Creating goals leads to success because they provide direction, motivation, and a sense of accomplishment.

Specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals help prioritize resources and overcome obstacles. Aligning goals with personal values and aspirations is key to creating a winning mindset.

Identify your strengths and weaknesses:

Begin by assessing your current skill level and identifying areas where you need to improve.

• What do you struggle with? What do you always screw up?

• What do people say you’re good at? What skill do you notice you’re better at than others?

By identifying your strengths at the game will help you build on them while knowing your weaknesses is an opportunity for growth and improvement.

Create a plan to develop your weaknesses, write them down and find simply how to improve them. By doing this it ensures that you’re working towards your goals in a way that maximizes your potential for success.

So, take some time to assess your skills, and use that information to create a plan for growth and development.

Some examples…

Ben is a hockey player who wants to improve his game and make the regional/provincial/state team.

He assesses his skills and realizes that his strength is his speed, but he needs to work on his stickhandling and ball control. This sounds like a ‘chip and chase’ striker!

By recognizing these, he creates a training plan that focuses on improving those areas where he needs to develop while continuing to build on his strength – his need for SPEED!

So, Ben incorporates 100x left-to-right drags after his club training. Slowly over the weeks, his stick handling and ball control weaknesses start to improve as he notices he can eliminate players while running at speed.

Hopefully, the regional team selectors see that!

Make SMART goals

SMART goals are awesome for achieving success in hockey because they give you a clear plan to follow. You can break down big goals into smaller, specific, and achievable objectives that you can measure and track.

This way, you know exactly what you need to do, and when you need to do it – hold yourself accountable!

SMART goals help keep you motivated and focused on the big picture, helping you to achieve your goals faster and more efficiently. Think of them as a roadmap that guides you towards success!

Let’s use the continue the example of Ben wanting to make his regional field hockey team.

Specific

Ben’s goal is to make the regional field hockey team.

To make his goal specific, he needs to break it down into smaller, more specific goals.

Such as, he could set a goal to improve his stickhandling skills, improve his endurance, and attend the trials with a positive attitude and confidence in himself!

Now instead of focusing on the big picture of making the team, he knows what specific areas to works on.

It’s important to make your goals as specific as possible.

For example, rather than saying “I want to be better at passing,” you could set a goal to complete 20 successful passes in a row during a training session. Or I want to pass the ball aiming for the cone 10 times in a row.

Hold yourself accountable at the end of every session!

Measurable

Measuring the progress towards each smaller and specific goal is the second part of SMART goals.

Ben could track the number of stickhandling drills he completed each day, track his running distance and times, and practice visualization techniques to help him build confidence for the regional trials.

During his trainings and during his games, he could also measure progress by tracking the number of successful passes and shots, comparing them from week to week to see if he improves.

The main point of measuring your goals is to provide data to compare against, to know how well you are improving!

Achievable

We want to set challenging yet achievable goals, otherwise, you will lose interest and give up.

A bad example,

Ben wants to make the Olympic Team for his nation, but he hasn’t even made the regional team. This would be an unachievable goal. However, setting your goals high such as the Olympics is encouraged, just have the right SMART processes in place to achieve this!

A good example,

Ben could set a goal to complete 100 stickhandling drills per day, increase our running distance by 10% each week, and practice visualization techniques for 10 minutes each day.

Since these goals are challenging but achievable, Ben will be motivated to complete them. They are too hard to achieve and not too easy – some would say the Goldilocks range!

Relevant

Like achievable, relevant goals should be important and meaningful to you, and fit into your bigger picture.

For example,

If Ben wants to make the regional field hockey team, he needs to think about why it matters to him. Does it help him improve his skills? Does it allow him to make new friends?

By improving his stickhandling skills, endurance, and confidence, he is increasing his chances of making the team.

It’s important to focus on goals that directly relate to the outcome we want to achieve because it will help you stay motivated, even when things get tough.

While it’s important to challenge yourself, it’s also important to set goals that are relevant. Be honest with yourself about what you’re capable of.

Time-bound

Each goal should have a specific timeline or deadline.

For example, Ben could set a goal to complete 100 stickhandling drills per day for the next 2 weeks, increase our running distance by 10% each week for the next 4 weeks, and practice visualization techniques for 10 minutes each day for the next 6 weeks.

By setting a deadline, he can stay motivated and focused on achieving each goal within the given timeframe. This is the key to holding yourself accountable!

