Effective Goal Setting

Question 1

What are Goals?

Answer 1

• “A target or objective that people strive to attain.”
• Most commonly used mental skill strategy among athletes

Question 2

Why does Goal Setting Work? (5)

Answer 2

– Directs attention towards a task
– Helps in increasing motivation

– Fosters persistence and effort

– Allows an athlete to evaluate their performance in practice and in competition

– Team goal-setting is effective team-building tool for enhancing cohesion

Question 3

What are Outcome goals?

Answer 3

Goals that focus on results of competition between opponents

• Winning the world championships
• Making the varsity, provincial, or national team

Question 4

What are Performance goals?

Answer 4

Focus on improvements relative to one’s own past performance

• Improve 100m sprint speed by 2%
• Improve tennis serve speed by 5 miles/hour
• Improve accuracy of shots on goal in soccer to 30%

Question 5

What are Process goals?

Answer 5

Specific procedures in which athletes engage during performance

• Pulling arms in during a figure skating jump
• Snapping the wrist when smashing shuttlecock in badminton
• Number of breaths taken while doing the front crawl

Question 6

To increase effectiveness, what types of goals should athletes set?

Answer 6

• Practice and competition goals
• Short and long term goals
• Outcome, performance, and process goals

Question 7

What are SMART Goals

Answer 7

Specific

• Specific vs. vague (e.g. “do your best goals”)

Measurable
- Use numbers
- Allows for objective evaluation of goal

Adjustable
- Should be flexible and frequently modified

Realistic
- Set attainable but moderately difficult goals

Timeline
- Identify target dates

Question 8

How can you acheive your goals?

Answer 8

• Set positive versus negative goals
• Use goal-achievement strategies
• Write down your goals
• Put them in a place where you can see them!
• Frequently evaluate and modify goals
• Begin with setting a reasonable number of goals that are manageable