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

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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!

6. 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

7. 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

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

9. 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

10. There’s No DEFENSE in Individual Sports

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

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

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

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

15. 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

16. 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

17. 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

18. 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

19. 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

20. 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

21. 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

22. 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

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

24. 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

25. A Couple “Obvious” Questions... 1. 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

26. Not-So “Obvious” Answers... 1. 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

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

28. Goal: To Win

29. Bob Ladouceur De La Salle High School  151 Consecutive Wins  An Overall Record of 287-14-1  More Perfect Seasons (17) Than Losses (14)  ESPN’s #1 High School Team in the Country 5 of Last 6 Years

30. 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!

31. 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

32. 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

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

34. 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

35. 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

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

37. 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

38. NEED HELP? Rick Albrecht, Ph.D. B-2-216 Mackinac Hall Grand Valley State University albrechr@gvsu.edu