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Goal Setting |
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Scott Bay |
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Coach/Swimmer, Dynoswim Aquatics |
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ASCA HS and Master's Level 2 |
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| When I was a young
athlete, I always had a ‘Goal Conference’ with the coach of whatever
sport I was involved in at the time so the coach could
explain to me what my goals were. |
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| How crazy is that? |
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| Goals for
an athlete are not the expectations of the coach at all. They are a
conversation between a coach and an athlete. Goals are important to
athletes and coaches as it helps to guide things like workouts and
decision making not only in the pool but in other parts of life as well.
The athlete for his or her part brings dreams and ambition to the table.
The coach for his or her part brings a knowledge of the steps necessary
to achieve what athletes desire…Kind of. |
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| A good
coach has many things in the toolbox that have been put there by
experience, education and failures as well as successes. Often times we
refer to this collective wisdom as the voice of reason. Someone else may
refer to it as a dream killing cynicism. Lets look at the right way for
an athlete and a coach to set goals. |
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The athlete should spend some time
reflecting on a few basic questions. What is it that I want? What steps
are involved in achieving my goal? What am I willing to sacrifice to
achieve my goal. Is my goal even achievable/realistic? What will I do if
I do/do not achieve my goal. |
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The coach should spend a
lot of time listening to the athlete and be ready to ask all of the
questions that an athlete should be thinking about. Goals should be
reasonable and attainable. Goals should be specific to the athlete NOT
the athlete’s competition. Goals should be measurable. Goals should not
be the end of the road. |
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Step one: Think about where you are and
where you want to be. Your wants should be tempered by a cold hard look
at reality. I would love to have a goal of being in the 50 free at the
next Olympics. I am pushing 40 and 10+ seconds away from world-class
speed in the 50 free. I have two kids and a full time job. I have the
genetic gifts and grace of Fred Flintstone. Are my wants consistent with
reality? Clearly not. I want to break one minute in the 100 free this
year. That is more like it. |
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Step two. Tell someone your goals and ask
them what they think. Make sure it is a person you trust to be honest
with you. Need a test. Use my aforementioned example. If someone in my
life said you should go for it, they probably like me but are not
willing to tell me the truth for fear it would hurt my feelings. |
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Step three. Discuss goal
with a coach. Ask what he or she thinks and get some real feedback. |
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Step four. Write down all
of the little things that need to happen to make your goal easier to
achieve. Eat better, sleep more, train more, and train differently. |
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Step five. Make the goal a
part of the rest of your life. If it is truly important to you, you will
skip things like that extra piece of cake. You will make that practice
even when you are tired. You will find yourself looking at nutrition
labels. You will find a way to do what you need to do to make it happen
not just in the pool but also at work home and school. This DOES NOT
mean you let anything outside of swimming slide. It means you manage
your time and life better to take care of your responsibilities as well
as reach for your goals. |
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Step six. Have a next goal
in mind. Goals are not black and white. There is no failure here really
so do not be afraid to scare yourself a little with a challenging goal.
If you improve and come close to your goal that is still a success.
Making it 100 percent next time around can be the new goal. If you
achieve your goal make sure you have a next step ready but do not forget
to celebrate your achievement. |
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Final thoughts. There are
lots of sudden changes in life that alter the way we look at things. Be
prepared to adjust your expectations and goals accordingly. Also, blind
devotion to a goal is not healthy either. When I talked about
sacrificing things to achieve your goals, I was speaking about chocolate
chip cookies, not a marriage or career. |
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