Training your mind is just as important as training the body, and doing so begins with setting goals. As many know I have decided to come out of retirement and coach a 14U team. In the search for players I posted a try-out submission for interested players to submit. I included a series of questions in addition to their contact information. One question asked the player, “What are your long-term goals.” I must have received close to 50 forms! What is more amazing, almost all of the students listed playing in college and in the Olympics as a long-term goal. This told me one, it is a shame this may not be an attainable goal due to the latest decision removing softball from the Olympics, but more importantly our athletes do not fully understand the details and power of goal setting.
Now the team is together, practicing, and playing, we are spending a great deal of time discussing and writing goals. Our first off the field assignment required the girls to review a presentation I created on writing effective goals, download a goal sheet, and write out their goals for the 2005-2006 season. Even after they read the lesson and we discussed it on our website and through emails, they didn’t fully grasp the concept. After reading their goals, I knew I had failed, and there was a reason they weren’t grasping the concept. Their goals were vague and didn’t include anything that could be measured or monitored. Then the next morning it hit me. Our kids don’t know the numbers, our kids didn’t know the norms of the game.
What I learned in college regarding goal setting, both in my Sports Psychology classes and from my beloved coach, I use daily in my professional and personal life. As coaches and instructors we strive to give our student-athletes skills they can take with them off the field. I believe goal setting is a valuable tool we have neglected and should spend more time teaching. However, in order to move forward in the goal setting process, to write effective goals, our student-athletes must be taught the fundamentals of statistics and how to interpret them to define, and monitor, individual/team progress and success. This newsletter will give a brief and easy overview of the goal setting process. I will also include most of the softball statistic abbreviations and their definitions. These definitions are law. They determine how to score it in the book. Some of the younger students may have difficulty at first, but it may come in handy later on. You may find a list of abbreviations at http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/official_info/baseball_basics/abbreviations.jsp.
Also, the flash presentation I made for our team is available for everyone to view at: http://teamindiana.softballone.com/goallesson.html
Within this presentation there are 3 simple goal sheets you may choose to download or print. Coaches may want to make something more specific for their team and players.
http://teamindiana.softballone.com/goals.html
Goal!!!!
Setting goals help us organize our time, provide direction, give feedback, supply motivation, and assign a daily purpose. All great athletes set goals and they do so by first defining success through the process in hopes of a positive outcome. All too often we define success with a “W” or “L”. This is what we call an outcome goal. The process, the work you do, are little steps you take in the journey to the positive outcome. These are what we call task goals. Think of from a pitcher perspective. A pitcher wants an ERA of less than 1 for each game she pitches (outcome goal). But in order to achieve this goal she had to practice hitting her spots 95% of the time in practice 3 times a week to prepare herself for games (task goals). Because outcome goals are directed at an end result they are dependent on outside factors and are hard to control. Task goals are based on the skill and ability of the individual/team and can be broken down into much more detail. Studies have shown task goals are more often achieved.
Now that we understand the difference between task goals and outcome goals and why task goals are more successful let’s break down the goal setting process into four main time categories.
Dream Goals (similar to what the girls sent to me.) Dream Goals allow you to project years into the future without any limits. Example: “I want to play softball in college.”
Long-Term Goals – goals set for a season or for multiple seasons. Multiple seasons could mean a college career. Example: “I will end my college career with a .350 batting average or better.”
Short-Term Goals- goals set with 2-4 weeks in mind. Example: “I will hit 100 balls M-F off a tee before I go to school for the next two weeks.”
Daily Goals- (just what they sound like) goals used to help to motivate, organize, and maintain intensity. I use daily goals instead of To-Do lists. Example: “I will hit 25 balls off a tee practicing the low and outside location from 6:00 am to 6:10am. I will hit 25 balls off a tee practicing the low and inside location from 6:15am to 6:25am. I will hit 25 balls off a tee practicing the high and outside location from 6:30am to 6:40am. I will hit 25 balls off a tee practicing the high and inside location from 6:45am to 6:55am.
