How goal setting improves performance

Overview

Goal setting for attentional focus, persistence, confidence and self-efficacy, arousal control and anxiety, monitoring a swimmer's season, reviewing goals, motivation and rehabilitation from injury.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1. 1

   How does goal setting improve attentional focus?

   Model answer

   A goal tells the performer exactly what to concentrate on. Attention is directed to the target, so irrelevant cues are ignored.

2. 2

   How would a process goal help a netball shooter to focus under pressure?

   Model answer

   A process goal such as bending the knees and following through gives the shooter one cue to attend to. Crowd noise is then less likely to intrude.

3. 3

   A hockey player loses concentration late in matches. How could goal setting help?

   Model answer

   A target for each quarter, such as winning three tackles, keeps attention on the task. Short targets hold focus when fatigue sets in.

4. 4

   How does goal setting increase persistence on a task?

   Model answer

   A clear target gives a reason to keep going when training is hard. A performer who can see progress towards a goal is more likely to persist.

5. 5

   Why do goals help a performer persist through a long rehabilitation from injury?

   Model answer

   Small weekly goals mark the steps back to full fitness. Each target reached keeps the performer committed to a slow programme.

6. 6

   How does goal setting raise a performer's confidence?

   Model answer

   Reaching a goal is a success the performer has earned. Repeated success builds self-belief for the next target.

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