As we get ready for the preparation phase of a new season and getting over the excitement of the Holidays with family and friends, it is always important to beginning thinking about goals we have in mind for the upcoming season and even our own personal life. The gyms love this time of the year as everyone is going to get in shape, eat right, and rejuvenate their lifestyles! The only fact is that 90% of these goals that are set today will be nothing but a past thought by March. Yes, crowded gyms to work out in today but hang in there because you will have lots of space and never wait for a machine by March. As we get ready for another season of competition, it is also important that we set personal and team goals and hope we have more commitment to those than the yearly exercise fad!
A very good way to discuss goals at this time of the year is to begin with the end in mind. Yes, we always work backwards from our 1st game in our practice preparations, so it makes very good sense to take some time and fast forward to the end of the season and decided how we want that season to end and then, what it will take to make that happen. This is a writing exercise to help you think about personal and team goals for the season. To get the most out of this assignment, you have to put yourself in the moment and allowing your imagination to work.Here we go: Take a moment and let your mind fast forward to the end of the season. We have just walked off the field after our last game. Think about how you want this season to end. Be very detailed in your writing.
- Where will we be?
- Who are we playing?
- What does it look like? (uniforms, field, opponent, etc.)
- What does it sound like? (fans, crack of the bat, pop of the glove)
Goal setting can be a very powerful tool to accomplish great things in your life and on the field. I have found through my career that goals need to be broken into small attainable & controllable goals. For example, we all know that we ultimately want to win the National Championship! It is always in the back of our mind although we cannot spend too much time thinking about that without having a daily goal that will put us in position to reach our ultimate goal.
A great example that is always used is weight loss. If I want to lose 20 pounds, the easiest way to set attainable goals is to lose 2 pounds a month. 10 months and you have reached your ultimate goal! Too often in our game, we fail to keep ourselves in the present moment and get ahead of ourselves. Daily goals are really the only thing we can commit to and help long term success. Ask your players to think about “one” word that will remind them of their daily goal. A word that will trigger a positive thought to commit to the process and stay on task to reach that ultimate goal. For example, patience, commit, energy, preparation, aggressive, etc. Write it on your equipment, visor, or anywhere that you will see each and every day. Before long, that moment in time that you described in detail walking off the field in your final game of the season will become a reality!
Until next month,
Coach Candrea