Tip of the Month - June 2020

Coach Monika Says…

Setting Performance Goals for the 2020-2021 Season

It is proper timing at this point for athletes to establish performance goals for the upcoming 2020-2021 season since sports programs are not operating at the present. 

  1. Coaches: Send Questionnaire to athletes ages 13 years and older because they are old enough to understand the specific questions (Refer to Sample provided below)

  2. Coaches: Create Goal Questionnaire for younger/developmental athletes with components selected from Section B1-5 below

  3. Developmental athletes select, complete, and check off what they feel needs improvement, and then consult with their coach (Refer to Sample provided below)

Older Athletes: 5-Step plan to Create Performance Goals 

Example: Refer to https://www.yourswimlog.com/goal-setting-swimmers/

Setting Effective Performance Goals Involves Three Different Types 

  1. Outcome Goals

  • Outcome goals focus on results (winning, scoring, etc.)

  • They are necessary but can cause stress on competition or game day

  • They can act as motivators when competition or game days are still in the future

  • Whether to achieve these goals depends on personal effort as well as the opponent’s performance

2. Performance Goals

  • Performance goals are focused on achieving or improving one’s own performance objectives (i.e., sprinting time, best swim time (PB), number of goals, etc.)

  • They are more flexible and provide a greater sense of personal control

  • Focusing on these goals can be very helpful for those returning to train or compete after an injury or layoff (i.e. current virus pandemic)

3. Process Goals

  • Process goals focus on the actions/movements that have to be carried out to achieve a good performance

  • They are the best kind of goals to be thinking about on competition or game day because they relate most closely to the athlete’s best focus

  • They can help athletes to compete or play after an injury or concussion

Make Performance Goals Specific – Real specific

  • Develop the framework for success to have big, awesome, and exact goals…

  • Recognize what meaningful action has to be taken to achieve those goals…

  • Develop a plan to track your progress…

  • Develop a plan how to evaluate what is actually working…

A. Performance Goals: What Do I want to accomplish?

  1. In Daily Practice/Training

  2. In One Week

  3. In One Month

  4. Pre-season: What do I want or hope to accomplish?

  5. Mid-season: How much has been accomplished?

  6. Post-season Evaluation: What was achieved?

B. Skill Goals to Establish?

  1. Physical Fitness – Components of Physical Literacy

  2. Technical skills

  3. Mental/Psychological skills

  4. Tactical skills – depending on age (if ready)

  5. Social Interaction skills

Selection of Skill Items:Example – Swimming 

B1 – ABC+S of physical literacy (agility, static & dynamic balance, coordination, and speed), flexibility, suppleness, muscular strength, aerobic endurance, rhythm, etc.

B2a – Learning and refining Start Technique

B2b – Learning and refining stroke technique: Front Crawl Stroke (FC), Back Crawl   Stroke (BK), Butterfly (FY), and Breaststroke (BR) 

B2c – Learning and improving FC and BK Turn, FY and BR Turn 

B3a – Learning to listen better, follow instructions and improve concentration 

B3b – Learning to stay focused

B4 –   Depending on age: Race strategy and Race pace of 50m, 100m, and 200m

B5 –   Learn to interact and respect teammates; follow club rules; demonstrate good behaviour in training, competitions; demonstrate leadership skills (example: lead Warm-up

Pre-Season-Athletes-Download

Skill-Improvement-Download

References:

Schloder, M.E. (2019). Supplementary Lecture Notes: Psychology of Performance. Calgary, AB: Arête Sports/www.coachingbest.com

Schloder, M.E. (2020). Psychology of Performance. Reference Manual (pp. 21-22). Ottawa, ON, Canada: National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP). 

Schloder, M.E. (2016). Kalos Swim Team. Personal Program Planner. Calgary, AB: Arête Sports/www.coachingbest.com

Retrieved May 13, 2020, from https://getpocket.com/explore/item/goals-don-t-replace-systems-and-vice-versa?utm_source=pocket-newtab

Retrieved May 13, 2020, from https://www.yourswimlog.com/goal-setting-swimmers/

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Tip of the Month - July 2020

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Body Language in Coaching: A Tool for Effective Communication