The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-03-26
OF ATHLET|CSQ
 BEING STUDIED
University of Illinois Will Make Tests of Its Football Stars-WiII Write
 Textbook
- By Aasociated Preas

Urbana, H.. March ,25.-The in- creasing importance of psychology in athletics is indicated by the recent addition of representative of the of psychology to the faculty advisory staff of coach zappke at the University of Illinois. and the establishment of a research organization to delve into the mys- teries of "head-work" on the grid.- iron, diamond, and track.
 pr. Coleman R. Griffith. associate in psychology at the university. has undertaken the task of exploring the new field, which promises to have an important bearing upon future coach ing practice. Results already have demonstrated the value of the work in the view of Illinois athletic off, cials. Following a fuli years ex- perimenta ton on the local carnpuM. In which psychic aspects of all the major sports will be studied. c text book on the subject will be compiled. and a course for future coaches and athletics developed for inclusion in the university curriculum which will attempt to explain the psychological phenomena of competitive games.
 The work of Dr. Griffith will bs seen first as a factor, in the srfdfron clashes of the Illinois team next season, when the athletes, who for years have appeared in dark blue jersies, will be attired in blending combinations of orange canary Ysl~ low and whites
 Players Helped
 The change is ordered by the strn- aI. zh1rcto1a0tna1 farf that in look ing from the corner of the eye only certain colors are visible. The foot oall star, in picking 8 man for q pass will be greatly aided by the rainbow-like dress of his teammates. The baseball pitcher. basketball play CT, and track entrant, all of whom also are forced to rely to \ great extent upon indirect vision for the success of their play. will be helped by the new uniforms.
 One of the most interesting of a series of experiments will be made this spring when Dr. Griffith will subject every member of the football squad to an exhaustive series Of tests through which he will attempt to select the personnel of the 1922 conference eleven.
 Another plan of interest to the coach is that to determine reactions III LHS oy COfHplHlu8 lQo data on 8 large number of athletes pr. Griffith has established an aver age reaction time for competitions in the various departments of sports. as an index of relative mental and mus cular speed. The tests are made with unique instrument, tho vernier chronoscope. which measures time in thousandths of second and may be made visual or tactual to determine the various types of reaction. Nu- merous experiments are planned to develop other phases of psychology as related to athletics.
 The course which pr, Griffith is formulating will present data reveal ing cross sections of the players mind at various moments in the game, and will urge the practical application of psychology to the coaches everyday problems. Such questions as action. attention, in stinct, emotion. memory. and person ality will be treated and the prob lems of fight, selection, morale and mental health, approached from & new angle.
 Until he can make an exhaustive study of athletes under all condi- tions, Dr. Griffith refuses to call his finding science. but to date his prophecies have checked so well with the results obtained on the gridiron that Director of Athletics Huff and his staff have great hopes for the future of the psychology of ath- letics.'