There was more than one occasion that I got up from the board four or five hours into a hugely tense chess game, walked outside the playing hall and sprinted fifty yards or up six flights of stairs. Then I’d walk back, wash my face, and be completely renewed. To this day, virtually every element of my physical training also revolves around one form or another of stress and recovery . . . If you are interested in really improving as a performer, I would suggest incorporating the rhythm of stress and recovery into all aspects of your life.
