Week 2 Training Programme: Goal Setting

Week number-2
Date- 28/03/14
Aim of the week- To improve goal setting and mental preparation

Hi Performer M, hope you are well.

Today we are going to look into further detail about how we can improve your goal setting skills, and continue on with the additional skills next week.  The following skills will be mentioned next week as I want you to focus on today's training programme.  The reason for why I am going to focus on goal setting this week is because it will help improve your performance.  This is because goal setting will allow you to mentally prepare the performer.  Furthermore goal setting will allow you to keep your self control  and additional constructs which have been analysed.

Goal setting is a mental training technique which is used in order to increase your commitment and focus towards a personal goal.  These short or long terms goals will help encourage you to keep self control and get over any setbacks.  This is very important for you due to the three consecutive defeats for the St Mary's team if you still want to get into the play-offs.   The goals which you include in goal setting can help you maintain that strength because you are continuously going over whether you are achieving that individual strength.  Performer M should also focus on goal setting  for your weaknesses, this is because a lot of performers want to improve certain aspects of performance.  However, although performers have the intention of improving certain aspects this cannot be accomplished due to the competitior not having an actual game plan.  Goal setting however can create game plan which can work as a reminder for the performer and this can motivate the performer.

There are three different types of goals which the performer can focus on; outcome, performance and process.  

Outcome- This is where you focus on the result of an event, this for example for yourself may be to win a game or win the league.  This type of goal is more long-term, however you must remember that football is not a one man team so your performance may not change your team from playing bad and then losing. 

Process- This is where the performer focus's on action which will boost performance, this could be training more times a week because you will then play better.  This goal setting type is short-term goals which are very brief and may vary weekly.

Performance- This is where you as the performer is specific in what they want to achieve, these goals are more personal standard, which means that they are not affected by external performances such as team mates.  

Performance goals also allows the performer to achieve a more work towards and desired goal, this encourages you to feel good about your performance even if you do not win. 

I would recommend that the performer  uses the process goal because this goal helps you focus on attention and this is very effective in order to help control anxiety. Although the questionnaires shows that you control your anxiety extremely well, it will still allow you to attain the peak of anxiety which makes the body work to a better standard.  The performance will then be achieved at the best of your ability, however also mentally anxiety can also 'pump you up' so that you do not lose focus on the game. 

How to set goals- SMART

Smart targets is the best way to set goals the reason for this is because the performer is then capable of achieving specific goals. Performers like yourself want to achieve goals, however some are to optimistic whilst others cannot get into the mindset of how to set goals.  The method which I recommend for you to use is SMART targets as this breaks down into specific areas allowing you to achieve your goals. Below I am going to go into further detail about what each letter the acronym stands for.

Specific- This is where the performer sets an actual goal which they want to achieve, an example of this may be to pass the ball successfully 3 times in one halve.  This is specific because it does not only mention an open goal which would have been to pass but we have focused on a goal within the goal. This would be to make three passes in the first halve.

Measurable- This is where as the performer you are going to measure whether the goal set has been achieved. So the target which has been mentioned above would be measured by keeping a tally of whether the passes had been completed.  The performer would then be able to conclude whether any achievement had been made for progression.

Achievable- The performer here would revise the target set and then analyse whether the goal is actually possible to achieve.  Performers may try to set the bar to high straight away and this can demotivate them because they could not achieve a certain goal. Therefore the performer should set a goal which is actually achievable otherwise the goal setting task would be pointless.

Realistic- This is very similar to the heading above because the performer again is revising whether the goal set can actually be achieved.

Time- This is how long you will give yourself to achieve the certain goal, take care when doing this because progression can only be made if you give yourself enough time.

Exercise for the athlete to complete

I am now going to set two targets which you should try to achieve, the reason for this is because the performer should then get use to how goal setting works.  The two goals which are going to be set are different because one is a long-term goal and the other is a short-term goal.

Long term goal:
The long term goal which has been set for you is to attend all training sessions, unless there is a valid reason for you may miss the training session.

To achieve this goal, I want you to set SMART targets. I would like to see the SMART target which you have set to ensure that you are on the right lines.

Short term goal:
The short term goal is what I want you to achieve for the next match competition.  The goal which I am setting for you is to achieve 9 successful passes in one halve.  You should allow a performer who is substitute to take notes whether this has been achieved you can also remember this mentally.

To do this goal your smart target may require you to have additional training on decision making and also passing.

If there are any questions please do not hesitate to text me, also please send me a copy of the SMART targets which you have made over Whatsapp.

Good Luck
Sign Off
Yahyah