{"id":3252,"date":"2014-01-03T14:36:41","date_gmt":"2014-01-03T14:36:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports_psychology_blog\/?p=3252"},"modified":"2025-06-12T04:54:44","modified_gmt":"2025-06-12T08:54:44","slug":"effective-goal-setting-for-athletes-in-the-new-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/effective-goal-setting-for-athletes-in-the-new-year\/","title":{"rendered":"Effective Goal Setting for Athletes in the New Year"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/soccer-psychology-goals.jpg\" alt=\"Setting Goals\" class=\"wp-image-6077\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/soccer-psychology-goals.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/soccer-psychology-goals-300x150.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Setting_Goals\"><\/span>Setting Goals<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 ez-toc-wrap-center counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-transparent ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Article Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #0769bf;color:#0769bf\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #0769bf;color:#0769bf\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/effective-goal-setting-for-athletes-in-the-new-year\/#Setting_Goals\" >Setting Goals<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/effective-goal-setting-for-athletes-in-the-new-year\/#Focusing_on_your_process_goals_should_be_a_priority_for_you_during_a_training_session\" >Focusing on your process goals should be a priority for you during a training session.<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/effective-goal-setting-for-athletes-in-the-new-year\/#Related_Sports_Psychology_Articles\" >Related Sports Psychology Articles<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/effective-goal-setting-for-athletes-in-the-new-year\/#The_Confident_Athlete\" >The Confident Athlete<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<p>Setting goals are an important part of structuring practice and improving the quality of your training for the new year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is common for athletes I work with to have clear goals about what success they want to achieve in their sport. However, when it comes to training and practice sessions, many athletes do not have well defined goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As you know, training for any sport is critical to success in competition. The best athletes in the world are those that train smart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By training smart, I mean having well-structured goals for each practice session that you can get the most out of each session.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So how do you set better practice goals to develop focus? One option is to make your goals specific to what you will face in competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There is no use training parts of your game that are irrelevant to performance. For example, focusing on what the other competitors are doing in their training is not relevant to your practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Instead, set goals that help you focus on the processes needed for successful execution. I call these types of goals, mini goals or process goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Process goals help an athlete dial in their focus on the relevant tasks needed for success in competition. Therefore, in training, align your mindset to focus on the process goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Different process goals can be set for different aspects of your sport. For example, swimmers should have process goals for the start, turns, beginning, middle and end of a race. One process goal could be to improve reaction time for your starts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Focusing_on_your_process_goals_should_be_a_priority_for_you_during_a_training_session\"><\/span>Focusing on your process goals should be a priority for you during a training session.<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Setting process goals during practice will also help you improve focus during your practice and ultimately in competition so you can perform your best.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You also want to set goals to improve your mental game. We know for certain that if your mind is getting in the way of your performance, it doesn&#8217;t matter how much you train the physical aspects of your game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the biggest mental blocks for athletes is confidence. I often hear athletes saying they lose confidence in big competitions, after mistakes, or after performing poorly. Learning how to improve confidence is imperative to success in sports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>Check out <a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/the-confident-athlete-cd-program\/\">The Confident Athlete, a 14-Day Plan for Superior Confidence<\/a>, and begin improving today!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"block-979ef383-5bc7-43ee-b8f9-249663ca1a6c\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Related_Sports_Psychology_Articles\"><\/span>Related Sports Psychology Articles<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul id=\"block-05642731-8752-4dbf-9c18-5cc4d276e821\" class=\"wp-block-list has-normal-font-size\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/do-you-or-your-team-have-the-comeback-mindset\/\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/strategies-to-set-and-achieve-goals\/\"><strong>Strategies to Set and Achieve Goals<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/expectations-vs-goals-for-athletes\/\"><strong>Expectations vs. Goals for Athletes<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/steps-to-achieving-your-athletic-goals-and-success\/\"><strong>Steps to Achieving Your Athletic Goals and Success<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-normal-font-size\" id=\"block-5726d13f-f715-4ca4-8813-2f8a9ebd8bc3\">*Subscribe to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/sports-psychology-podcast-by-peaksports-com\/id152566009\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>The Sports Psychology Podcast<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0on iTunes<br>*Subscribe to <a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0ynyaalKxbnNmsoeL8gF5X?si=8224669de9b3435b\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>The Sports Psychology Podcast<\/strong><\/a> on Spotify<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-normal-font-size\" id=\"block-281f5afb-980b-4c71-9aa0-11d606b5f7c9\"><strong>Download a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/mental-toughness-report-athletes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">free sports psychology report<\/a>&nbsp;to improve your mental game!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-normal-font-size\" id=\"block-94138e75-d591-4645-bb1d-212cf57a8841\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sport-psychology-training-athletes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Learn more about our one-on-one mental game coaching.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-css-opacity is-style-dots\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Confident_Athlete\"><\/span>The Confident Athlete <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"225\" height=\"250\" src=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/confident-athlete-audio250.jpg\" alt=\"The Confident Athlete Audio\" class=\"wp-image-16347\" style=\"width:198px;height:auto\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe Confident Athlete\u201d consists of 2 audio programs that include 14 days of confidence fueling exercises and a simple to follow workbook that guides you through the 14 days, helps you apply the strategies, and customizes the exercises to your personal needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let me help you put a <strong>stop to the confidence leak<\/strong>. You can learn to have greater levels of confidence in competition than you do in practice by identifying the specific ways you undermine your own confidence and <strong>how to convert your practice confidence into COMPETITIVE CONFIDENCE<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe Confident Athlete\u201d is a ground-breaking system to teach you how to think like a champion and have ultimate self-confidence every time you step on the playing field, court, track, or course. The confident athletes was <strong>developed for any athlete \u2013 junior to professional \u2013<\/strong>that wants to gain confidence. However, coaches and sports parents can learn how to teach others to perform with ultimate confidence. Use my program if you want to bust a slump or just wanting higher or more consistent levels of self-confidence.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-0b39f7aa\">\n\n<a class=\"gb-button gb-button-a74417ae gb-button-text\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/the-confident-athlete-cd-program\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">GET DETAILS<\/a>\n\n\n\n<a class=\"gb-button gb-button-461ab57c gb-button-text\" href=\"https:\/\/shop.peaksports.com\/collections\/the-confident-athlete-series-digital-download\/products\/the-confident-athlete-digital\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">BUY NOW<\/a>\n\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Setting Goals Setting goals are an important part of structuring practice and improving the quality of your training for the new year. It is common for athletes I work with to have clear goals about what success they want to achieve in their sport. However, when it comes to training and practice sessions, many athletes do not have &#8230; <a title=\"Effective Goal Setting for Athletes in the New Year\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/effective-goal-setting-for-athletes-in-the-new-year\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Effective Goal Setting for Athletes in the New Year\">Sport Psychology Article&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6080,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[235,142],"tags":[698,318],"class_list":["post-3252","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-inner-game-of-sports","category-sports-psychology-tips","tag-athletic-goal-setting","tag-confidence-in-sports"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t<!-- All in One SEO Pro 4.9.6.2 - aioseo.com -->\n\t<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Setting goals are an important part of structuring practice and improving the quality of your training for the new year and forward. 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