Goal setting can give athletes an extra edge
The ability of an athlete to perform at the top level of their given sport depends largely on their physical ability, such as skill, talent, strength etc. However, the mental approach is acknowledged as having a major bearing on the success of the athlete in terms of attitude and confidence. One way in which the psychological performance of an athlete can be improved is through goal-setting as part of their training plan, and given that there are often tiny margins between success and failure, the mental state of an athlete can give them the extra edge that can make all the difference.
Athletes can use goal setting to focus on what is most important and helps them stay motivated while increasing their effort when necessary. It is also effective in that it can assist with tracking their progress. Alan S. Kornspan in Fundamentals of Sport and Exercise Psychology sums up the importance of goal-setting when he states:
“Goal setting is one of the most important skills taught to athletes in order to help them achieve optimal performance. The goal-setting process helps athletes understand where they are currently and also where they want to go”.
What is goal setting?
Goal setting can be broken down into three categories –
- outcome goals,
- performance goals and
- process goals.
Outcome goals deal with specific results in competition, while performance goals deal with helping an athlete make improvements over a period of time. Process goals are the aspects a competitor should be concentrating on when carrying out a specific skill.
When it comes to introducing goal setting into an athlete’s schedule, it is obvious that the application of those goals is vital and David Harrison argues that certain approaches will help the athlete achieve success as he identifies the following key principles.
Specific:
To really focus your attention make your goals specific. Specific to you and specific to the goal and avoid vague and broad goals like ‘I want the team to be the best’.
Realistic and Challenging:
Goals should be difficult enough to be a challenge but not so difficult they become unrealistic.
Long Term and Short Term:
See your long term goal as the top of the mountain to get to the top you need to set and achieve smaller goals to reach the top.
Ink it, don’t think it:
Make sure you write your goals down. The action of doing this reinforces your intent to complete the goal.
Process, Performance and Outcome:
We have seen the different types of goals and how they fit together. If you set primarily process and performance goals then you have done all you can within your control to achieve the outcome goal.
Consider the goal after the goal:
What this means is that you need to be aware of the next step. By being aware of the next goal you are automatically bring the goal closer to completion.
These ideas are also explored by Edwin Locke and Gary Latham in ‘The Application of Goal Setting to Sports’ and Eva V. Monsma in ‘Principles of Effective Goal Setting‘
Value of setting goals
It is pointed out in The Extra Gear’s article entitled ‘Goal Setting for Sport Performance Enhancement’ that there are some drawbacks to goal setting. These include that:-
- it can be considered boring
- it can take too much time and
- that athletes can sometimes set themselves the wrong types of goals
However, ultimately he emphasizes the point that it is worth the effort to overcome these obstacles as he concurs with many others in highlighting the value in goal setting for athletes.
For example, L Blaine Kyllo and Daniel M Landers conducted a review of research carried out into goal setting and in ‘Goal Setting in Sport and Exercise: A Research Synthesis to Resolve the Controversy’ and concluded that the effectiveness of goal setting in improving sport and exercise performance appears to be well established.
In analysis of Burton the summary stated that
“This meta-analysis demonstrated that setting goals in sport and exercise leads to an improvement over baseline measures by about one-third of a standard deviation, an effect that can be maximized by setting moderate goals”.
These findings are backed up by Edwin Locke and Gary Latham in ‘The Application of Goal Setting to Sports’ as they conclude:
“Goal setting, in addition to its direct effects on performance, gives an athlete a sense of control and positive self-direction. Self-regulation requires goals against which a person can evaluate his or her performance”.
The value of goal setting is encapsulated by David Harrison when he wrote:
“Goal setting is an extremely powerful technique for enhancing performance so it is one of the most important strategies you can implement for success in any environment. Goal setting helps to focus attention and it is critical to maintain and enhance motivation. Goal setting gives direction both in the short term and the long term and you can see success as you achieve your short term goals. This increases your confidence as you are being success and achieving.”
References
Goal Setting in Sport and Exercise: A Research Synthesis to Resolve the Controversy L. Blaine Kyllo and Daniel M. Lander
The Application of Goal Setting to Sports Edwin A. Locke University of Maryland Gary P. Latham University of Washington
Goal setting helps athletes perform (This is an excerpt from Fundamentals of Sport and Exercise Psychology by Alan S. Kornspan
Goal Setting by David Harrison
Principles of Effective Goal Setting, Eva V. Monsma, Ph.D.
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