Achievement and Competitiveness · Dimension 5 of 20

Goal Setting

The ability to turn sporting ambitions into clear outcome, performance and process goals that direct attention and effort.

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Understanding goal setting

Effective goals connect the result you want with the actions you can take today.

Goals direct an athlete’s attention and effort. They provide a reason to persist, make progress easier to evaluate and help translate a broad ambition into manageable steps that can be practised and reviewed.

Outcome goals describe the desired result, such as winning. Performance goals define a personal standard to achieve. Process goals identify the techniques, decisions and behaviours that help produce a good performance and keep attention on controllable actions.

Strong goal setting uses all three types thoughtfully. Outcome goals create direction, while performance and process goals guide preparation and action. Goals should remain personally meaningful, realistic, measurable and flexible enough to change as the athlete learns.

Dimension video

Watch: Goal Setting in sport

See how clear, manageable goals can focus effort, encourage persistence and turn long-term ambitions into practical action.

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Why it matters

Well-designed goals give effort direction, structure and meaning.

Focused attention

Process goals direct attention toward the techniques, decisions and behaviours that athletes can control now.

Motivation and persistence

Meaningful goals provide reasons to sustain effort and help athletes recognise progress during demanding periods.

Learning and feedback

Measurable goals allow athletes and coaches to review what is working, adjust plans and set the next appropriate challenge.

How goal setting may appear

Look for patterns, not labels.

When goal setting is a strength

Uses clear long-term aims and manageable development stages
Writes goals down and takes ownership of them
Combines outcome, performance and process goals
Tracks progress using relevant measures and feedback
Reviews achieved goals and sets appropriate new ones

When it may need development

Has broad ambitions without specific actions or milestones
Focuses almost entirely on winning or ranking
Sets goals that are vague, unrealistic or difficult to measure
Works toward goals chosen mainly by other people
Rarely reviews progress or adapts goals after feedback

Balance matters: goals should guide rather than dominate performance. Coaches should avoid excessive targets, rigid plans or an exclusive focus on outcomes, and consider the interaction with conscientiousness, achievement, adaptability and fear of failure.

Developing goal setting

Six practical ways to turn ambition into progress.

Start with the destination

Describe the athlete or performance you want to develop, then identify the stages needed to move toward it.

Use three levels of goal

Combine an outcome goal with personal performance standards and specific process actions under your control.

Make goals SMART

Make each goal specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timed, while keeping the wording simple.

Write and share them

Record goals where they can be reviewed and discuss them with a coach or trusted person who can offer useful support.

Ask for relevant feedback

Check whether the chosen goals address the right development areas and revise them when evidence suggests a better focus.

Review and renew

Review progress at agreed intervals, recognise achieved goals and replace them with the next manageable challenge.

Build a three-level goal map

Choose one important sporting outcome. Add two personal performance standards that support it, then identify three process actions for the next week. Agree how and when progress will be reviewed.

Explore the SPQ20 ↗

Goal setting in practice

Think about the destination, then work step by step.

Michael Jordan described approaching improvement through reasonable, manageable goals that could be achieved through hard work. The long-term destination mattered, but progress was built by concentrating on the next realistic step.

This approach keeps an ambitious outcome connected to daily behaviour. It also gives athletes useful evidence of progress, helping maintain motivation before the final result is reached.

“It’s important to set goals for yourself.”

Abby Wambach · Footballer

“It’s the will to prepare to win that matters.”

Paul “Bear” Bryant · American football coach

Discover your profile

Find out where you stand on Goal Setting.

The SPQ20 measures Goal Setting alongside 19 other personality and mental-skill dimensions to provide a connected picture of your mental game.

Assess my mental game ↗Learn about the SPQ20