It is known that many athletes are very superstitious. But sometimes, it comes to the point of complete madness because the omens and traditions of some of them cause bewilderment and laughter. But on the other hand, if they are sincerely convinced that the rigorous performance of their rituals allows them to achieve the desired results, then why not?
No matter how you look at it, many athletes are lucky and, more importantly, confident in themselves. If bettors visit the best cricket betting sites in India, they can see that even such small details affect athletes’ results.
Self-confidence is always known to work very well. Below is a selection of the most interesting rituals and traditions of famous athletes that everyone will be curious to know about.
Top most amazing rituals and traditions of athletes
Fans and amateur athletes often ask those who have achieved dizzying heights in sports what their secret to success is. It is not uncommon for great athletes to mention wearing talismans and various rituals in addition to their diligent training. And those who don’t talk about them probably think it’s bad luck to talk about them.
Kiss the bald spot
Before every game, French football legend Laurent Blanc kissed the bald head of goalkeeper Fabienne Barthez. The player believed it was this ritual that helped him succeed. But after Laurent Balan ended his career, no one else kissed his goalkeeper’s bald head…
Yelena Isinbayeva and her whispers
Everyone knows the great jumper Isinbayeva, who has won countless different titles and awards. But not everyone knows why; before the responsible jumps, she covers her head with a blanket and whispers something to herself. Of course, viewers were curious about what the famous athlete was saying, but no one was able to hear her words. Yelena herself did not comment on her secret ritual.
Javier Sotomayor’s crying
Javier Sotomayor’s sincere sobs in the locker room before each appearance alarmed witnesses at first. But soon, everyone got used to it and stopped comforting the great jumper, realizing that this was his special victory ritual. But he did not always manage to force the tears out of himself, so eye drops were used.
Lucky socks
Serena Williams is a famous tennis player who thinks it is bad luck to change her socks during one game. In addition, the girl is convinced that shoelaces before the competition should be tied in some special way known only to her, as well as to put home slippers on the court and hit the ball off the ground five times before the first game and two times before the second. In the event of an unsuccessful game, Williams blamed herself for not performing the ritual reverently enough.
Michael Jordan’s shorts
Basketball player Michael Jordan has won a huge number of awards just because of his lucky shorts – so says the athlete himself. It’s interesting to see how the living personification of basketball wore the same shorts to every game. He has been inseparable from this piece of clothing since the first game that launched his great sporting career.
Why else would one need astrological knowledge? Certainly, to succeed in all sorts of things. Former French national football team boss Raymond Domenech believed that Scorpions and Leos had no place in a winning team. That was the main criterion for the selection of new players.
He also kept the best players out of the 2010 World Cup – Julien Escudet, Sebastien Schillaci, Gael Clichy, and William Gallas. However, as it turned out in practice, astrological knowledge did not help the team to make it even out of the group. And the coach himself was harshly criticized and sacked.
Kissing the bar
Artem Rebrov, Spartak goalkeeper, before every match, talks to his favorite goalpost and kisses it. The athlete would not admit what he communicates with the inanimate object but confirms that this is a special tradition and helps to tune in for a successful game.
Armani coat
José Mourinho was the mentor of the legendary Chelsea FC, who wore the same coat to every game in hot and cold weather. But when the team lost a match and Mourinho was wearing a coat at +15, he decided to abandon that ritual.
Only after you
UK footballer Bobby Moore always waited until the other players had put on their football shorts before changing himself. The legendary captain believed that this ritual was the key to a brilliant game.
Usain Bolt’s diet
Track champion Usain Bolt keeps to a strict diet before competitions – he eats huge quantities of fried chicken and chicken nuggets. For example, before setting the world record at the Beijing Olympics in 2008, he ate one giant bucket of nuggets for lunch and another for dinner, then another bucket for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
By the way, there are 20 nuggets in one bucket, which gives him a total of about 100 of them. As the sportsman himself mentioned, in addition to the chicken, he also ate quiche and Chips.
Champion’s coin and talk with clubs
Alexander Ovechkin, the hockey player for Russia and Washington, cherishes his talisman, a Canadian coin. It has a very interesting story: before the Olympics in Salt Lake City, Team Canada embedded a silver dollar in the middle of the ice.
The result of the game was stunning – the team won the championship for the first time in 50 years. In 2008, in Quebec City, hockey players did the same thing, but Team Russia emerged victorious, with Ovechkin taking the coin and taking it back, as the Canadians had no luck this time.
In addition to the lucky coin, Alexander Ovechkin has another tradition – before each important competition, he talks to his clubs. The legendary hockey player discusses the upcoming game with them, and together they tune up and develop a winning plan and other nuances. When you consider that Ovechkin is breaking more and more NHL records, talking to his hockey sticks works.
Baby powder
Another hockey player with multiple trophies, Wayne Gretzky, sprinkled baby powder on his stick completely by accident early in his career. And, miraculously, that game brought him a dizzying victory! The puck flew in and out of the net, and his stick was incredibly docile. From that moment on, he started sprinkling his stick every time before a game, but always with baby powder.
Dipping his stick in the toilet “for good luck” – why not?
Another hockey player, Bruce Gardiner, does not give up on happy rituals. But unlike the previous two, he takes a much harsher approach: he dips his stick in the toilet before every game! And he does it defiantly, apparently, to make the stick feel even more humiliated and restore its reputation on the ice.
Wake up at the same time
Many motor-racers also follow their traditions. Fernando Alonso, for example, always gets up at 7.20 am sharp on race day, even if the race is scheduled for the evening. In addition, he wears all paired-up clothes and shoes from the left and approaches his race car exclusively from the left. One wonders how this helps him win, but the fact remains that he’s won quite a few awards.
Going to the toilet before the race
As you already know from the previous example, motor-racers know how to surprise. Another driver, Rubens Bariquello from Brazil, goes to the bathroom exactly 12 minutes before each race. How this ritual contributes to success – only he knows. But this ritual has also been seen in some other athletes, which suggests that it works!
Tim Duncan and his two rituals
Tim Duncan, multiple NBA champion and San Antonio Spurs center, also has his quirks. He hugged a basketball before each game. The athlete did it with special passion, as if he had never had anyone as close as this ball.
But he had a second ritual – he came to all his practices backward. By the way, he justified this second habit quite logically: thus, he forced his brain to work in uncomfortable conditions, which helped him to overcome real difficulties during competitions.
This already considerable and very surprising list of omens and rituals of famous athletes could go on for a long time. It is simply amazing that such brutal and serious men believe in such things. But beyond amazement, it makes you smile at the very least and confirms once again that every adult remains a bit of a child at heart.
