Goal Setting

Why is goal setting so important?

'A person, player or team is very healthy when there is minimum confusion about the goal'

Dr. Chris Harwood - Loughborough University

Goal setting is fundamental to achieving excellence in sport. Much research on athletes and coaches that succeed at high levels points to quality goal setting as a significant factor in their achievements.

Why is goal setting so vital?

• Maximising your potential is a long journey. If your players are to be successful on this journey then they need a map. Goal setting maps out where a player wants to be in the future and then gives a series of stepping stones to enable the player to get there.
• When players are training regularly it gives each session a purpose. Without goal setting, the player and coach tend to drift through the sessions and the quality of work can easily drop.
• The player has ownership of the goals. Players that have committed to, and set their own goals are more likely to be motivated in working to achieve them.
• Knowing where you are trying to get to is motivating and exciting for a player. Having longer-term goals in place - such as a higher ranking or gaining selection for a county team, is very motivating to a player and gives everything an added sense of purpose.
• Goal setting is driven by long term outcomes, but it gives the player, coach and parents short-term goals to focus on. This reduces the emphasis on the outcome and the stress that comes with it.

"If you haven't set yourself meaningful goals, it's all too easy to turn back and go home when it's a miserable day and training doesn't appeal. Goal-setting is the key to motivation." 

Kirsten Barnes - Canadian rower and double Olympic gold medallist

The importance of goal setting cannot be emphasized enough. It is safe to say that without goal setting and regular review a player has little or no chance of maximising their potential in tennis.