weighing values for the importance of choices for themselves and others, Feeling (F).

The final construct indicates how a person prefers to live: either in a planned orderly manner while attempting to regulate and control circumstances and events, Judgment (J), or in a flexible, experienced, driven, and spontaneous manner attempting to adapt to circumstances, Perceiving (P).

Recently the authors of this article have been working with Sevier County High School's Division 5A-football team in the state of Tennessee using the MBTI testing. Steve Brewer, the head coach of this team, felt that the 1997 season was his "best year ever" after using the Myers-Briggs personality profiles for only one season. He was hesitant at first to implement the program. However, after informally seeing that the athletes did match up with the constructs of the test and that it gave him ways to place players in certain positions as well as effectively coach different personalities, he decided to use the tests all out. He stated, "The testing helps us place people in positions that help them be successful. Xs and Os may not be applicable in several places where the kid didn't have the personality necessary to execute the play we designed for him. The whole process helped us understand why an athlete didn't work out in a certain position." In retrospect, several members of the coaching staff were able to recall situations and plays where an athlete had been put in a position that required traits he did not have. Sometimes the score of the game was the only thing that suffered, but on occasion the impact of the disaster caused the athlete to quit the team. Some athletes can think on their feet and others need time to consider all the options before they decide how to act. Some players can bounce back from a mistake and others assume too much blame and really beat up on themselves.

Brewer continued, "A kid can be physically fit and know the plays but not produce under the pressure of a game because mentally and emotionally he wasn't prepared. The test scores showed us why. One haunting example of this was an INTJ, an outside linebacker who was a perfectionist. Making decisions was difficult for him. Most of the time this playing position worked for him because he had time to react. In this preseason game we moved him up to the line of scrimmage in a 9 technique. It was a 'tight call' and he didn't have the time he needed to react. The 98 yard touchdown run that resulted from this hesitancy was more devastating than anyone had realized because on that following Monday he quit the team." The student required structure, but this play required the ability to think on his feet. This preseason competition proved to be too costly in human terms.

Sometimes the tests tell the coaches where the players prefer to play. Then the coaches are able to teach the players to rethink their involvement. They can learn to think differently about how they function. One very noticeable pattern was in the decision making processes of the linemen. "On a team of our size," said Sevier County's defensive coordinator Kenny Ratledge, "we don't have the luxury of a separate offensive and defensive line. Our athletes have got to be able to play both sides." He went on to explain that linemen who were most successful on offense were invariably T's [thinking] while the best defensive linemen were F's [feeling]. Knowing this alerts the position coach to help these players make the necessary adjustments. "Sometimes, it's not even necessary to give the test to figure this out. T's can sit through a pep talk dry-eyed while the F's will be wiping tears out of their eyes." The value of the test is that coaches don't have to wait to learn this; they know it up front. It helps in knowing how to coach certain players.

Personality testing can also help coaches anticipate the best way to interact with their players during practice. E's [extroverts] like and even need lots of feed back while the I's [introverts] like to be able to practice until they feel confident before they're critiqued. I's don't have any problem getting a good work out in an empty weight room.

E's will turn on the radio or may hurry to get through rather than be by themselves; usually they come in groups. Let the I kicker [or quarterback, or receiver] work by himself. Observe from a moderate distance, but don't comment until he's worked for a while. Don't expect the same results from the E who needs the continual feedback or begins to slack off. I's may not communicate as easily as their E team members. They may not verbalize that something really bothers them, or ask questions. Recognizing this type difference may save a player and a play.

What about the kid who just goes through the motions in a drill? "That's simple," Ratledge continued, "ESTJ's don't care if you yell, don't improve much with a warning that someone who works harder might be starting, and don't seem to mind if they have to run. They're the natural administrators, have them demonstrate to other players the skills used in a particular drill and their effort is enhanced." Although slacking off is not limited to SJ's, they seem to present the greatest challenge for coaches who want every practice to be a productive one.

