Bud Winter

This slender paperback from 1956 has been enormously influential during the past 60 years because it has introduced coaches, trainers, and athletes to the importance of relaxation during competition. Bud Winter, coach for decades at San Jose State, challenged the intuitive belief that clenching your fists, gritting your teeth, and straining every muscle in maximum effort is the way to win races. Winter preached a contrary method: train yourself to relax, run with loose hands and relaxed jaw, and go loose in the final yards to the finish line. You perform better when you are relaxed, not tense, under pressure. And his students were living proof of his theories. San Jose State became known as "Speed City" as Winters turned out 102 All-Americans, 27 Olympians, and such world-record holders as Tommie Smith, Lee Evans, and Ronnie Rae Smith. Winter's runners were famous for their strength and perfect running form, to be sure, but they astonished onlookers with their remarkable finishes. I saw many of those races, and as the sprinters were driving for the finish line I came to expect the San Jose State runners to explode in the last ten meters past the rest of the field. They turned on the relaxation mechanisms that Winter had taught, and they suddenly flew past the competition. If you are a psychologist, read Winters's book Relax and Win. It's all in there.… (lisätietoja)