Goals

• Goals are targets that can aid motivation, focus, determination, decrease anxiety, control arousal, help to develop strategies and aid performance.
• Importance of goal setting:

  Aid attentional focus - directing performers concentration.

  Aid persistence on tasks - aid motivation and determination.

  Raise confidence and self efficacy - belief a goal is achievable.

  Aid performer to develop strategies - develop successful tactics to reach their goals.

  Monitor performance - progress can be regularly evaluated.

  Control of arousal and anxiety - goals lower worry and nerves.
• SMART principle:

  Specific - indicate clearly when achieved and criteria for do it it well.

  Measurable - quantifiable in time/score.

  Achievable - challenging but realistic.

  Recorded - written down and ticked off.

  Time phrased - within a time frame.
• Bandura's theory of self efficacy


  The belief that a person has in their capability of a certain skill (S-C state). Made up of performance accomplishments, verbal persuasion, emotional arousal, vicarious experiences, efficacy expectations and athletic performance. These all raise or lower self efficacy which determine the choice of activity, level of effort and actual performance of skill.
• Performance accomplishments


  • Previous success leads to high self efficacy
  • Previous failure can lower self efficacy
  • Has the most powerful effect on self efficacy
• Emotional arousal


  • Coach finds performers optimal arousal zone
  • Use psyching up/calming down techniques
  • Use SMT such as positive thinking/deep breathing
• Verbal persuasion


  • Comments/encouragement used to convince athletes they can succeed at a task to raise SE, negative comments can lower SE.
  • More successful - the higher the status and the more persuaders the more successful persuasion, if message is clear/has evidence and presented in a convincing way, in a comfortable and non threatening place, and athlete being persuaded is open to listening
• Vicarious experiences:

  Observe another person accomplishing the skill can increase raise self efficacy and decrease anxiety if demonstrated by someone with similar standard/stage/status/ability.
• Self efficacy


  Determines the choice of activity/level of effort/actual performance of the skill
• Vealey’s model of sport confidence:

  Objective sporting situation - facts about the sporting circumstance you are in.

  Trait sports confidence - innate/stable overall belief in capability (born with talent).

  Competitive orientation - extent an athlete has prepared/risk taker.

  State sports confidence - unstable level of self belief in a specific sporting situation.

  Performance/behaviour - the outcome and skill level, influenced by level of state sports confidence.

  Subjective outcome of skill - satisfaction or disappointment that occurs once performance of skill is evaluated.
• Sport confidence is the belief a person has in their overall capability in sport.
• Self confidence is the belief a person has in their overall capability.
• State sports confidence (sc-state) is the belief a person has in their capability to succeed in a specific sporting situation. This can change from situation to situation.
• Trait sports confidence (sc-trait) is the belief a person has in their overall capability to succeed in sport.
• High sports confidence effect on performance:

  Positive effect, helps performer to be skillful and performers take risks.
• Low sports confidence effect on performance:

  Negative effect, performance is likely to be poor/sub standard and if others are disruptive due to low confidence it can prevent you making progress.
• High sports confidence effect on participation:

  Take part in sport, face competitive situations and volunteer for specific roles.
• High sports confidence on self esteem:

  High self esteem, believe you will make a positive contribution, helps performance and copes better with failure/success in sport and life.
• Low sports confidence effect on participation:

  Don't participate in sport, less likely/refuse to volunteer for specific roles, avoid competitive situations, might not take part in a new sport they could excel in and could be disruptive if made to participate and hinder others.
• Low sports confidence effect on self esteem:

  Low self esteem, don't feel valuable enough to contribute to a team/individual sport and doesn't cope well with failure/success in sport and life.
• Types of goals:

  Product - aim concerning an outcome, rewarding if achieved but sometimes unlikely to succeed and achieving this goal isn't totally in your control.

  Performance - aim to achieve a PB/achieve a specific standard, totally within your control but may compare to others.

  Process - aim concerning strategy/skill/technique, can improve strategy/skill can improve overall performance, no pressure of winning but difficult to set in team activities and if put into competitions too early performance can be hindered.