How do you set athletic goals?

Setting goals can help athletes not only improve their overall performance, but it can also increase their ability to handle adversity. Here are some guidelines for developing specific sports goals for you or your team and tips for ensuring that the goals are met. Applied Sports Psychology Association 8365 Keystone Crossing, Suite 107Indianapolis, IN 46240 USA UU. As much as possible, set goals that you have control over.

This means focusing more on performance-related and process-related objectives than on results-related objectives. Performance objectives have to do with achieving a certain time (for example, process objectives have to do with how you compete (e.g., result objectives have to do with qualifying in a race (e.g., result objectives provide long-term motivation and many long-term objectives take this form), performance and process objectives help us to focus on what we need to do in the medium and short term, such as at the time of the race. Keeping a publicly published diary or goal tracking chart can help athletes and coaches in the monitoring process. Set goals for both practice and competition: it is important for the team and coach to recognize the fundamental importance of effective practices in preparing for competition.

In general, I recommend that, for every outcome objective established by a coach or athlete, it be accompanied by at least four process objectives. Feedback, whether through self-reflection or from another source, such as a coach or training partner, is an essential component of the goal-setting process. But as every great coach discovers, developing a great athlete means nurturing, nurturing the person even better than there is inside. Consider individual and personality differences in goal setting: Coaches should also consider that athletes' personality characteristics can determine the effectiveness of goal setting.