Why the Goals You and Your Athletes Set Usually Don’t Work Rick Albrecht, Ph.D. Grand Valley State University

Two Things We Often Forget About Competitive Sport 1)Sport is supposed to be FUN 2)Success in sport is NOT about beating another team or another individual – your true competition is always with YOURSELF

The best way to keep sport fun and to remind yourself that YOU are your only competition is by setting good goals for yourself every single day

Here’s The Good News About Goal Setting…  Goal setting is one of the quickest and easiest ways to improve athletic performance  Goal setting is something that comes naturally to most people – especially athletes

Now, Here’s The Bad News About Goal Setting…  Your athletes probably don’t know how to set goals that will help them improve their performance  Unfortunately, you probably don’t either!

Why Don’t We Know How To Set Effective Goals?  Simple… We were never taught!  Our coaches and trainers never let us in on a very important secret… ALL GOALS ARE NOT EQUAL! Some goals help, some do nothing, and some even hurt performance

The SINGLE BIGGEST MISTAKE We Make When Setting Athletic Goals Goals should ONLY be set to improve a PERFORMANCE… NEVER the RESULT of a performance

You Really Can’t Control The Result of a Performance In “Team” Sports →Teammates →Officials →Coaching Strategy →Luck

You Really Can’t Control The Result of a Performance In “Individual” Sports →Other Person’s Skill/Ability →There’s NO DEFENSE in many individual sports

There’s No DEFENSE in Individual Sports

The Ten Commandments of Effective Goal Setting 1.Set both LONG TERM and SHORT TERM goals

Long-Term Goals Are Useless If Not Supported By Short-Term Goals Athletes need to set both long-term and short-term goals

The Ten Commandments of Effective Goal Setting 2.Set goals for EVERY PRACTICE

The Ten Commandments of Effective Goal Setting 3.Set goals in EVERY area related to performance

Using Goal Setting To Improve All Areas of Sport Performance Set CONDITIONING goals Set CONDITIONING goals Set MENTAL TRAINING goals Set MENTAL TRAINING goals Set NUTRITIONAL goals Set NUTRITIONAL goals Set HYDRATION goals Set HYDRATION goals Set SLEEP and RECOVERY goals Set SLEEP and RECOVERY goals Set ACADEMIC goals Set ACADEMIC goals

The Ten Commandments of Effective Goal Setting We need to help our athletes set S-M-A-R-T-E-R goals… 4. Set SPECIFIC goals

The Ten Commandments of Effective Goal Setting We need to help our athletes set S-M-A-R-T-E-R goals… 4. Set MEASURABLE goals

The Ten Commandments of Effective Goal Setting We need to help our athletes set S-M-A-R-T-E-R goals… 4. Set AGREED-UPON goals

The Ten Commandments of Effective Goal Setting We need to help our athletes set S-M-A-R-T-E-R goals… 4. Set REALISTIC goals

The Ten Commandments of Effective Goal Setting We need to help our athletes set S-M-A-R-T-E-R goals… 4. Set TIME-SENSITIVE goals

The Ten Commandments of Effective Goal Setting We need to help our athletes set S-M-A-R-T-E-R goals… 4. Always EVALUATE goals

The Ten Commandments of Effective Goal Setting We need to help our athletes set S-M-A-R-T-E-R goals… 4. Always RECORD goals

The Problem With Team Goals No snowflake in an avalanche ever feels responsible --Voltaire

Here Are Some Pretty Common Team Goals:  Our goal is to get 20 rebounds in today’s game  Our goal is to rush for 150 yards in today’s game  Our goal is to score 5 or more runs in today’s game

A Couple “Obvious” Questions Have you ever seen a team rebound a basketball?YESNO 2. Have you ever seen a football team rush for 150 yards?YESNO 3. Have you ever seen a team drive in or score a run in baseball? YESNO

Not-So “Obvious” Answers Have you ever seen a team rebound a basketball?YESNO 2. Have you ever seen a football team rush for 150 yards?YESNO 3. Have you ever seen a team drive in or score a run in baseball? YESNO

Problem With Team Goals Team Goals (like “winning”) can lead to inconsistent play and upsets

Goal: To Win

Bob Ladouceur De La Salle High School  151 Consecutive Wins  An Overall Record of  More Perfect Seasons (17) Than Losses (14)  ESPN’s #1 High School Team in the Country 5 of Last 6 Years

How did Bob Ladouceur get a high school football team to win 151 consecutive games and have more perfect seasons than losses? Hint: By NOT setting a goal to win!

Let’s Hear What The Coach Has to Say… “Everyone asks me how I’ve won 151 straight games… my answer is always the same… By NOT concentrating on winning! If you work hard enough, the wins will come”. Bob Ladouceur Head Coach

John Wooden UCLA Bruins  10 NCAA Championships in 12 Years  6 Times Voted “College Coach of the Year”  88 Consecutive Victories  38 Consecutive NCAA Tournament Wins  4 Undefeated Seasons

How did Coach Wooden become the most successful basketball coach of all time? Hint: By NOT setting a goal to win!

Let’s Hear What The Coach Has to Say… “I never mentioned winning or victory to my players. I never referred to beating an opponent. Instead I constantly urged them to strive for the self-satisfaction that always comes from knowing you did your best.” John Wooden Head Coach

Let’s Hear What The Coach Has to Say… “Did I win? Did I lose? Those are the wrong questions. The correct question is: ‘Did I make my best effort’? That’s what matters. The rest just gets in the way” John Wooden Head Coach

The Big “Take-Home” Message… Your performance – and the performance of those you work with – will improve greatly if you set EFFECTIVE goals!

Effective Goals Are… Totally under your control Both Long-Term and Short-Term Are set for every practice Are set in all areas of performance Are S-M-A-R-T-E-R LET’S PRACTICE

NEED HELP? Rick Albrecht, Ph.D. B Mackinac Hall Grand Valley State University