Goal setting

Goal Setting An important strategy of setting targets for the performer which help increase their motivation, confidence and performance.

Functions Goal Setting is generally thought to affect performance in the following ways, A T T E N T I O N E F F O R T P E R S I S T E N C E N E W S T R A T E G I E S REDUCING ANXIETY

Functions ATTENTION Setting goals provides the performer with the focus for successful performance EFFORT Setting goals helps the performer achieve the necessary effort to accomplish that goal PERSISTENCE Goal setting helps a performer maintain their effort over a period of time NEW STRATEGIES Goal setting helps the performer to devise effective strategies to help them achieve their goals

Formula One drivers Mark Webber and Nico Rosberg on how setting goals plays such an important role in their career

Attention “ The race weekend starts on Friday for us, so we prepare mentally probably a day beforehand in order to get ready for the event. As a driver, it’s very important that I’m in a good mental state during the race – meaning I need to be well rested, have minimum distractions and aim to focus on all the things I can control” “ My preparation is about 1 hour before the race where I go through a series of warm up procedures and some exercises for concentration”

Effort “ The uniqueness of F1 and wanting to compare myself against the best drivers became an important desire for me” “ I always set myself goals…..to make myself fight on and on and on. My motivation has been increased this year because I know in F1 you need to be the best in every area and therefore work a lot harder”

Persistence “ I was very, very interested in F1 from quite a young age. I had huge motivation to reach F1 because I knew how tough it was for drivers to get there and I wanted to race the best cars in the world” “ Car driving was always one of my strongest sports and I was motivated with the will to succeed and be the best”

New Strategies “ It’s really about breaking the race down a little bit and not getting too far ahead of yourself in terms of what’s happening next. I generally focus on the immediate situation and on driving the car on the absolute limit. Part of my mind will be thinking about how the opposition might fare in the race and how we can use our own race strategy to finish as high up the order as possible” “ To help you keep up the concentration (during the race) you need to be very fit, eat proper food before the race and also drink during the race to reduce the amount of dehydration”

Smarter The following points have been made by Sports Coach UK to make goal setting more effective S pecific M easurable A ttainable or agreed R elevant or realistic T ime-bound E xciting R ecorded

Class Task Goals should be straightforward and emphasise what you want to happen. Question One What grade in PE are you aiming for? Question Two What level of performance do I want to reach in my chosen sport one year from now?

Specific Goals should be clear and specific. Being specific in setting the goal has a greater impact than a general or broad goal. Specific goals have a greater likelihood of being accomplished. General goal: “Do well in my A Levels" Specific goal: “Achieve an A grade in PE and revise 3 days a week." Who is involved? What is it you, your class or your teacher wants or needs to accomplish? Where will the goal be accomplished? Why are we setting the goal, why is it important? What is the reason, purpose or benefits to accomplishing the goal?

Measurable Establishing a criteria for measuring goals enables them to be assessed. By setting measurements for the goal can be motivating to the performer. If you can’t measure it, it can’t be managed. To determine if your goal is measurable ask questions such as: How much? How many? How will I know when it is accomplished?

Agreed Goals that have been agreed with your teacher or coach are much more likely to be achieved If a goal is too far out of reach, you may not maintain the full commitment necessary to achieve it The goal should be challenging, yet attainable. Ask yourself: Is this goal within reasonable reach? Can I attain this goal with the correct level of effort?

Relevant The goal you set must be relevant and realistic to your chances of success in PE and your chosen sport. Tying the goal to something that is important to you will build your commitment to achieving it. To ensure the goal is relevant, ask: How will achieving this goal affect my overall success in this specific area of my life? My sport? My Club? My Team?

Time Bound The goal must have a time line to follow. You have set your 2 long term goals but must have short term goals leading to the long term goals. Why?

Why? Being able to track your progress over time encourages you to keep going and reach your goal. Stating an end point for achievement gives you a target to work towards. Without a set completion date, the goal becomes vague, and commitment may waiver.

When does this goal need to be accomplished? What is my timeline for success? How often will I check my progress? How much time will I spend on this each day, week, or month?

Task Draw 12 stairs on a page and label each stair a month. Place your long term goal on the final stair. Now think of 12 short term goals for each month that will see you eventually reach your long term goal. Today’s Date

Exciting The goals must be stimulating and exciting so that you are motivated to continue. If you enjoy the activity you are more likely to succeed

Recorded Progress can now be monitored each month to ensure you are on track to achieve your goal. This will motivated you to continue towards your long term goal

Outcome goals Performance goals Process goals

“ Over the course of my career my goals have changed sometimes you have to settle for more realistic goals than the ones you set yourself in the first place. When I started racing in F1 I thought that if I could get points one day that would be the first step. In fact, that happened relatively quickly for me. I then had to think about scoring as many points as consistently as possible, which was the next challenge in my 2nd and 3rd years of F1. I was very happy with what happened in that stage of my career in terms of my goals. The next goal was to get two podiums and win Grand Prix’s but this has taken a lot longer than I had planned – the last 2 seasons have been pretty tough in terms of results but I know in the future I can win in F1 and I’m still highly motivated to do that – so that is still my goal”

Task Study the following statement from Williams F1 driver Mark Webber about the goals he has set himself during his career. Explain the different types of goals Mark Webber has set himself and provide an example for each to support your answer.

Goal setting

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