Why is Bobby Knight Explosive?

Bobby Knight is presently the head basketball(analytical). Of these four styles, the Choleric or
coach at Texas Tech. Prior to being hired byWorker style is the most impatient, ill natured and
them Bobby Knight spent twenty-nine yearsshort tempered. The Worker temperament style
coaching basketball at Indiana University. In thoseis the D in the D.I.S.C. profiling system. Bobby
twenty-nine years he coached many successfulKnight has the Worker as his primary
basketball teams and in fact, brought three NCAAtemperament style and therefore like most
basketball championships back to Indiana. He wasWorkers, has a challenge with anger management.
recognized as a strict disciplinarian and used aThis style is often referred to as a "Workaholic or
"hands on" coaching style. Coach Knight wasType A" personality. When they get angry their
feared and respected not only by the opposingtendency is to explode like a volcano and then
team, but by his own players as well. His winningget over it quickly and go about their business as
tradition at Indiana University made him an iconif nothing had happened. Workers are aggressive,
for college basketball. Here is a man who was atno-nonsense people who seek power and control.
the top of his game and appeared to have it all.They are goal-oriented individuals with a practical,
So what happened? Why did Indiana fire him asbottom line approach to life. The Worker is
their head basketball coach? Essentially Bobbyextroverted by nature. People who have the
Knight lost his job when he lost his temper. It hasWorker as their primary temperament style are
been said that people are a lot like steel, oncephysically large, powerful people with broad
they loose their temper they are renderedshoulders. Other well-known Workers are; Mike
useless. Unfortunately when most people think ofTyson, John Wayne, Vince Lombardi, George C.
Bobby Knight, they picture an irate coachScott, Bea Arthur, Pete Rose, Janet Reno, O.J.
throwing a chair across the basketball courtSimpson, Joseph Stalin, George S. Patton and Jim
dramatically underscoring his disagreement with anBrown.
official's call. His explosive and volatile temperBobby Knight developed a winning tradition while
ultimately caused him to be placed on probation atat Indiana University by demanding that his
Indiana University after he chocked one of hisplayers learn how to play under pressure and
players during practice.adversity. Ironically, self-control was the one thing
Why are some people more aggressive andcoach Knight was unable to give back to them!
volatile than others? Twenty-four hundred yearsBobby Knight is a good example of a bad
ago, Hippocrates, the father of medicine,example. He reminds us all that the strength of
theorized that we are born into one of fourour temperament style taken to the extreme
primary temperament styles and that each stylebecomes our greatest personal weakness. He has
has it's own unique physiology, character traitsbeen given a second chance to coach at Texas
and outlook on life; Choleric (aggressive), SanguineTech. Let's hope that he learned his lesson and will
(emotional), Phlegmatic (passive) and Melancholycontrol his legendary, explosive temper!