Other interesting patterns seemed to emerge as more of the staff became involved in this project. SP's are definitely the most competitive. The extroverted SP's will be the most vehement about expressing their disappointment after a loss or even a foiled play. They are not the least bit reserved about expressing themselves. It's important to teach them to show good sportsmanship on the field and wait until they are in the locker room to vent frustration. They are also the quickest to get over it and get on with the next competitive opportunity. S's (Sensing) personalities are realists, they deal with "what is!" while the N's deal in the world of possibilities. They constantly ask, "Why?" and "What if?" They can be a real challenge to coach, but that inquisitive mind often comes up with some creative possibilities. They like to know things. An NT quarterback who studies films to learn all about the opposing team's defense and even learns their signals is a valuable asset.

The difference between S's and N's is integral to understanding the learning patterns of players. This construct describes the way the player takes in and processes information, plays, and other instruction. S's process through the five senses. This process is often described as deductive, or top down. These athletes prefer to deal with the present. They focus on what is. This is why there are so many S's in sports where reaction time is critical. These players deal in specifics, that means literal explanations, not general descriptions. This is a direct contrast to the N who is searching for the big picture and may find unnecessary [in his opinion] details tedious. N's function as if they had a sixth or even seventh sense. They are future-oriented and speculate in multiple possibilities as they search for answers. Their inductive or bottom-up quest for new information sometimes interferes with effective sports participation. As the players consider the many possibilities of what might happen, the opportunity to do anything about it may be lost, as it was with the INTJ outside linebacker. Their ineffective effort was not necessarily a lack of attention or motivation, but a lack of decisiveness. N's who play action sports, like football, often spend a great deal of time re-watching game films and analyzing plays and possibilities in preparation for competition.

S's and N's tend to learn plays differently too. An S will learn the steps one at a time while the N will jump over the steps as he feels they apply to him. "This is where coaching technique kicks in," said defensive line coach Bryan Atchley. "S's learn the specific plays, but N's want to learn patterns and avoid details. They sometimes need to be reminded that they don't need to design plays. Just learn the playbook and then go out and do it!"

The final construct, Judging (J) or Perceiving (P), describes how the players structure their time and how they respond to competition. J's like structure, rules, a pattern, predictability; they do not like surprises. P's feel constrained by the very structure that provides a sense of security and well being to J's. Generally, J's like to be organized while P's require more freedom. J's require closure and order while P's are highly competitive and strive to accomplish things which do not fit into previously established expectations. One of the critical differences in these construct dimensions is the ability to manage time. J's are more likely to arrive promptly and to stay focused during practice. P's are more likely to be tardy and to have trouble completing assignments, until they feel that it counts. Intra-squad competition to determine the starting line up can be a great motivator.

Because J's like closure and are quick to make decisions, P's often avoid decisions and become more indecisive under stress. These athletes need to be well rehearsed and familiar with all of the play options so they can operate on "automatic pilot" during a crunch. Game day is a different matter. J's have a sense of mission, a need to complete the task at hand: winning the game. They often seem less responsive to locker room motivational talks, which are a review of their present state of mind. For P's pre-game coaching is a prescriptive parameter. P's are pumped, wired and highly competitive, particularly, if the FP combination is present. This energy excess needs both an outlet and direction. This may explain why football teams have twice as many P's as J's despite the fact that the numbers are equal for the general population.

As more and more students are attempting to win athletic scholarships as a means of attending college, more coaches are pressured to help their athletes realize this ambition. Knowledge of the athlete's personality can enhance the effectiveness of the coach because the coach is prepared to anticipate the reaction of the player. Coaches do not stay in coaching unless they have a genuine love of football and a desire to work with student athletes. Due to the strenuous demand on the coaches' time, many do not have the opportunity to investigate new coaching theories. The information and experience gained through personality testing can definitely help player performance, which in turn will greatly benefit the quality of play.

Some coaches may be a bit reluctant to implement the program that Sevier County High School has found so helpful. The use of a psychometrically valid Jung-based personality test is not a "quick-fix". It can not be used to label or pigeon hole student athletes. It can never replace good coaching. "It's a tool," said wide receiver and defensive back coach Billy Ward, "and the more tools you use, visual, written, hands on, the more kids you reach. It [MBTI] allowed me to see how to touch base with an individual. I knew how to approach him, to offer individual help with his game or with other problems that might interfere with his success on, or off the field. Knowing how to get the kid to open up makes it easier to communicate and that's what coaching is all about." Commented the team's offensive line coach Toby Ward, "The test gives us another tool to understand our kids. It's useful on and off the field in knowing how to instruct and discipline, but it's not a substitute for good coaching."

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