In elite sports at the highest level, even the slightest edge can mean the difference between defeat and victory. England’s Premiere League is arguably the most competitive football competition in the world, which explains why some would pursue unconventional training regimens. At Tottenham Hotspur’s academy, researchers found that athletes can be psychologically induced to run faster with just a few words. Simply asking strikers at the club to imagine they’re “like a jet plane taking off” or “accelerating like a Ferrari” can instantly boost sprinting speed by 3 percent over 20 meters. The pow…