In my last post, I talked about the power of reflection and how practicing reflection can be a roadmap for your off-season and help set clear, personalized goals for what you want to maintain, what you want to improve, and how to prepare for your upcoming season. Let’s discuss how to put reflection into action though goal setting.
Your performance in competition, positive or negative, doesn’t happen by accident. It’s built through consistent effort, preparation, and clear goals. Regardless of where you are in your athletic journey, learning how to set and manage goals is one of the most powerful tools to improve performance and stay motivated.
Why Goal Setting Matters
Goal setting helps provide athletes the clarity, focus, motivation, and accountability required, while navigating the demands of being a student-athlete, including social, academic, and athletic expectations.
Three Types of Goals
Athletes should approach goal setting from the perspective of outcome, performance, and process goals.
- Outcome Goals typically focus on an end result or achievement (e.g., be an All American, win a championship, have a meaningful sports career). Outcome goals are motivating but tend to be the least controllable type of goals.
- Performance Goals are self-referenced and focus on achieving standards or performance objectives, usually on the basis of comparisons with one’s own performances (e.g., run a mile in 5 min, throw 3 td passes per game). They’re measurable and mostly within your control.
- Process Goals focus on the habits and actions an athlete must engage in to execute, build consistency or perform well (e.g., stay balanced and in control, consistent pre-performance routine, maintain composure during difficult conversations with coach).
High-performing athletes utilize all three goal types. Outcome goals provide the athlete direction, performance goals help monitor progress, and process goals define their daily habits.
SMART Goal Setting
A common and effective way of goal setting is by using the SMART framework.
- Specific: Be clear about what you want to achieve.
- Measurable: Define how you’ll track progress.
- Achievable: Aim high, but keep it realistic.
- Relevant: Make sure the goal matches your sport and level.
- Time-bound: Give yourself a deadline.
Staying on Track
Once an athlete has set their goals, it’s important to remain on track. Here are some effective strategies for staying on track.
- Write them down. A written goal feels more concrete.
- Make them visible. Put them someplace where you can see them every day.
- Track your progress. Monitoring your progress helps you stay consistent.
- Adjust if needed. If you’re not progressing, change the plan, not the dream.
- Learn from setbacks. Setbacks are normal and expected, the key is how to get back on track.
- Celebrate your success! Recognizing what you CAN do keeps you motivated.
- Lean on social support. Encouragement from others may be all you need to keep going.
- Remember your “why”. Reflect back on your motivation in order to move forward.
Goal setting isn’t just about striving for success, it’s about structure. When athletes set clear goals, it helps them turn effort into progress and keeps them motivated through their athletic journey. Utilizing all three goal types (outcome, performance, and process goals) along with the SMART framework, athletes are able to create a system that enhances performance and builds their confidence.
If you're an athlete, coach, or parent and want help understanding goal setting, want to practice this skill in a personalized way, or need general athlete support as they improve their performance and well-being, let me know.
To explore how Coach Jeff’s approach might benefit your athlete's development, please complete the contact form on the Mental Performance page →