Break down long-term goals into smaller steps:

If you have a long-term goal, break it down into smaller, more manageable steps.

Some examples of goals that you might have:

1. Improve dribbling skills.
2. Increase speed and agility on the field.
3. Improve accuracy when passing
4. Improve power when shooting.
5. Have better defensive skills, such as intercepting passes or making tackles.
6. Build endurance and fitness to keep up your energy throughout the game.
7. Develop decision-making skills, like recognizing when to pass or shoot the ball, or who to mark.
8. Work on communication skills with your teammates on the field.
9. Learn new field hockey tactics and strategies to improve your overall game.
10. Master a new position on the field, such as playing as a promoting right half or attacking mid.

Breaking long-term sporting goals into smaller steps helps you achieve success because you create a clear roadmap which means you don’t get overwhelmed.

Create specific action steps for each goal that are realistic and achievable within a shorter timeframe, such as a week or a month.

Be sure to regularly reassess and adjust your goals and action steps as needed – to stay on track. Doing this approach helps you focus on what they can control and make steady progress towards their long-term objectives.

For example,

The Big goal: Improve sprinting speed

The Smaller goals:

1. Increase leg strength and power through weightlifting and plyometric exercises.
2. Improve running form and technique through drills and video analysis.
3. Increase cardiovascular endurance through interval training and sprints.
4. Improve flexibility and mobility through stretching and foam rolling.
5. Reduce body fat percentage through diet and exercise.
6. Track progress by measuring sprint times and analysing improvements.
7. Participate in competitive sprints to gain experience and compare your efforts to teammates.
8. Work with a coach or trainer to identify areas for improvement and develop a personalised speed training plan
9. Set intermediate goals for incremental improvement in sprinting speed.
10. Maintain consistent training habits and prioritize recovery to prevent injury and burnout.

Breaking down the big goal of improving sprinting speed into smaller goals like these can help you stay motivated, focused, and accountable while making steady progress towards your ultimate objective – to get that SPEED!

Write your goals down:

This can help you stay accountable and motivated. Consider keeping a physical training notebook in your bag, so you can track your progress and reflect on what you’ve accomplished.

It can be an effective way to improve your performance and identify areas for improvement.

The example of Britt and her note-taking journey:

Britt wrote down specific details about her training session, such as:

• what went wrong/well
• who was involved
• location/weather
• hydration/nutrition before training
• sleep the night before
• how hard was her day at work/university/school?

By writing down all this information, Britt could formulate a data bank. She could look back and find the trainings she did well in and find what patterns emerge.

So… she trained well when it was an evening training, and she ate a large lunch.

Using shorthand helped Britt to make her note-taking quicker. It’s easier as over time you will develop patterns. Some examples of her shorthand:

• Pictures/diagrams
• Tele charts
• Abbreviations
• Symbols representing specific actions/movements

Focus on key areas:

Britt identified key areas that she wanted to focus on, such as her individual skill, team tactics, or specific plays.

Be organized:

Britt keeps her notes organized and easily accessible so that she can quickly refer to them as needed. She uses a physical paper-back notebook, however you can use your phone too.

Review and reflect:

This is the most important step. Britt reviews her notes before every training to see what she wants to work on. Some people only like to review their notes every week, month, or when they’re feeling unmotivated or bad.

She also takes time to review her notes after each game or training session, to reflect on what she learned. She uses her notes to set goals and create a plan for improvement in future games and training sessions.

Stay focused:

Once you’ve set your goals, stay focused on them. To stay focused, make a plan (SMART goals) for how you will achieve them and stick to it.

Avoid distractions and stay committed, even when facing obstacles or setbacks.

“Obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.” – Michael Jordan

Stay positive and believe in yourself and remember that every step you take brings you closer to your ‘big picture’ goal.

Remember that progress takes time and consistent effort. Stay motivated by tracking progress and celebrating milestones.

Celebrate your successes:

This seems silly but this helps you stay motivated and focused on your next goal.

It helps you to recognize and appreciate your progress – to see the long journey you’ve taken already to get here.

You can do this by treating yourself to dinner, buying a small gift for yourself, or taking a tiny break.

Reflecting on your accomplishments empowers gratitude, creating a more meaningful life. You need to realise that you have done a lot of things in life!

It builds confidence and pride in your abilities, helping you overcome more of those ‘wall’ obstacles MJ was talking about.

No matter how small – remembering your successes can also keep you motivated during tough times

Now get out there and set some goals!!