Nowadays, there are many variables that make an athlete evolve within his discipline . We could talk about concentration, motivation, constancy, dedication or commitment.

In this case, we will focus on a way to progress quickly and effectively through target setting. Researchers, sports psychologists and coaches all agree that setting short, medium and long-term goals is totally effective in improving an athlete’s capabilities as well as maintaining motivation.

The importance of setting goals

This strategy is not a new idea; it has been used for many years in other areas, such as in the company or in organisations. A clear example would be the achievement of incentives or rewards, as an employee achieves certain objectives for the company.

However, the use of systematic goal setting in the training of athletes has been implemented more recently, and with excellent results .

Much research supports the effectiveness of goal setting as a motivating technique and strategy that optimally improves performance.

Defining the term “target”

An objective or goal is defined as the acquisition of an optimal level of performance in a specific task and in a pre-determined time interval. From the perspective applied to sport, this strategy refers to the achievement of certain domains of a task that increase sports performance such as improving a swimmer’s personal best in the face of a championship.

When we talk about setting objectives or goals, we mean designing a training plan focused on the achievement of small advances or steps, to achieve the mastery of a certain skill. Moreover, the main advantage of this procedure of setting goals or objectives , is that the establishment of tasks to master certain skills of a sport in a short period of time, leads to compete with ourselves and motivate us to overcome our own marks or limits.

Some mechanisms of the motivation process that are put into action are

  • Focus on the important aspects of the task , ignoring external variables that may disturb the activity.
  • Putting in place the energy needed to achieve mastery of the trained skill.
  • Activate other variables , such as perseverance in the face of error or failure to achieve this objective.
  • To have a wide range of resources that allow the athlete himself to succeed in any given situation in the sporting competition.
  • The self-realization that is achieved, once you go beyond the objectives imposed previously.

Classification of goals

The objectives or goals can be divided according to different aspects. For example, according to the period in which they are carried out, we would be talking about short, medium and long term objectives .

Short term goals

The short term goals or objectives , are scheduled to be achieved in one week of training. For example, for an athlete to get his own personal best down in 1 second during the whole week of training.

Medium-term goals

The medium-term goals are planned to be achieved in one or two months. For example, that an athlete succeeds in establishing marks that allow him to compete in big events such as national or international championships.

Long-term goals

The long-term goals are those established with a view to an annual season. For example, that an athlete succeeds in competing with the best in an Olympics.

The importance of collective objectives

There are objectives or goals referring to the athlete himself within a group or team. A team is a sum of individualities made available to the collective. Therefore, the improvement in the performance of the individual will lead to an improvement in the performance of the team .

The objectives set for the athlete himself means that he can concentrate better on what he has to do at each moment to achieve the final goals. Therefore, these are aspects that can be trained individually and that will benefit the group. For example, the striker who aims to score a certain number of goals in each training session.

However, there are aspects that are only trainable at a collective level. For example, the defensive mechanism of a rugby team has to be perfectly coordinated in order to be effective.

In summary, when we talk about goals or objectives referring to teams, each individual must put all his capacities to improve individually and collectively , having to be compatible both.

Characteristics of the objectives or goals

In order for the setting of goals or objectives to achieve the desired results, the following must be respected.

  • The objectives to be achieved should have a certain threshold of difficulty , taking into account the capabilities of the athlete in a realistic way.
  • They should be concrete (e.g. lower my mark one second in two weeks), as these work better than general aspects. (I will do my best).
  • They must be tangible characteristics , that can be measured. (Score five goals in a training match).
  • Focus the objectives in positive terms ; since focusing on achieving successes, it entails focusing on achievement, rather than avoiding failure.

In short, setting objectives or goals within the training of any athlete, helps in an important way to improve their own skills and, therefore, the progress of it, overcoming limits that even the individual was not aware of beating.