TIV 12 Asics Black

Coach Taani Langi, 2018-2019 Head Coach of Texas Image 12 Asics Black, contacted Alexia Heist prior to the season starting to ask if she could help his team learn the importance of team culture, self talk, visualization and meditation, mindfulness, gratefulness, and aiding them in creating a “why” for each player individually and as a team, too. 

Alexia spent nine weeks with the team. They met for 30 minutes once a week and every week they would review the lesson that she put together, they would have a round table discussion about it, they would meditate, and then the players were assigned “homework” that they were to complete before the next lesson.

After the nine weeks were over, the team understood the power of mental strength and mindfulness, how to improve their self talk, the power of their own breath, how to be a better teammate, what areas they could work harder in, why being a grateful and selfless athlete is important, and how to meditate and visualize.

“Alexia taught me that athletes are always training their muscles to perform at the highest level of their sport.  But why aren’t they training their brain to perform at the highest level?  What you think about affects how you feel and perform.  It’s so important to teach athletes to know how to cope with the successes, losses, pressures and frustrations of competition.  Alexia’s mental toughness training helped 12 ASICS Black get over obstacles and reach goals that were set at the beginning of the season.” – Taani Langi

Here are a few quotes that some of the players wrote when Alexia asked them, “What have you learned from the last nine weeks?”:

“Be Positive.”

“I learned how to be a good teammate.”

“You taught us how to stay positive.”

“I loved when we visualized! It really clears my mind.”

“I learned you are not just an individual. You work together as a team.”

“If you start thinking it, you’ll start believing it.”

“I really found where I’m most happy when we visualized.”

“You didn’t just nod to everything said, you acknowledged it and agreed or disagreed.” 

“Actually, you have always been my inspiration since I’ve played volleyball and it was a dream meeting you, thank you!”