How Coaches Set & Implement Goals

Goal setting is perhaps one of the most important and most effective methods for improving performance in sports. A classic review of goal setting interventions in sport and exercise, published in a 1995 edition of the Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, concluded that goal setting alone improved sport performance by 0.34 of a standard deviation. More recent research has elaborated on the effects of different types of goals, personality traits and goal effectiveness and the length and specificity of goals.

  1. Set Various Types of Goals

    • When most people think of goal setting, they likely imagining winning an event, going to the Olympics or losing a lot of weight. According to sport psychologists Damon Burton and Thomas Raedeke, these are called outcome goals. They emphasize ideals and dreams. These goals can be highly motivating, but they provide no information as to how to actually accomplish a specific task. It is equally important to set process goals, or smaller task-specific goals that allow us to achieve our dream goals. For example, if you set a goal of winning a race, you may set process goals like focusing on your own race plan and maintaining perfect technique.

    Make Goals Specific

    • Another landmark study from the sport psychology field, published in a 1989 edition of The Sport Psychologist, clearly demonstrated that specific goals are more effective that vague "do-your-best" goals. Often coaches may tell their athletes to do the best they can, give it their all or play with passion. These are vague goals that do not provide information for how to accomplish the task. Regardless of whether you are setting an outcome or process goal, make sure to make the goals as specific as possible. It is best to attach a numerical value to the goal as well. For example, if you are a weight-loss coach, tell your client to try to lose 10 pounds, rather than just "lose weight."

    Make Goals Challenging

    • Goals that are too easy tend to result in apathy, a lack of effort and motivation and a reduction in performance. Goals that are too difficult, however, may cause performance to suffer due to the increased stress and pressure. Most coaches and athletes make the mistake of dreaming too big and setting goals that seem insurmountable. The most effective goals, according to Burton and Raedeke, are moderately difficult. About a 5 to 10 percent performance improvement is ideal. For example, if your athlete's record mile run is 5 minutes, have her set a new goal of about 4 minutes, 45 seconds.

    Evaluate Progress Often

    • You simply can't monitor the progress of your athletes' goals enough. Keep records, post results, draw graphs and put them up in the locker room and hold frequent meetings to evaluate the degree to which your athletes are meeting their goals. If they are meeting them with ease, feel free to increase the difficulty level. If your athletes are struggling, examine why and determine whether you should make them easier. Goals should be both realistic and flexible, so there is no shame in reducing the difficulty level. Goals are simply a motivational tool that keep your athletes focused on improving. They are not the only determinant of athletic success.