They don’t get the breakfast cereal or running shoe sponsorships, and there’s no giant parade behind the flags of the world to introduce these champions to the world, or gold medals to reward them afterwards. But the people who train their minds to the highest possible level perform amazing feats worthy of any Olympic athlete.
Speed reading is one of the mental sports that’s gaining more recognition, and there are even competitions for top readers. However, it’s a difficult thing to judge, sometimes, because speed reading isn’t dependent on only one thing. If you’re a sprinter competing in a track and field event, what’s important is that you reach the finish line in the fastest possible time. The judges won’t go back and ask you to explain exactly where your right foot fell at the three-second mark, and whether the runner from Italy was on your left or on your right. By contrast, a speed reader needs to remember the details of the words and phrases they read, and how they fit together in context. That doesn’t mean memorizing every word, but it does mean that speed reading is more than just moving your eyes from the start of the book to the finish.
Speed reading means comprehension as well as pace, and that’s what speed reading competitions judge. The World Speed Reading Championship record holder, Anne Jones, read the final Harry Potter book at an average of 4,700 words per minute and was able to accurately answer questions about what she read afterwards. Yale professor and author Harold Bloom continues to read books at a rate of 300 pages an hour, though he’s over 80 years old, and is able to write comprehensive reviews of each book as he finishes them. American president John F. Kennedy was an early follower of the first speed reading guru, Evelyn Wood, and Theodore Roosevelt was one of many avid readers of the 19th century, reading at least one book per day.
Like any other athlete, practice is important. Like Roosevelt, you can read a book a day once you’ve gotten your speed and comprehension up to top levels. If you can read 700 words per minute you could finish the first Harry Potter book in less than two hours – and you probably spend that much time surfing the computer or watching television each evening!
Do you know how fast you read now? If you’re not using the 7 Speed Reading system to track your reading speed, you can use office supply company Staples’ quick online test and measure both your speed and your comprehension.