Measurable and Specific - Effective goals are very specific and measurable. Goals like "I want to improve my pitching." or "I want to be the best shortstop!" are too vague and not easy measure. Measurable goals must establish a baseline of performance recorded during the past one or two weeks for them to be realistic. Measurable goals usually have a baseline to assess.
Example: “I will improve my 40yard dash by .8 second by 11/07/2005. Today’s date is 8/18/2005”
Difficult, yet Attainable - Effective goals are challenging, but attainable. If a player sets her goals too high this can be self destructive. This is where good judgment plays an important role in the goals setting process. Always take into consideration the time factor when setting realistic, challenging, and attainable goals. Example of an unrealistic goal: “I will improve my 40yard dash by .8 second by 8/20/2005. Today’s date is 8/18/2005.” The goal listed in the previous paragraph is more realistic.
By helping your athletes or daughters to understand the normal trends in the game they can better understand how to define attainable goals. Is it realistic for a hitter to hit over .600 for the season when the previous 2 seasons the batted .250?
Positive versus Negative Goal Setting - We hear the expression, “she plays not to make mistakes.” As an athlete you want your self-talk to be positive. Setting goals is another element of your self talk and will carry over into your performance. You don’t want to set goals to avoid errors or mistakes. Set goals to make something positive happen!
Coaches set the tone in this process. Instead of directing a player not to do something, simply state it in a manner of what they should do.
Set Priorities - If you set to many goals you stress out! Effective goals should be important to their performance and limited in number. Focus on what is important for continued development. Setting quality goals is much more effective.
Coaches and/or parents can write evaluations based on measured evaluations. This can help the student focus on their priorities.
Set Target Dates - Including a timeline for completion helps the athlete stay on target and maximize their efforts. Target dates also push athletes to learn new skills and not procrastinate. In addition time can always be measured.
I think it is important for coaches, parents, and players to define the timeline of the season from the get go.
Team and Individual Goals - Team goals are important to the success of any team. However, it is the performance of each individual that ultimately makes the team victorious. Team goals appear to have great importance for team sports, but most team goals can be broken down into individual roles or responsibilities. Setting team goals is not enough! Each player must set their own goals to improve their performance.
Write Them and Show Them - Always take the time and write out your goals. After writing down your team or individual goals display them so you can have a constant reminder of what you want to achieve. Some coaches post their goals in the dugout. I wrote my goals on a piece of paper and placed it in my wristband before every game or practice or write them on my forearms. I have seen teams place their goals on the back of their practice t-shirts. A friend of mine used to write her goals on her bathroom mirror. Write them down and make them visible!
Yesterday we played our first 3 games and came out victorious in all three events. Before we left our last practice we sat down and wrote out team goals for both offense and defense. Players also wrote out their individual goals and turned them into me before the games started.
OFFENSE
1. Excecute all sacrifice bunt on the first attempt.
2. Outscore our opponents by 3 runs per game.
3. Execute signals 100% of the time.
4. Put the ball in play 100% of the time when there are runners in scoring position.
DEFENSE
1. Get the first batter out of every inning.
2. Get the lead runner out 80% of the time.
3. Communicate on every play.
4. Maintain a fielding percentage of.950 or better for all 3 games.
Even though we outscored our opponents 16 to 2 in 12 innings we did not reach our goal to outscore our opponents 3 runs per game. Our last game was decided by 1 run. We did well on executing our signals, but did miss 3 in three games. When runners in scoring position we did not move them 100% of the time 3 times. Only twice did we not get the first out of the inning and this was due to a walks. For the weekend we had a fielding percentage .920. I knew we set our goals high, but these are goals the best teams make easy Even though we did not execute all of our goals, attempting to achieve them helped us to have a successful first outing (3-0). What is more important is our girls were disappointed they did not achieve their team goals and are determined to focus on the tasks in practice to do so our next outing. Goals provide direction.
I hope this information helps and players and coaches can utilize the power of goal setting on and off the field.
Take care and happy training! |
