Think you could learn an NFL Playbook? Maybe.
Written By Dr. James Bowman, Psy.D.
To read the original article, click here
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When people think of football players, they probably first think of their size, speed, and athleticism (and perhaps how hard they can hit!). But the mental aspect of the game is incredibly important. Of the different elements of sport cognition, one that plays a unique role is learning efficiency. This cognitive ability is critical to learning football techniques, skills, and strategy efficiently and recalling this information later, when needed.
As explained in this article, learning the NFL playbook is no easy feat! In fact, there are some players who require multiple presentations, different modalities (e.g., visual, auditory), weekly quizzes, mnemonic devices (e.g., HOMES for the Great Lakes), and other supports to learn their responsibilities. Conversely, there are players who absorb the material like sponges. In fact, for my fellow NYers, two of the current NY quarterbacks scored in the superior range in this area!
Beyond learning the playbook, learning efficiency can also help players remember important details they pick up on early in a game, so that they can keep them in mind as the game progresses. For instance, when a quarterback notes in the first quarter that a defensive safety is jumping on a route in a specific scheme, he can avoid a mistake — or seize a big opportunity — later in the game if the same set of conditions arise.
But, this ability isn’t only important for quarterbacks. According to a former head coach, an NFL playbook may have hundreds of plays, with an offense selecting from roughly 75-100 passing plays and 15-20 running plays every game. Even positions that wouldn’t seem to require a high level of learning efficiency are still impacted by it. For instance, a runningback not only needs to learn all of their plays, but they also need to remember what happens when the QB changes a play, where the protection slides, and where he needs to be. Undoubtedly, this ability has been an asset for many players. In fact, out of over 400 elite runningbacks in our database, 2 of the top 5 scorers on the AIQ Learning Efficiency Factor are currently multi-year pro bowl players in the NFL.
Unfortunately, when teams don’t identify a player’s level of learning efficiency, they may resort to “high reps” if the player doesn’t get it at first, thereby placing the athlete at a higher-risk of injury. This situation can cause frustration for both the player and his coaches. Instead of this, we recommend properly identifying players’ learning strengths and weaknesses so that specific teaching/learning strategies can be incorporated. When this is done, there is reduced frustration for the player and coaches, reduced injury risk, and improved absorption.
Of the assessments used in the NFL, the Wonderlic test largely measures academic capability, and other tests may measure elements of distraction control or self-reported “coachability.” However, the AIQ is the only cognitive assessment administered with NFL players that directly measures learning efficiency.
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