Master the Art of Running: Running with the Alexander Technique

"This book is nicely produced, with lots of pictures etc. It doesn't live up to its title though and could be more accurately called "Master the art of running with a combination of standard advice"

At the beginning of each chapter I thought "I hope this is the bit where they explain how the Alexander Technique (AT) will be relevant to running" and each time I was disappointed. There is lots of good advice in the text, but none of it relates to AT. The tips all seem to be fairly standard things that one reads in 'Runners World' or similar magazines each month (e.g. "Turn up at race in good time so that you can concentrate before the start" - what does this have to do with the Alexander Technique?) Plenty of quotes from famous runners and coaches, none of whom seem to have used AT much either.

Overall this is a disappointing book that promises rather than delivers. I now know that Alexander was a stage performer who worked out that how he held his neck and head could affect his breathing. I also know that good runners tend to have good posture (I think I knew this already)and listen to the advice of their coaches. There is very little connecting the two."
~ Written on 2007-12-05

"I think this is an amazing book. I have been having some wonderful lessons for the past year in the Alexander Technique and have stayed away from exercise until I could fully understand the use of myself and my habitual patterns. Gladly my tutor said that under caution I could take up exercise again and I jumped at the chance of running once more. She suggested that I read this book first and I haven't been dissappointed!

The authors have done an excellent job. Combining the theory of the technique and providing statements from people of their findings etc!

Well done - if you want to learn more about the technique and/or running this is a must!"
~ Written on 2001-05-08

"So many of us think we know how to run well, but in fact run extremely poorly. This book was a revelation to me. I have run for about ten years now, and the Art of Running opened my eyes to several of my faults. It's not easy to correct them just from reading the book, but it has given me pointers towards what I should be doing to improve my technique. I like the style of the book: the personal testimonies are inspiring and show just what Alexander Technique has to offer, while the tone is light-hearted but practical without too much jargon. There's a similar book on swimming, The Art of Swimming, and the two are similar in that they encourage you to think about the activity rather than just perform it mindlessly. For any runner who is stuck in a training rut, or suffering a lot of injuries, this is an excellent and thought-provoking book which might help them towards a more fulfiling future."
~ Written on 2000-11-02

"The previous reviewer seems to have missed the point that it is almost impossible to improve one's running just by reading a book: has she ever tried to learn to dance better from a book? There are plenty of ideas to work with but they will only really make sense if you have Alexander lessons - to quote from one of the letters: ".. if you want to explore the ideas in these pages you will certainly need a teacher to help you". The letters are encouraging in that they show what benefits (in many areas, not just running) people have experienced from taking Alexander lessons. I do not find the book especially well written (better to dip into it than to read as a whole), but there are plenty of useful ideas in it with which to work."
~ Written on 2000-09-28

"I enjoyed the style - a mixture of people's own stories and experiences, specific drills and training sessions, and useful philosophical background. Its a challenge to capture the subtlety of the authors' message in words, because both running and the Alexander Technique are all about personal, kinaesthetic experience. Still, there's more than enough value in this book to improve the quality of anyone's running if they put Balk's ideas into practice."
~ Written on 2000-09-28