N Unrealistic Goals Breed Diffidence and Anxiety Because the Athlete Repeatedly Fails

Goal Setting

n  Related to Self Confidence

n  Unrealistic Goals Breed Diffidence and Anxiety because the Athlete repeatedly fails.

n  Realistic Goals Breed Confidence Because the Athlete Gains Success Experiences Which Breeds Feelings of Competence

n  Athletes equate their achievement with their self worth

n  Winning = Success

n  Losing = Failure

n  What’s wrong with this?

n  Athletes don’t have complete control over winning

n  Success must be seen in terms of athletes exceeding their own goals rather than surpassing the performance of others.

n  Thus setting team goals about winning is not helpful.

n  Athletes need to focus on performance goals not outcome goals.

n  Shifting emphasis from winning to achieving realistic personal goals helps remove the threat which causes anxiety.

Goals Should Be

n  Optimistic

n  Realistic

n  Performance Oriented

n  Short Term (more specific than long term)

n  Individual Rather Than Team Oriented

n  Changeable

n  Informational

n  Specific

n  Inclusive of Evaluation Strategies

Outcome Goals

n  Seldom provide the optimal levels of challenge needed to motivate athletes to perform up to their capabilities.

n  Promote external attributions for success and failure

Performance Goals

n  Promote internal attributions for success.

n  Allow athletes to totally control the process by which they evaluate success.

n  Provide athletes with flexible performance standards which can be raised or lowered in order to keep goals challenging but realistic.

n  Should maximise the probability of winning within the athletes ability limitations

A Coaches Guide to Goal Setting

1.   Have goals for yourself.

2.   Involve your athletes in the goal setting process both individually and as a group

3.   Be a “Facilitator” not a dictator.

4.   Strive for consensus with team goals. All players may not agree.

5. Provide time for athletes. Be a listener!

Self-confidence

Sport self-confidence = The degree of certainty athletes possess about their ability to be successful in sport or their expectancy about achieving success.

Objective Competitive Situation

Self-confidence Trait Goal Orientation

Self-confidence State

Behaviour

Outcomes

Sport Self-confidence Is

1.   An Interaction Model - It takes into account the

situation and the person.

2.   Sport Specific

3.   State and Trait Self-confidence

4.   Reciprocal - SC influences behaviour and behaviour influences SC.