Goals give you clear intent for practice, ensuring you are working with purpose each day. For games, goals give you something to focus on and keep your mind fixed on what will help you play your best.
When it comes to setting goals for practices and games, what I am truly referring to are process goals. Also known as controllable goals.
Long-term goals, such as making it to a certain level, provide you with motivation. But for individual games or practices, we want our goals to be focused on the process.
What will help you improve. And what will help you play your best?
Those two questions are the basis for setting goals for both practices and games.
Why Should Athletes Set Goals for Practices & Games?
Goals give you direction as an athlete. They help you get clear as to what you want to focus on during practice or a game.
Just like a long-term goal gives you clear direction, goals for practices and games provide you with focus.
Here are the main reasons athletes need to set goals for practices and for games:
Benefits of Practice Goals:
- Help you practice more efficiently
- Help you improve at a quicker rate
- provide you with intent for the practice, so practice time is not wasted
- Help you be more prepared for games
- Strengthen focus during practice
- Allow for confidence to grow due to performing better and seeing yourself improve
Benefits of Game Goals:
- Keep your focus on the process
- Reduce fear and anxiety because you are focused on the process instead of the outcome
- Help you focus on what leads to success
- Keep your thinking simple and reduce overthinking
- Help keep you present while you compete
By setting practice goals and game goals, there are many benefits you will experience. For practices, you will be improving quicker because you know exactly what you are working on that day.
Practice goals give you clear intent for training.
For games, setting the correct types of goals keeps your attention off the outcome. Outcome-oriented thinking leads to fear and anxiety and results in underperforming.
By setting clear game goals, you stay focused on what will help you play your best, and you also work to keep your attention in the present moment.
How Do Athletes Set Good Practice Goals?
There are a few questions you can ask yourself when setting goals for practice:
- What part of my game do I need to work on the most?
- What do I want to get out of today’s practice?
- What adjustments do I need to make from my previous game/practice?
- What is my intent for today’s practice?
- What do I want to improve mentally in today’s practice?
When setting your practice goals, make sure they are 100% within your control.
Your coach will probably have a practice plan, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still have intentions for yourself. These have more to do with what you are specifically focusing on, than what your coach is having you do during practice.
How Do Athletes Set Good Game Goals?
Just as with setting practice goals, there are a few questions you can ask yourself to help with setting your game goals.
- What do I need to focus on that gives me the greatest chance of playing well today?
- What does it take for me to have a good game?
- What do I need to focus on, that’s part of the process, that will help me play well?
- What adjustments do I need to focus on from last game?
Just as with practice goals, be sure game goals are 100% within your control and part of the process.
Of course your overall goal is to play your best. But when it comes to actually setting goals for games, they should be geared toward what will help you play your best.
That is how you get yourself to be a consistent player.
Final Thoughts
By setting clear, controllable goals, for both practices and games, you increase the efficiency of practices and increase the chances of playing well consistently.
Begin setting clear goals for both practices and games this week!
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Thank you for reading and I wish you the best of success in all that you do.
