Today we’re going to talk about one of the most important strategies in the development journey of any athlete — goal setting. Whether you are a coach, team manager, professional or amateur athlete, goal setting is equally as important!
‘Goal Setting Theory’
First of all, goal setting involves conscious thought, emotion, and behaviour in order to be attained.
‘Goal Setting Theory’ is meant to explain how goals influence our behaviour, more precisely when looked at through the lens of characteristics, complexity, importance, self-efficacy, feedback, and commitment.
Goal setting in sports
After consulting several studies, along with our practical knowledge, we have put together a list of tips that you can follow in your personal journey as an athlete or as a team.
Avoid Comparing Yourself to Others — Instead, try keeping track of your own performance and improvement over time.
Set Your Own Goals — Various people might contribute in helping you set your goals, and that is normal and alright, however, try to stay focused on your own and / or your team’s vision and main purpose.
Understand Yourself and Your Motives — Perhaps one of the most impactful strategies! Self-awareness, reflection, and continuous learning are key in ensuring you follow through with your initiatives.
Write It Down & Say It Out Loud — Whether you decide to publicly announce it, say it in front of all your imaginary friends, or just your own reflection mirrored in the gym entrance window, there’s some cool stuff that happens when we set free these little goals of ours, out in the real world.
Build a Strong Support System — No matter how strong or motivated you are, it is essential to ensure you’re surrounded by people who share your vision and can help guide you through any challenges you’ll face down the line.
Season It with Tech & Devices — Last but not least, sprinkle some modern technology in the mix, to gain insights that might get overlooked or even be impossible to spot by a human mind alone.
Limitations
It should be noted that, no practice or theory is without limitations. In this section we’re going to mention the main challenges you may encounter in goal setting and execution.
- Lack of controls systems lead to athletes inability to measure personal goals, which is why goal setting can turn out inefficient.
- Goals tend to be too vague, hard to measure, and difficult, especially given the allocated timeframe for completion.
- Goal setting often occurs spontaneously and impulsively, without an actionable plan in place.
How can Sunbears help you set and achieve your goals?
Data — Most importantly, Sunbears allows for collection of data throughout extended periods of time, so that you and your team can gain knowledge into your performance and strategies.
Planning & Scheduling Tools — You get to have everything in one place, clearly and easily accessible, so organising sessions and keeping up with your schedule won’t feel so intimidating anymore.
Visualisation — Another powerful tool, visualisation, which we discussed about in more detail in a previous article, can help you in achieving your goals. Whether through 3D drill animation or personalised graphs about team performance, you can have a clearer image of where you are and where you should be headed onwards.
Tracking — The data provided can be downloaded and analysed over time. This can allow you to see how your goals actually match your performance, what you’re doing great, and what you still need to focus on more.
Sharing — Sharing is caring, isn’t it?! So you can share any training drills, ideas, and execution plans with your team, and stay up to date in real time, at all times!
Reference list
Laranjo, L. (2016) Participatory Health Through Social Media. Academic Press: Cambridge, Massachusetts
Smith, A. L. (2016) Sport and Exercise Psychology Research. Academic Press: Cambridge, Massachusetts
Sunbears (2022) Home Page [online] available from https://www.sunbears.com
