Goal Setting

Goal Setting offers coaches and players a way of structuring a training cycle or along term development programme. Often Goal Setting can be used in conjunction with Performance Profiling (PP) as a way of prioritising training from the profile. Locke et, al. (1981) defines a goal as being “attaining a specific standard of proficiency on a task, usually within a specified time limit.”

From a coaching perspective, the performance goal represents the desired level of performance. The Goal Setting process encourages coaches and athletes to develop training goals that are SMARTER.

Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Realistic
Time Phased

Why is Goal Setting Successful?

• Sets clear performance goals, which can be monitored at regular intervals.
• Reinforces achievements in training.
• Allows athletes to see the short-term, medium term and long term progress in their performance.
• Builds confidence in athletes when targets are attained.
• Challenges athletes to strive to the next level.

Benefits of Goal Setting

• Highlights clear training aims
• Progressive approach to training
• Allows athletes to focus on specific sections of a seasonal training programme

Performance Profiling

Performance Profiling is a quantitative analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of an athlete, derived from the theoretical basis of Construct Theory (Kelly, 1955; Bannister & Fransella, 1986). Construct Theory emphasises the importance of understanding the way individuals perceive the world. Therefore, two individuals may view the same situation differently. An example being, how a coach and an athlete view the performers strengths and weakness and their relative importance. Performance Profiling provides a way for the coach and athlete to communicate these differences.

Sports Psychologist Richard Butlers work in the 1980s’ with the GB boxing team, using Performance Profiling, has highlighted the potential benefits in elite sport. Since this early work Performance Profiling, its application has been common place in many sports developmental programmes.

Why is Performance Profiling Successful?

• It allows the athlete or team to express their views of their own strengths and weaknesses, encouraging the sharing of information and needs.
• It highlights what the athlete or team considers important in order to perform well, thus raising awareness.
• It encourages tailored made training programmes.

More Information on Performance Profiling

References

Bannister, D. and Fransella, F. (1986). Inquiring Man: The Psychology Personal Constructs. London: Croom Helm.

Butler, R.J. (1989). Psychological preparation of Olympic boxers. In The Psychology of Sport: Theory and Practice (J. Kremer and W. Crawford, ed) pp. 74-84. Leicester: British Psychological Society.

Kelly, G.A. (1955). The Psychology of Personal Constructs. Vol I and II. New York: Norton.

Benefits of Performance Profiling

• It provides a visual display of the athlete’s or teams strengths and weaknesses.
• It engages the athlete or team in an assessment of the qualities needed to perform to their potential.
• The athlete’s or teams views can be matched with that of the coach.
• It highlights important areas to improve in.
• It identifies areas of particular strength.
• It enables progress to be monitored/during training weeks.
• It can be used to set goals for the next competition/during season.
• It enables a way of analysing performance following competition

Sporting Examples of Performance Profiling

The technique of performance profiling has been successfully used to
assess strengths and weakness for a number of individual athletes and
teams from a range of sports.

For example:

• To prepare the GB Olympic Boxing team for the 1988 Olympics by Richard Butler (1989).

• To asses and monitor an intervention programme, for an international squash player with a problem with emotional control (anger management & cognitive anxiety) by Graham Jones (1993).

References

Butler, R.J. (1989). Psychological preparation of Olympic boxers. In The Psychology of Sport: Theory and Practice (J. Kremer and W. Crawford, ed) pp. 74-84. Leicester: British Psychological Society.

Jones, G. (1993). The role of performance profiling in cognitive behavioural interventions in sport. The Sports Psychologist, 7, 160-172.

For more information on how you include performance profiling into your athlete or teams development programme email: psychPP@sportsscientific.com