How to Set Goals for a Basketball Team

Basketball coaches have the important job of cultivating the natural enthusiasm of their players to achieve the athletic and personal goals of both the team and the individuals. The practice of setting goals has been shown to have a strong positive influence on athletic performance as well as the psychological development of players. Effective use of focused goals is the responsibility of the coach. These goals should demonstrate a team's progress both on and off the court, and represent the definition of success for the coaches, players, fans and family members of the team throughout the season and beyond.

Things You'll Need

  • Player profiles
  • Season schedule
  • Notebook
  • Large calendar
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Instructions

  1. Analyzing the Team and Yourself

    • 1

      Analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the individual players as well as the historical performance of the team to determine what goals would help take the team to the next level of play as well as fulfill player needs.

    • 2

      Establish for yourself, as coach, a definition of success. Is success a winning record? Making the playoffs? Helping players balance basketball with other activities? Your goals must be oriented to achieve the desired success.

    • 3

      Identify those that will be supporting your players as they attempt to achieve their goals on the court and in life. Enlist the influential teachers, parents, friends, significant others and veteran players to contribute their perspectives on important goals. Let them know their support will be needed during the season to see that these goals are met.

    • 4

      Identify the timeline of the season that will dictate milestones for measuring goals. Important dates might include the beginning of preseason training, naming starters for the season, the first game, first conference game, and playoffs.

    Setting and Achieving Goals

    • 5

      Set specific long-term goals that can be concretely measured through statistics or coach evaluation. The team should perceive the goals as a challenge, but not consider them to be impossible. Both practice and game goals should be established.

    • 6

      Set short-term goals that provide a sense of accomplishment toward the achievement of long-term goals. Michael Jordan said, "I had always set short-term goals. As I look back, each one of the steps or successes led to the next one." Make sure that the achievement of short-term goals are stepping stones toward the long-term goals.

    • 7

      Encourage and assist players to set their own goals. These should include goals that support team targets as well as purely personal goals, such as making the varsity team or improving a scoring record. Players should keep goal notebooks for their personal edification.

    • 8

      Continually evaluate these goals throughout the season and keep players informed of their progress both individually and as a team. Make sure that goals have deadlines, and increase focus on specific goals as deadlines approach. A goal-setting chart in the locker room reinforces themes and upcoming deadlines.