Systematic Goal Setting For Athletes

If Nothing Changes, Nothing Changes If you always think the way you’ve always thought, You’ll always feel the way you’ve always felt; And if you always feel the way you’ve always felt, You’ll always do what you’ve always done; And if you always do what you’ve always done, You’ll always get what you’ve always got. If nothing changes, nothing changes.

You can’t keep doing the same things and expect to get different results

“The danger is not to set your goal too high and fail to reach it “The danger is not to set your goal too high and fail to reach it. It’s to set your goal too low and reach it.” UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre

Goals are meant to provide Why Set Goals??? Goals are meant to provide Direction Feedback on Progress Motivation; especially during difficult practices

When you gets in the water every for practice Do you think about your goals? Does you focus on your stroke during warm-up? Are you conscious of your body position as you push off the wall? Are you focused on your stroke as you glide through the water? Or, are you “just swimming”, merely in the water doing the workout that your coach told you to do??

Every day, for three years and ten months, I wrote at the top of my training log, ‘I work harder than anyone else, that is why I will be an Olympic Medalist!’ I also wrote down specific goals for every competition and every day and week of training. These goals were very specific and focused on MY performance, not my competitors. Having these goals was the only way I was able to get through all my injuries (operations and bone breaks), and stay focused enough at the Olympics to win a medal. There were so many days when I just wanted to sleep in, but having my training goals made me head into rehab or weight training instead. At the Olympics, simple goals kept me intense and focused. Goal setting seems like more work, but if I didn’t do it, I wouldn’t have a medal around my neck today. Olympic medal winner in Atlanta.

2 kinds of goals Subjective Do my best Objective Improve performance

3 Levels of Objective Goals I want to win Outcome I want to go faster Performance Do things well Progress

OUTCOME We all want to win… Get first place Get high points Be first in my heat Beat my friend or a certain competitor

Performance We all want to go faster Get a PB Get an A B C D E or Provincial Time or Canadians Make Dave Kensit Make Jeno Tihanyi

What about Process Who wants to Do better starts Have a longer reach Have a longer smoother glide Breath less often Reduce their stroke count Improve their POD Not breath into the finish

Process Goals are the basis for improvement

Types of Process Goals Physical Tactical Technical Mental Lifestyle Overall physical development and mobility Agility, balance, coordination and speed (ABC’S) Pod Tactical Understanding of competition Technical Basic swimming skills – all strokes, turns, starts Use of swimming equipment Mental Self-confidence Concentration Perseverance Lifestyle Safety Enjoyment Eat Sleep School/stress

Success Written Shared SMART

Smart Goals Specific Measurable Achievable Relevant Time Delineated what exactly do I want to have, achieve, do... Measurable How will I measure my progress? How will I know I achieved my goal? Achievable Do I have the skills and resources? Is it within my control? Is it valuable? Will it bring the rewards I am looking for? Relevant How will this goal help me to achieve my ENDs Goals Time Delineated When do I want to have achieved this goal? Okay then, now the part you’ve all been waiting for --- the piece d’irrisistence --- not if you’ve been listening up ‘til now --- yes this step is important but better to have a Dumb’ goal ‘that pulls you, fits with your values and connects to the big picture of where you want to go in life rather than a SMART GOAL based on should – That is energy depleting Rather than energy enhancing That doesn’t satisfy you once it is accomplished… So if you need to forget what I have talked about so far to fit this piece in – stop listening to me and keep what you already have in your head. (Take a break and come back at the summary/conclusion…) Go through the step of making a goal SMART Get participants to choose the goal on page 1 of their workbook that Is connected to at least one of experience, Growth or Contribution Has the highest Motivation Factor Pull them rather than requires them to chase it And is worded as a start goal… Work through each of the Components of SMART with a sample goal – give good examples and poor examples of answers to each of SMART Resource (http://www.hr.virginia.edu/uploads/documents/media/Writing_SMART_Goals.pdf; https://www.ucalgary.ca/hr/files/hr/smart-goal-setting-progression-examples-pm.docx) Have them work through each of the components of SMART Either circulate to give feedback or have participants share their answers so the group can give feedback

Make it work! Complete weekly goal setting forms Developing a goal chart Write goals on visible items such as water bottles or caps Verbalize goals to teammates, friends, family (See exercise 6)