Goals are an important part of every aspect of life. From relationships to work, hobbies and athletic performance, it all comes down to what you want to accomplish and your priorities. When it comes to sports, without goals it’s difficult to measure and control progress and therefore you can’t be sure whether you’re really developing or if you’re training is effective.
SMART goals
No smart goals, no success. Period! SMART goals encourage focus and action. They are a way of bringing structure and measurability into your goals and objectives. If you want to be successful in sports it’s a requirement to set SMART goals - specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, time-based. Let’s break it down and discuss what SMART goal setting really stands for:
S - Specific
The more blurry your goal is, the less likely you are to reach it. Try to be specific as possible by asking yourself questions like: What exactly do I want to achieve? When do I want to achieve it? Where? How? When? Including a number in your goal is also a great way to make it more specific. For example: I want to perform 10 strict pullups in 15 weeks. Or, my goal is to improve my Aphrodite time by 2 minutes within the next 3 months.
M - Measurable
Measurable means the criteria you base your achievement on. It’s having concrete evidence that you’ve reached it. How will it feel? What will you see? Breaking your goal down into measurable steps makes it clearer and easier to reach your desired outcome.
A - Attainable
How achievable is your goal? It’s good to aim high, but if you fail, will this make you want to give up or motivate you even more? When setting your goal, consider the effort, time, cost and how important it is compared to other priorities in your life. Tough but achievable goals help you avoid disappointment but still give you a feeling of accomplishment and success.
R- Relevant
Is your goal relevant to you? Is it something you really want? How well does it match your personality? The main question to ask yourself is, why do you want to reach this goal? What is the objective behind the goal, and will this goal really achieve that?
T- Time-based
Deadlines encourage action. So create a timeline and install realistic and achievable deadlines. This will give you a sense of urgency required to put in the work when it’s required. Set short, medium and long-term goals and break it down into stages you can reach.
