Goal Setting – One of the things that can make an athlete at any age improve his/her performance is to set goals and execute to those goals. This is a critical performance behavior to help the athlete develop. There are certain principals to proper goal setting and they are:
1. The goals must be specific – vague goals produce vague results
2. They should be behavioral goals, not statistical goals --- you can control your actions but not results
2. They should be timely – set a time table to achieve the goal
3. They should be truly desired – if a goal is going to impact the athlete, they have to be “jazzed” by the goal
4. They should not conflict with other goals – very often a goal is set that actually conflicts with other goals
5. They should be in writing – there is something about putting your goals in writing that gets your mind attached and committed to them
6. They should be reviewed often – setting goals and then forgetting about them will not produce the desired results. Reviewing the goals on a daily basis keeps them mind and emotions focused.
7. Be certain to make a distinction between goals YOU set and expectations others have for you (coaches, parents, friends and fans) --- Expectations are based on the end results; goals are based on the process of achieving them
Good luck with your goal setting!
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