How To Set Athletic Goals

How to Set Athletic Goals

Goal setting is a powerful tactic, most of us use it, in our business, with money or in life, but rarely do I see someone set defined athletic goals.  I may even go to a trainer and ask them so what are your clients goals and sometimes I get the blank face look or answer's like, well to get more ripped or lose weight.  Where is the defined target? Do you want to lose 15 pounds in 3 months or increase bench by 30 lbs in 60 days? 

We can compare an athlete in training to a sailboat. Although a boat or an athlete may be in good physical condition, both need a wind (motivation) to encourage movement, but the direction of the movement depends on having set the sails and the rudder (the goal) to control the direction. By controlling the sails and the rudder, a boat catches the power of the wind and uses it to go in the desired direction. Setting goals is like setting the sails and rudder. Even with great energy and enthusiasm, unless the athlete sets specific goals, that is, a direction to go, the athlete may be adrift, heading in an irrelevant direction or just flailing about.

It is clear that athletes who set specific goals improve faster than those who do not. Most coaches emphasize this aspect in training. The key is to set measurable goals that are sufficiently challenging, yet still attainable. This is easier said than done. A goal that is too easy or to broad, is not motivating, and a goal that is too difficult leads to discouragement. Individual attention from the coach can help the athlete set appropriate goals.

Finding Meaning

I encountered a great example of the value of goal setting when I used to do coaching with football teams, as part of the getting acquainted process, I went around the team asking each to name what goal they were working towards, I got a variety of answer's from I want to have a certain time in the 40 yard dash, I want to score 10 rushing touchdowns this year, to I want to lose 15 pounds and be in great shape, the goals varied, but some would sit and look at me with a blank face, unable to express anything and after I'd ask what is your goal they would say things like I just want to have fun or I just want to play football, quite vague goals.  Then I'd watch them play or have conversations with the coach and would notice these select athletes were always unmotivated.  So we helped set a clear goal for these individual athletes and within a week there attitude shifted and before long were routinely motivated.  Simply setting specific, attainable targets seemed to change there whole attitude toward the practice and games. 

What Goals Accomplish

Here are four basic ways in which goal setting helps improve performance.

1.  It focuses attention on a task. With a goal in mind, the athlete looks more closely at performance and ways to improve.
2.  It mobilizes the efforts of the athlete. The athlete with a purpose devotes more effort to achieving that purpose.
3.  It increases the directed persistence of the athlete. The focus and concentration make's practice more interesting, and thus distractions are less compelling.
4.  It promotes examining current strategies and developing new ones. An athlete with a goal in mind looks for effective ways to get to that target.

In addition to these four, achieving a specific goal, or even sensing progress toward a goal, provides effective reinforcement for the athlete. Practice sessions can be dull and repetitive. When the athlete sets and achieves interim goals, the practice sessions become more rewarding. Setting short-term goals that can be achieved rapidly is important.

Keys to Goal Setting

Individuals may set outcome and performance goals and should use both, short-term and long-term goals. Goals should be specific and measurable. Aiming to be a better bodybuilder or to run faster is too general to be effective. The goals should not only define a specific behavior or skill, but also set a time by when you will achieve them. Furthermore, over time you need to regularly revise the goals and establish more challenging goals as you achieve them or modify them if you do not achieve them.

Outcome and Performance Goals

The goals might be performance goals or outcome goals. A performance goal would be a goal such as increasing your squat by 25 lbs, within 4 weeks.  An outcome goal would relate to a competition — to win your weight class at the next upcoming Super League Power Series event.  Useful outcome goals can be narrower than winning your weight class.  Goals such as achieving the best squat output overall is an example of a narrow outcome goal.  As with the performance goals, outcome goals should also have a time frame. The goal should specify the competition or event at which you will realize the goal.

Performance goals are usually more effective than outcome goals, because achieving a performance is in the control of the athlete, but achieving the outcome goal depends on other competitors in the event as well as the athlete.  Performance goals in some areas are difficult to devise.  Boxers, for example, have more difficulty devising performance goals than do gymnasts, but even with boxers, they should set meaningful performance goals.

Winning, Even When You Lose

For example, a boxer may have a performance goal to land 75 percent of his punches or to use his left arm 10 percent of the time. These goals can be measured and evaluated. Thus, when boxers set performance goals, they can still achieve their goals, even when they lose their matches.

Short-Term and Long-Term Goals

Goals should include those you will accomplish in the short run as well as in the long run. Many performers specify small increments with short time frames.

Inching Towards Success

A fitness athlete decided what condition she would have to get to win the competition.  She calculated the weeks before the competition and determined that she would have to lose 20 pounds to be in optimal condition come show day in 12 weeks, which broken down further, was only 1.67 pounds a week, which further is 0.24 pounds a day, once she understands her basic caloric intake and what deficit she would need to be at to achieve her goal then it makes her long term outcome goal much more attainable. 

Tracking Goal Achievement

After goal setting, the athlete should keep track of progress toward the goal.  Setting a specific behavior and a time schedule allows for this clear measurement of accomplishment.  A goal such as that of the strength athlete—to get better, with neither a measurable behavior nor a time frame—is much less effective than a strong statement of a specific behavior for him to achieve by a certain date. 

Revising Goals

You need to revise goals as you achieve or miss them, particularly the short-term performance goals. The powerlifter does not need to revise his goal of 6.25 lbs each week in squat load, as long as he is meeting this standard over the allotted 4 week period, but many short-term goals are for a specific performance rather than increments. When the time set for the goal achievement is up, you need to review the goals and then reset different ones. 

Sharing Goals

Athletes need to consider the extent to which they should share goals with other people. Generally, sharing the target with some others is beneficial. Understandably, athletes may not wish to share their goals with the teammates they intend to beat, but they might want to share them with there coach, friends or close family. Those with whom they share the goals can help the athlete keep the goals in mind and reinforce their achievement. To keep the goals in mind, athletes should rewrite there goals each day, print and post them at there home, office or leave as wallpaper on phone. Being reminded of the goal frequently is useful for motivation.  I will add that because it is useful for an athlete to share goals with others, the athlete can also help other athletes by commending them as they reach their goals.

There you have it, strategies on how to effectively set athletic goals.  If you want to set next level goals in all areas of your life, CLICK HERE to download your copy of the 'Next Level' Goal Setting Worksheet.