If correctly set, goals are extraordinarily strong motivators of athlete behavior. Well set goals enable an increase in the level of an athlete’s physiological arousal and bring to an increase in energy (i.e if an athlete comes to his training in a reluctant mood, but, in cooperating with his coach, he sets a challenging, and, at the same time, realistic and stimulating goal, he may notice an increase in his engagement on the field and have more will power and energy for a successful training). The goal also directs focus on action (if our goal is to increase the number of ball transferred or the speed of the ball flow, then all our mental resources will be focused on the task). If realized, then the goal leads to the desired results; goal realization at each training ultimately leads to progress and greater satisfaction.
The most valuable benefit of setting goals is the development of perseverance in behavior (if an athlete does not know where he is going, he is then more likely to give up). Setting goals ultimately involves thinking and developing a strategy for task performance (if an athlete has a goal, he should also clearly know the steps leading him to achieve such goals).
Athletes often go from one training to another without clear and / or correctly set goals. If you have already set your goal in training, competing or for the season, check through the following questions whether your goal has the stated below characteristics:
Goals are to be written down. Have you written your goal on a piece of paper and is it in a place where you can clearly see it after getting up in the morning and at the end of your day in the evening?
A goal should be moderate and realistic. Furthermore, we will be more motivated by challenging goals than by very easy or very difficult ones. Do you consider your goal to be somewhat above the “bar” you can currently reach?
Is your goal specific and concrete?
Does your goal have a short-term or long-term road?
Is your goal directed on the result and performance? In sports, where the competition is high, it is dangerous to insist only on the result?
Many people set goals directed towards what they do NOT wish to do/see in themselves, in other words what they wish to avoid, but such a goal has the wrong focus. Is your goal set in positive terms?
Goals are dreams within deadlines. Has you goal got a clear deadline?
Has your goal got a clearly elaborated strategy and Plan B in case Plan A does not succeed?
Your goal is to be measurable. Is there any feedback on approaching and achieving your goal?
Do we plan potential issues on our way towards our goals and how and when is a solution planned when these appear?
Are your long-term goals flexible considering that we will change and grow through the work progress?
Finally: In sports we distinguish goals according to focus: outcome goals and journey goals. The goal of the outcome poses the question: “What do I want?” on the other hand, the journey goal poses the question. “HOW will I do it? “Athletes often know what they desire to achieve, which is a great goal that dictates to the athlete the outcome he desires to achieve and realize, but the question that athletes often neglect is the “how”. Exactly that query creates in our minds the road we wish to follow. The question of how he will achieve what he wants to achieve is as important a question for the athlete as the direction he wishes to take.
Athletes often think that within a team they cannot set their own goals if it is the coach himself who creates the course of training, exercises and the plan of the game. But are there goals, properly and stimulatingly set, that an athlete can realize from training to training and which are in favor of what the coach is demanding of his players?
For example, if a football/soccer coach insists on a more aggressive defense at a competition, the athlete showing resistance in entering a duel game may set a goal for himself at training to enter the duel at least twice.
If after training, that same athlete records the number of entries in duels, he notices and measures his engagement during training. Thus, the athlete not only becomes more motivated in training but also develops and builds self-confidence and faith in his abilities.
If set correctly, goals are extremely powerful motivators of athlete behavior. Well-set goals allow an increase in the level of physiological arousal of the athlete and lead to an increase in energy (i.e. if the athlete comes to training reluctantly, but is in.