As the new year comes around, many people are talking about their New Year’s resolutions. This is a great time to talk about goal setting for athletes. Goal setting is a practice that many athletes forget about, but is something that can often be a good motivator and mark of success. Goals help to not only motivate an athlete but also help athletes track progress in their training. Here are the two types of goals that should be set by every athlete each year.
- End of the Year Goal
Example: At the end of the year, I want to have been selected as an All-American and have 4 Division 1 offers.
When setting end-of-the-year goals, it is important to make sure that you set goals that are achievable and measurable. The example above is a perfect example because it has achievements that are within reach of the athlete and are measurable. The biggest mistake that athletes make when making end-of-the-year goals is that they make all of them dream goals that will be very hard to achieve. It is always smart to make sure that you have multiple goals for the end of the year, some that are pretty easily achievable and some that will be a reach for you. Setting end-of-the-year goals allows athletes to see progress in sports that often are hard to tangibly see progress in.
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Progress Goals
Now, once you have set your end-of-the-year goals, it is time to work backward from there. This way you can set progress goals that allow you to consciously see you take steps toward your end-of-the-year goals. The example above is a great way for an athlete can break down the steps. This gives the athlete a more specific achievable and measurable goal to shoot for. Athletes must do this along with their end-of-the-year goals because, without these steps, a lot of athletes get lost in the everyday motions of training. With progress goals, athletes can recenter their focus on their training and goals more often, while making sure that they stay on track.