Mind Gym

TRY EASIER

The less tension and effort, the faster and more powerful you will be.

—BRUCE LEE

The way to run faster is with four-fifths effort. Just take it nice and easy.

—BUD WINTERS

Just as Tiger Woods does now, Sam Snead dominated professional golf in his prime because he outdistanced the rest of the field. Snead didn’t appear to drive the ball with muscle. On the contrary, the man, who years after retirement age remained so loose-limbed he could bend over and place his palms flat against the ground, was poetry in motion. Snead played golf to waltz time. His tempo was as smooth as the tone in his voice when he addressed his friend on the tee.

“I believe in giving the ball some sweet talk,” Snead once said. “‘This isn’t going to hurt a bit,’ ...