PREPARING FOR THE OLYMPICS with Angie Akers

1:11 - How Angie ended up coaching April and Alix and representing Team USA in preparation for the Tokyo Olympics.

4:15 - How Angie used a pre-mortem exercise to prepare for the Olympic Games, and avoid potential mishaps while accomplishing their goals.

4:56 - Covid 19’s limitations on relationship building and team building exercises during the Olympics.

6:43 - Facing and preparing for heat and humidity in Tokyo.

9:27 - Written form of a pre-mortem to manage anxiety and nerves.

10:53 - Role of past FIVB tournament results in preparation and practice, and identification of what was needed and when.

13:01 - Why they sat out of the Gstaad tournament.

15:30 - How the Olympic format and preparation helped them dominate their opponents during the Olympics.

17:03 - How Angie used film study to structure practice and prepare during downtime between games..

17:56 - Emulation of “playing” against opponents during practice and warmups.

19:20 - Would Angie have coached an underdog team differently than April and Alix?

20:16 - How Angie, April, and Alix approached every match.

21:18 - How John and Andrew would approach every match.

22:49 - Circumstantial warm up/preparation for different tournaments vs relatively consistent warm up/preparation (e.g. Cancun compared to a colder environment).

24:00 - Enjoying the Tokyo Olympic activities.

25:32 - Finding a routine during the Olympics, and filling up free time while staying mentally sharp.