Important
• Instruction on Effective Goal Setting – It is emphasized that simply setting goals is insufficient; athletes and exercisers require instruction on setting effective goals, as goal setting is the most utilized performance enhancement strategy in sport psychology.
• Focus on Process – The value of process goals is highlighted by Silken Laumann, who noted that ultimately, athletes remember the daily training demands and challenges (process) more than the medals (outcome).
• Multiple Goal Strategy – Research indicates that using a combination of outcome, performance, and process goals is most effective, whereas using outcome goals in isolation is the least effective strategy,.
• Timing of Goals – While all goal types have potential, their effectiveness depends on timing; focusing on outcome goals immediately before or during competition can increase anxiety and distract from the task at hand.
• Task Orientation Benefits – Generally, the most positive outcomes occur when athletes adopt a task orientation (focus on mastery/effort), either alone or in combination with an ego orientation.
• Goal Achievement Strategies (GAS) – A goal without a strategy is merely an intention; effective goal setting requires “getting GAS,” which means detailing the specific steps (what, when, where) required to bridge the gap between intention and behavior.
• Practice Goals – Setting goals for practice is critical given the high positive correlation between practice performance and competition performance, yet this area is often neglected.
• Educating the Support Network – It is important to educate significant others (parents, friends) about the value of performance and process goals so they do not focus solely on outcomes, which can undermine the athlete’s efforts.
• Goal Evaluation – The evaluation phase is frequently the most neglected aspect of goal setting; without constant monitoring, feedback, and re-evaluation, the goal-setting process tends to be ineffective,.
• Adjustability – Goals must be adjustable; changing a goal due to injury or changing circumstances is not a failure but a sign of working smart and being resilient.
Core Concepts
• Definition of a Goal: A target or objective that people strive to attain, providing a standard for action.
• Outcome Goals: Goals that focus on competitive results, such as winning or social comparison, which are dependent on the ability and performance of opponents,.
• Performance Goals: Goals that focus on achieving personal standards independent of others, such as improving a personal best time or increasing shooting percentage,.
• Process Goals: Goals that focus on the specific behaviors or actions an athlete must execute during performance to be successful, such as maintaining specific technique,.
• Performance Profiling: A client-centered assessment tool used to identify an athlete’s perceived performance strengths and weaknesses to help prioritize training targets,.
• Goal Setting Staircase: A visual metaphor where the bottom represents present ability, the top represents the long-term goal, and a series of progressively linked short-term goals connect them.
• Goal Valence: The distinction between positive goals (identifying behaviors to exhibit/approach) and negative goals (identifying behaviors to avoid).
• Implementation Intentions: Strong mental associations formed between a situational cue and a specific response (e.g., “when X happens, I will do Y”) to bridge the intention-behavior gap.
• Goal Collectivity: The concept that teams performing with collective team goals perform significantly better than those setting only individual goals.
• Mechanisms of Goal Setting: Goals influence performance by directing attention, mobilizing effort, fostering persistence, and promoting the development of new learning strategies.
Theories and Frameworks
• SMART Guidelines: A mnemonic for setting effective goals, commonly defined as Specific, Measurable, Adjustable (or Achievable), Realistic (or Relevant), and Timely,.
• Achievement Goal Theory: A theory positing that individuals have a dominant tendency toward either task orientation (mastery/self-improvement) or ego orientation (outperforming others).
• 2×2 Achievement Goal Framework: A model that crosses achievement goals (task/ego) with achievement motivation (approach/avoidance) to create four distinct orientations (e.g., mastery-approach, performance-avoidance).
• Botterill’s Goal Setting System: A system for designing goal-setting programs consisting of three distinct phases: the Planning Phase, the Meeting Phase, and the Evaluation Phase.
Notable Individuals
• Silken Laumann: Canadian Olympian quoted to emphasize the importance of valuing the process and training demands over just the medals.
• Richard Butler & Lew Hardy: Developed performance profiling as a client-centered assessment procedure with British Olympic boxers.
• Cal Botterill: Developed a widely used goal-setting system for coaches involving planning, meeting, and evaluation phases.
• Peter Gollwitzer: Researched implementation intentions and the importance of associating situational cues with specific responses.
• Dan Gould: Adapted Botterill’s system and identified common problems in goal setting such as failing to set specific goals,.
• John G. Nicholls: Associated with Achievement Goal Theory and the distinction between task and ego orientations.
• Andrew Elliot & Holly McGregor: Conceptualized the 2×2 achievement goal framework combining task/ego with approach/avoidance.
• Jerry Seinfeld: Utilized the “Don’t Break the Chain” method (marking a calendar daily) to visualize consistency and accountability.
• Edwin Locke: Proposed that goals work by directing attention, mobilizing effort, fostering persistence, and promoting new strategies.