a unique approach

Christian Straka has developed a unique approach to mindset training through proven mindfulness techniques in sports. A firm believer in the power of the mind to make or break performance, he has extensively studied mindfulness-based mental performance training and has years of personal athletic achievement and successful coaching experience under his belt, including his career as a Global Mindset Coach for adidas Runners and faculty of the University of Southern California.

A few of his previous positions include head pro of Hofsaess Tennis Academy training the German National Team and personal coach for multiple top-ten tennis players, including Victoria Azarenka (formerly first in the world) and Andrea Petkovic (formerly tenth in the world). Additionally, while training with Christian, Mike Bryan won the ATP Tour World Championship in 2018 and the adidas TSP team broke the world record running from Los Angeles to Las Vegas. His unique approach to mindset training has yielded significant benefits to his clients in the development of their performance.

Founder of two community-oriented companies, he believes in fitness and mindfulness access for all, regardless of financial resources, and fair practices within the professional fitness community. He is a member of the Mindfulness Facilitation program at UCLA’s Mindfulness Awareness Research Center at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior and the International Mindfulness Teachers Association.

A coach for pro athletes, Christian possesses an in-depth, personal experience in professional tennis, as a player on the international circuit as well as a coach on all professional levels. For the past decade, his focus has turned to mindset training for peak performance through evidence-based mindfulness skill development, which he incorporates in his role as the Global Mindset Coach for adidas Runners, as well as coaching personal and corporate clients.

Christian additionally founded three companies, the first being MindSize Sports LLC, which creates online access to mindfulness-based mental performance training for anyone. MindSize’s goal is for all people to reach their optimal level of performance more frequently and for longer periods of time. This mission led to Christian starting two partner companies.

The second, Maverick Community Inc., is an advanced fitness and wellness concept that shifts the paradigm of power, giving independant personal trainers and physical therapists the opportunity to become thriving entrepreneurs. By going beyond just offering rental workout spaces equipped with cutting-edge equipment, the model lets these professionals rent these spaces on flexible terms – by the hour, day, week, or month – and does so without demanding membership fees or noncompete agreements. Maverick Community is a staunch advocate for fair remuneration and sustainable growth for fitness professionals. However, Maverick takes it a step further, empowering top-tier professionals with co-ownership stakes in the company. This recognizes their invaluable contributions and aligns their personal success with ours. Through this ecosystem, Maverick Community is redefining the fitness industry, fostering an environment that supports collective growth, rewards commitment, and champions shared ownership.

The third organization, Maverick Forward, is a nonprofit (501(c)(3) initiative) committed to supporting new fitness professionals in their fields, helping more individuals in poor and underserved communities live freer, healthier, and happier lives. Maverick Forward offers everything Maverick Community provides and additionally plans to offer training and certifications for aspiring wellness professionals from these communities, including low and more flexible rent and a scholarship fund to allow minimal to no client fees. Everyone deserves access to fitness and the ability to reach their professional dreams, and Maverick Forward aims to make this possible.

As part of his goal to help as many people as possible reach their full potential, Christian is exploring all possible avenues to continue on this journey. Each person has a set of skills they can train in a systematic way and see improvement. Since financial freedom should not be a reason for any individual to be excluded from learning and training these skills, he created the MindSize program for athletes available to anyone who reaches out to the company explaining their situation and why they would be interested in accessing the program.

Additionally, his coaching with adidas is available to anyone free of charge, whether he is teaching weekly in person in Los Angeles or virtually on his and adidas’s Instagram channels, all individuals are welcome to join without any risk or commitment.

In 2018, Christian embarked on a seven-day No-Single-Use-Plastic-Challenge with his wife, thanks to the inspiration of Parley, adidas and many other individuals. They inevitably realized that their failure to not use any single-use plastics, as well as the courage to honestly share their mistakes and everything they learned about plastic and their behavior, was as important of a story to share as the act of not using plastic itself.

The #nosingleuseplasticchallenge is now a global movement supported by adidas, in which Christian and his friend Garret Gooch are challenging athletes and coaches from adidas around the world monthly. Over the course of the challenge, participants discuss difficulties and insights, focusing on what we can learn while continuing to put our best foot forward and collaboratively work toward making our world a more sustainable place.

Coaching:
FC Bayern Munich, German Fedcup Team, Mike Bryan, Andrea Petkovic, Viktoria Azarenka, Tatjana Maria, Alexander Zverev, Olga Govortsova

Corporate:
Netflix, Adidas, Amazon, Facebook, Insight Timer, Ultrahuman, Allianz, Mattel

Lecture:
USC, UCLA

Articles:
GQ Magazin