5 reasons Dyslexic Thinking makes unstoppable sports champions (2024)

What gives a World Champion their edge? Talent? Skills? Perseverance? A will to win? How about their#DyslexicThinking?

Sports heavyweights like Muhammad Ali (three times World Boxing Champion), Sir Jackie Stewart (three times winner of the World Drivers’ Championship) and basketball legend, Magic Johnson (played for LA Lakers for 13 seasons) all had one thing in common: each one is Made By Dyslexia.

Here are five reasons why dyslexics make unstoppable sports champions.

1.Strong visual memory – the Dyslexic Thinking skill of Visualising

While dyslexics struggle to memorise facts, like times tables, spelling, punctuation or grammar rules, they have an incredibly strong visual memory – which can give them an unfair advantage on the sports field.

F1 racing World Champion, Sir Jackie Stewart, can visualise each twist and turn on every race track, saying:

The old Nürburgring had 187 corners per lap, and I can still give you every gear change, every braking distance on each of the 187 corners. But I can't say the alphabet.

He also puts his success down to picking up on small details others might easily overlook and being able to communicate with his mechanics more clearly, which builds a stronger team. You can watch our full interview with Sir Jackie Stewart here:

If you’re dyslexic, understanding how your brain thinks is the key to harnessing your potential, both on and off the sports pitch.

Former England Rugby captain, Chris Robshaw, explains he needs to see a play on the pitch, rather than study it in the team room, to understand it better:

I’m a very visual person. I need to go through bits, whereas other people like to read, they like to listen to stuff. I could sit in a meeting room and we could talk about our plays and our line outs, whatever it be… and a lot of that won’t go in. However, if I go out on a pitch and run through it once, it will all go in and I’ll be completely fine.

Similarly, Tim Tebow, champion NFL quarterback, taught himself game plays by using flash cards before big games – while the rest of the team would memorise complicated playbooks.

2.Perseverance – the Dyslexic Thinking skill of Exploring

Four in five dyslexics said that knowing they were dyslexic helped them develop the perseverance needed to succeed. Take Olympic Gold medal winner Caitlyn Jenner.

She said:

If I wasn’t dyslexic, I probably wouldn’t have won the Games. If I had been a better reader, then that would have come easily, sports would have come easily, and I never would have realized that the way you get ahead in life is hard work.

Current Olympic shot-put champion Michelle Carter agrees. Talking to Understood, she says:

You can do whatever you set your mind to—you just may do it differently. You may have to work a little bit harder, but you can do it.

And while many people might think skill gives champions their edge, the world’s greatest boxer, Muhammad Ali, believes otherwise:

Championsaren't made in gyms.Championsare made from something they have deep inside them - a desire, a dream, a vision. They have to have the skill, and the will. But the will must be stronger than the skill.

Dyslexics are masters at working harder in order to succeed, developing grit, determination and resilience along the way. And, as our Value of Dyslexia reports show, these skills along with problem solving, creative thinking, communication and leadership are the skills that are vital to the future work place, not just the sports field.

3.Intuition – the Dyslexic Thinking skill of Visualising

Many dyslexics have strong visualisation skills. And when it comes to sport, this can translate to an uncanny knack of knowing how the game is going to unfold, or where the play is going to take place, which often influences the result of the game.

Children at Millfield School, which specialises in sport and dyslexia, say:

It’s like a superpower in a way, because you can see things that other people can’t.

They explain:

I’m better at hockey, because I know where to stand in the pitch because I understand the game better.

Watch the full ‘Dyslexia Awareness: Dyslexic Strengths’ film:

Josh Clark, Head of the Schenck School, Atlanta, Georgia (which specialises in dyslexic teaching) describes dyslexic children’s intuitive ability like this:

They could be the child on the sports field, that seems to have this premonition of how things are going to work. The child that can predict where the ball is going to go. Or know when to move left when everyone else moves right, because they understand that’s how the play is going to come about.

This kind of intuitive skill leads to an ability to be in the right place at the right time, which can change the course of a game, whether that’s top-flight rugby, Premier League football, NFL or more.

4.Exceptional focus – the Dyslexic Thinking skill of Exploring

While it’s true that some dyslexics find it easy to get distracted and need support to stay on task, many can become fully absorbed in a passion.

When it comes to elite athletes, this ability to focus and stay calm when the stakes are high and the pressure is on, is crucial to their success.

Mo Farah is the most successful British track athlete in modern Olympic Games history, winning the Olympic Gold medal in both 5,000m and 10,000m in 2012 and 2016. Mo Farah explains:

If I don't train, I don't win. If I don't focus, I don't win.

Vancouver neurotherapist Mari Swingle, author of i-Minds: How Cell Phones Computers Gaming and Social Media Are Changing Our Brains Our Behaviour and the Evolution of Our Species, says a dyslexic mind can display exceptional focus when they ‘get in the zone’ which leads to extraordinary calmness that allows them to outperform others.

Rashan Gary, NFL star and Outside Linebacker with the Green Bay Packers, says:

Having dyslexia means I go above and beyond in whatever I put my mind to. Failure has never been an option for me.

5.Spatial awareness – the Dyslexic Thinking skill of Visualising

Finally, thanks to their visualisation skills, dyslexic sports stars develop an extraordinary perception of the space around them. This includes their relationship to others on the pitch, track or stage and helps them to make decisions about how and where to move next.

Mari Swingle says:

There's a different form of spatial perception that dyslexics have, so it's almost fundamentally what hurts them in their learning to read actually helps them on courses and tracks.

This ability to visualise, or see how set pieces should play out, is particularly useful to England Rugby captain, Chris Robshaw:

Wherever I’m playing, for club or country, I’ll sit down the night before and just take 15 minutes going through the plays and I’ll actually picture myself where I need to be at this play, where I’m going next, so you actually see it all, and for me that’s my best way of learning.

These powerful visualisation skills help dyslexics approach the game differently, and give them an added advantage over others on the pitch.

Thanks for reading. I hope you found this article interesting and if you did, please share far and wide to help us spread the word!

Kate

Kate Griggs is the Founder & CEO of Made By Dyslexiaand the author of 2 best-selling books on Dyslexia and Dyslexic Thinking,Xtraordinary Peoplefor children andTHIS Is Dyslexiafor adults, both published by Penguin.