S.M.A.R.T. goal setting Essay Example for Free

S.M.A.R.T. goal setting Essay Principles for setting goals have been designed. One of the common and most effective principle is S. M. A. R. T. Goal Setting. S. M. A. R. T. stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely. ? Specific – It must be clear in the mind of the athlete what exactly he must achieve. Vague or general goals will not help the athlete. According to Locke and Latham (1990), specific goals contribute to higher level of performance than general goals (as cited in Taylor Wilson, 2005). In setting specific goals, sex questions are asked: Who, What, Where, When, Why, How. †¢ Who are involved in achieving this goal? †¢ What do I want to accomplish? †¢ Where will I accomplish this goal? †¢ When do I have to achieve this goal? †¢ Why is it important to achieve this goal? †¢ How can I achieve the goal? (Loo, 2007) ? Measurable – Goals should be quantifiable. In this way, the athlete can gauge his level of success. An athlete who can perceive his progress will be motivated to continue and improve. ? Attainable – Setting impossible goals tend to create anxiety. This affects intrinsic motivation and confidence adversely. Conversely, An athlete should also be challenged to maintain the stimuli needed for him to play the sport. The goal should not be too easy to achieve neither to hard to attain. Determine the level of skill of the athlete then set a challenging yet attainable goal. ? Relevant – Different athletes will have different individual goals. Just because a successful player set a certain goal, it does not mean that all team members should set the same goals. Assess which goals would enhance the output of which athlete. ? Timely – Set deadlines for each objective. Timelines create a certain urgency to work on the goal. Without deadlines, there is a tendency to put off the accomplishment of the goal for another day. Eventually, they would not be met. Team Goals Athletes in team sports need to work with different individuals. Each of them would have their own idea of achievement and success. Each would have an opinion on what the team should do and how to do it. Setting a team goal is essential in unifying individual intentions. A team goal would help keep the players in sync. Giving them one direction strengthens the team. Individual Goals Setting individual goals take a back seat in team sports. What athletes and coaches fail to realize is individual goals can contribute to achieving the team goal. Since the team sets the primary goal, the secondary individual goals should be relevant to it. Have the team discuss as a group what they would want to achieve together. Have them formalize this by writing it down. Then ask each player to come up with their own goals which they believe would help bolster the team goal. (Taylor Wilson, 2005) CONCLUSION Motivation is crucial to an athlete’s productivity. Both extrinsic and intrinsic motivation play a role in maintaining the athlete’s drive to achieve. However, heavy emphasis on extrinsic motivation does not sustain an athlete’s urge to continue participating in a sport. Intrinsic motivation, being more of a state of mind, is harder to cultivate. Yet, tried and tested solutions are available to a coach to foster internal motivation. The coach is tasked with identifying the athlete’s needs and meeting them. Having fun and feeling worthy are identified as the essential needs of every athlete. Fun in sports can be achieved in various ways. It is left to the creativity of the coach to come up with activities that would be enjoyable to the student-athletes. Self-worth and competence depend highly on how others react to the athlete’s skill. Affirmation and positive feedback are essential in building a positive perception of one’s worth and competence. Flow is an ideal state. Athletes have achieved this state and would understandably desire to replicate the experience. There is no guaranteed way or step – by – step plan to achieve flow. However, working on an athlete’s mental skill has proven to increase the occurrence of flow. There are four ways to achieve flow: focusing in the moment, eliminating distractions, visualizing perfect performance and building unconscious confidence. Focusing in the moment requires the athlete to absorb himself entirely in the game or competition. This can only be achieved by eliminating distractions. Negative thoughts should be pushed aside and focus should be placed in the present. On the other hand, visualizing perfect performance through self – talk can automatically put an athlete in to a state of flow with practice and training. Building unconscious confidence is done consciously. There must be awareness and commitment to build the confidence needed to succeed. Goal setting is another tool in cultivating an athlete’s motivation. Certain types of goals must be set for other forms of goals to be achieved. It is important for the coach to know which type of goal should be utilized at which time. Essentially, it is the coach’s responsibility to guide the athlete in developing himself both physically and mentally. In fact, developing one without the other would adversely affect the performance of the athlete. In the end, it boils down to the coach’s creativity, perseverance and his own motivation. Bibliography Burton, D. Raedeke, T. (2008). Sports Psychology for Coaches. Illinois: Human Kinetics. Garnett, M. (2008). Preparing the Succesful Coach. Massachusetts: Jones Bartlett Publishers. Higgins, E. T. . (1986). Activity Engagement Theory: Implications of Multiple Identifiable Input for Intrinsic Motivation. In Sorrentino, R. Higgins, E. T. Handbook of motivation and cognition: Foundations of Social Behavior Volume 2. New York: Guilford Press. Jackson, S. Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1999). Flow in Sports. Illinois: Human Kinetics. Jackson, S. Kimiecik, J. (2008). The Flow Perspective of Optimal Experience in Sport and Physical Activity. In Horn, T. (3rd Ed. ) Advances in Sports Psychology. Illinois: Human Kinetics. La Prath, D. (2008). Coaching Girls Soccer. Illinois: Human Kinetics. Loo, T. (2007). SMART Goal Setting 101: The Definitive Guide to Goal Achievement. Retrieved May 1, 2009 from http://www. synergyinstituteonline. com/detail_article. php? artid=374 Martens, R. (2004). Successful Coaching (3rd Ed. ). Illinois: Human Kinetics. Mauzy, J. Harriman, R. (2003). Creativity, Inc. Massachusetts: Harvard Business Press. Schenck, R. (1999). Athletic Training and Sports (3rd Ed. ) Massachusetts: Jones Bartlett Publishers. Schone, D. (2008). Motivating student-athletes: The who, what, why and how. JJ Huddle’s Ohio High. Retrieved April 30, 2009 from http://www. jjhuddle. com/news/articles/2008/12/19/motivating-student-athletes-the-who-what-why-and-how. Taylor, J. Wilson, G. S. (2005). Applying Sports Psychology. Illinois: Human Kinetics. United States Tennis Association. (2004). Coaching Tennis Successfully (2nd Ed. ) Illinois: Human Kinetics. Weinberg, R. S. Gould, D. (2007). Foundations of Sport and Exercise. Illinois: Human Kinetics.