Goal setting is an important aspect of everyday life, but also professional life. Goal setting is considered especially valuable in sports to boost motivation, performance, and confidence.
In fact, many successful athletes wouldn’t be where they are now if it hasn’t been for effectively setting and reaching goals.
Athletes should have a firm understanding of their strengths and weaknesses when setting goals, so they can tailor their goals to their sport, level, and techniques.
Keep reading to learn more about goal setting in general, and why goal setting is so important in the world of sports.
What Is Goal Setting?
Goal setting is essentially identifying what you want to achieve and creating a plan to help you get where you want to be.
Depending on what works for you, you may set yourself a time limit and create a detailed plan to encourage you and increase your chances of success.
Goal setting is essentially the process of changing a vision to a reality by making a commitment to achieve something.
You can have goals for any aspect of your life, from personal goals, professional goals, financial goals, or skill-relating goals (which is often what athletes will focus on).
Goal setting can be a form of mental training and can improve your commitment towards your future.
There are typically short-term goals which you should aim to achieve within a few months, medium-term goals that you should aim to achieve within a few years, and then long-term goals which shouldn’t take more than ten years to achieve.
For long-term and even medium-term goals, you may set shorter-term ‘milestone’ goals to achieve to keep you focused, motivated, and on track.
SMART Goals
One of the best and most recognised frameworks for goal-setting is SMART goals. In fact, many athletes follow the SMART framework to ensure their goals are set as well as they can be, increasing the chances of success.
According to the SMART goal process, goals should be:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Attainable/ Achievable
- Relevant or Realistic
- Time-based
First of all, your goal should be specific. For example, if you play golf, instead of setting a goal to be better at golf, narrow your goal down.
A more specific goal could include breaking 90 or to break 80 several sessions in a row. Goals should also be measurable, so you could amend the goal to ‘I want to break 80 four out of five times’.
This is something measurable you can keep track of, so you’ll clearly know when you reach it.
According to the SMART framework, goals should also be attainable – so if you’ve never played golf before, then a more attainable and realistic goal would be to break 90.
If you play cricket, then setting a goal to make it to the Olympics isn’t exactly attainable no matter how skilled you are – because cricket isn’t an Olympic sport. Be sure to research your goals thoroughly before setting them.
Goals should also be relevant – and in sports, it’s especially important that the goals you set are relevant. It takes a firm understanding of your technique, strengths, and weaknesses to effectively set goals in sports.
For example, if you’re a runner, then your goal should help you get where you want to be, reach the times you want to reach, or simply improve your technique – and the same goes for other sports.
Finally, your goals should be time-based – they should have a deadline. Deadlines can be powerful motivators and give you the push you need to achieve your goal.
Deadlines are key in many sports, especially if a new season is starting or you have sporting events approaching.
Why Is Goal Setting Important In Sport?
Setting goals as an athlete involves a high level of self-awareness. To effectively set goals, you should understand your strengths and weaknesses – and tailor your goals around these. You must also understand why it’s so important to set goals.
Having goals in place can improve your performance, boost your motivation, and even increase your confidence – all of which is key in the sporting world.
However, goal-setting isn’t for everybody. If you believe goal-setting is a waste of time, or you don’t see the value in it, then chances are you’ve been setting the wrong type of goals your whole life.
Failing is a natural part of life and is no exception in goals. However, you can use failure as a motivator to try harder the next time and to understand what went wrong to prevent it from occurring again.
Sticking to the SMART framework is a sure way to increase the chances of success, allowing you to reap the benefits of setting goals in sports.
Better Performance
The goals you set should challenge you to become better – whether it be faster, stronger, or simply more motivated.
They should be difficult – no goal worth achieving is going to be easy. A quality goal should push you to try your hardest and test your limits.
However, the goals you set shouldn’t be threatening. Never overwork yourself, as this can do more harm in the long term.
Always ensure that you follow a steady routine – this is both important for mental reasons and physical reasons – after all, you don’t want an injury that could keep you from any physical activity for months, do you?
Ensure that the goals you set are based on your performance and abilities. If you have a coach, always consult with your coach when setting goals.
Effectively setting goals can not only improve your skills and performance but improve the way you compete.
More Motivation
As well as improving your performance, setting goals can improve your motivation. It’s entirely normal for athletes to lose motivation every now and then – especially if there are no competitions or events coming up.
Well, setting a goal effectively puts you in competition with yourself, and can help to keep you motivated and on track.
Motivation is very important in the world of sports – when you’re motivated, you’re more likely to succeed and push yourself to be the best you can be.
Having clear goals in place can also give you a sense of direction – you have something to work towards.
Increased Confidence
Reaching goals is a sure way to improve your confidence. In the world of sports, it’s far too easy to lose confidence – especially when the competition is so high.
When you set goals, you have to work hard to achieve them. This makes reaching them even more special and can make you feel much more capable, confident, and motivated.
Some goals can act as a performance evaluation – and you can use goals to improve your weaknesses and shortcomings. Accomplishing them is certain to boost your self-confidence, which can improve your overall performance.
Mark is a multi-award winner in business networking and relationship building. He is passionate about coaching and mentoring business owners and professionals through 1-1 & group coaching, team performance workshops and group mastermind sessions.