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The Secrets Of Ronaldo’s Success by Dr Stephen Simpson

 

In the first of a series of articles looking at the secrets of the world’s top sportsmen and women, leading mind coach Dr Stephen Simpson looks at the skills of Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo and asks what makes Ronaldo Kick?

 

Cristiano Ronaldo, one of Real Madrid’s star players, holds numerous records and has won many prestigious titles. He is a prolific striker, and is the first European league player to score 40 goals in a single season, not just once, but twice in consecutive seasons.

Described as the complete footballer, equally proficient scoring with his head, either foot, or even his body, he is equally comfortable with static ball situations, such as taking penalties, free kicks, and corners, as well as tackling and dribbling at high speed. He is also extremely fit, and carries 3% less body fat than a supermodel.

Not surprisingly Cristiano is one of the most popular players in the world – and one of the highest paid. So what goes on in his head, and how can you use this knowledge in your favourite sport?

Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger, offers some revealing clues, highlighting Cristiano’s air of arrogance, and his belief that he is number one.

Where do you wish to draw your personal line between being arrogant, and possessing self belief? My suggestion is to err on the side of arrogance. It may lose you friends and invite hostile criticism, but your inner arrogance will enable you to perform at the top your ability. Remember, though, it is a matter of balance and personal choice. As Henry Ford said, ‘Whether you think you can or think you can’t – you are right.’

Other clues to the source of Cristiano’s success were revealed in the documentary ‘Ronaldo – Tested To The Limit.’ In a series of experiments scientists examined his physical and mental performance.

One experiment involved wiring him to equipment that monitored his eye movements whilst dribbling the ball past an opponent. Cristiano’s eye movements were seen to be extremely rapid, as he scanned the ball, the defender’s body parts, and areas of open space. The result was that he could predict the defender’s movements, and read the game almost instantly – certainly much faster than is possible using his conscious mind. Cristiano therefore trusts his unconscious mind implicitly.

The truth is that the greatest gift is to trust and let things happen rather than make them happen. This mind strategy releases the far greater and much faster power of the unconscious mind.

Another experiment involved taking a corner for Cristiano to score from, using his head or foot, depending on the height of the ball. There was no goalkeeper or other defenders, so this should not have been too difficult, except that as the ball was flying about half way to him the lights were switched off. As you might have guessed Cristiano was able to score comfortably, because his unconscious mind had accurately predicted the flight of the ball, and he was able to complete his final movements in complete darkness.

The scientists were determined to test Ronaldo to the limit. This time the lights were switched off just before the ball was kicked in his direction… Still the ball ended up at the back of the net, as he imagined the flight of the ball using only the player’s movements before the ball was even kicked. Ronaldo processed this information by tapping into his unconscious memory banks. He accessed information from thousands of hours of practice to “see” in the absence of seeing a real ball.

This process is called visualisation, which we are all capable of. Cristiano has taken it to an extreme. As we study other athletes in this series the importance of visualisation will be demonstrated in many different ways. The good news for you is that it is possible to improve your visualisation skills. A little extra will make a huge difference to your success, and not just in sport.

 

In the next article we will visit the world of athletics, and find out the mind secrets developed by the world’s fastest man, Usain Bolt.

Dr Stephen Simpson

Dr. Stephen Simpson is a medical doctor and specialist. He works as an Elite Performance Coach in sport, business, and personal development. He uses the latest psychological techniques, including NLP, self-hypnosis and meditation, to unlock your hidden potential. These leading edge techniques form the foundation of his accelerated learning system and have delivered outstanding results. His methods are suited to anyone with a commitment to change, and his clients include leading figures from the world of sport, TV, and business. Dr. Simpson has lived in war-torn Angola, the swamps of Nigeria, the steppes of Kazakhstan and the deserts of Oman. As an international Medical and HR Director he was privileged to work with many world leaders, including Bill Clinton, and was a task force member of the World Econonomic Forum, and Global Business Coalition. During these exciting times he initiated medical programmes in remote areas that to this day continue to deliver high quality medical care to disadvantaged groups. These outreach programmes received widespread international recognition and won prestigious awards. They are still used as case studies of best practice. The HIV programmes alone are instrumental in saving thousands of lives every year. During this time Dr. Simpson was mugged, imprisoned, shot at, mortared, almost killed in a helicopter incident, experienced near-fatal malaria, the less serious dengue, dysentery, and the dubious delights of Tumbu infection. He also enjoyed fighting against esoteric tropical diseases, such as Marburg. This is a variety of Ebola, and just about the deadliest disease on the planet. Dr. Stephen was part of the team that responded to the World's largest ever outbreak of Marburg, in Angola. Summary Dr. Stephen Simpson is a medical specialist, MBA, and Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine. He works as an elite performance coach, and has written and presented many scientific papers at international conferences, as well as making frequent guest appearances on TV and radio. His clients include leading names from the world of sport, business, and the entertainment industries. Dr. Simpson is also a bestselling book and audiobook author and presenter, achieving Number 1 successes in 8 countries to date; in UK, USA, Australia, Portugal, Italy, Austria, France, and Belgium. Full details of these audiobooks, books, podcasts, and videos can be found on his website http://www.drstephensimpson.com Additional information about Dr. Simpson: - Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine - General Medical Council Registered Medical Specialist - Accredited Specialist and Member of the Faculty of Occupational Medicine - Master of Business Administration (MBA) - Mind Coach and previously Caddie on PGA European Golf Tours - Editorial Board Member of Annual Review of Golf Coaching - Certified NLP Master Practitioner & Trainer - Certified Karl Morris Master Mind Factor Coach - Certified HeartMath® Sports Professional - Regular columnist for The Best You magazine - Works with Paul McKenna and Dr. Richard Bandler as a member of the trainer assistant team for their international personal development events

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