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| August 2003
Sports Psychology: Setting Goals
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Setting Goals to Develop a Championship Attitude
The fall football season is fast approaching. Coaches across America
are starting to develop objectives for the upcoming football
season and this process involves setting goals for the season.
I discuss goals under the language of developing a championship
attitude. “Goal setting” can be boring for some athletes,
but having a meeting to discuss the team philosophy and developing
a championship attitude will get their interest.
What is developing a championship attitude? This is a broad statement that includes
several facets such as: 1) Have every team member and coach agree to the team
philosophy and goals; 2) develop an atmosphere of teamwork; 3) instill an attitude
of winning and success in the players and coaches.
The first step before setting goals is developing a team philosophy. This helps
all players and coaches “get on the same page.” Every team member
and coach needs to feel apart of the process rather than ramming the goals down
the throat of the team. In addition, every member of the team needs to adopt
the philosophy that team goals are more important than individual accomplishments.
Once a team agrees to the team philosophy, setting goals flows easily. Here is
an example of a team philosophy:
“Every team member and coach agrees to have an unselfish, ego-less attitude,
in which the team wins with all and/or any parts of the game (offense, defense,
special teams, etc.).”
Teams should consider three types of goals: 1) outcome goals; 2) performance
goals; 3) mental goals. Outcome goals focus on W-L record, conference championships
and titles. These are long-term or season-end goals. Performance goals are shorter-term
and include goals that focus on certain areas of the game such as decreasing
points allowed, decreasing turnovers, rushing yardage, and consist of any game
statistic. Mental goals focus on improving mental game abilities (very short
term and based on one play at a time) such as committing to the play call, rehearsing
each play, and letting go of errors. All three types of goals should be a part
of your goals setting program.
What is the process for setting goals? I always ask my students to begin by setting
some goals based on they want to accomplish at the end of the season. If it’s
to make the playoffs or get a bowl game for example, what do you need to focus
on each week to reach that goal? A key element is setting goals based on what
the team needs to improve. Finally, what goals (or cues) does each player have
to focus on in the games? I call these process goals (mental game goals) that
help players focus on one play at a time. So, work backwards with your goals
setting and end at what has to be done on each play.
What are some guidelines for setting goals? Goals should include the following
criteria:
• Set specific and measurable goals. Stats work well here.
• Set goals that match player ability (do not get stuck trying to be
“realistic” here)
• Set season, mid-season, end of season as well as weekly goals
• Set goals for practice and games
• Set positively stated goals instead of negatively stated goals
Finally, set performance goals, not just outcome goals. Outcome goals are easy
to set. What is harder is setting performance goals that will help you accomplish
the outcome. These should focus on improving your weaknesses and building on
strengths. A performance goal may involve retaining possession of the ball on
each drive (no turnovers) or having players commit to each play of the game (mental
goal). My philosophy is this: working the process (setting performance & mental
goals) is what wins championships. Good results flow from taking care of business
on each play!
By Patrick J. Cohn, Ph.D. • Peak Performance Sports
www.PeakSports.com
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