Realistic Goal Setting

The definition of success from the American Heritage Dictionary is “the achievement of something desired, planned, or attempted”. In order to succeed in anything, you have to start by setting some goals. As a coach, I have a certain set of goals for my team. I use goal setting on a regular basis. It helps drive practice and give a sense of accomplishment. If there are no goals, you tend to just go through the motions. As a player, you should also have goals. You should discuss those goals with your coach(es) and parent(s). Speaking about your goals often will help keep you accountable to them!

Setting realistic goals is another concept to grasp. You must be specific, measurable, and within reach. If your ultimate goal is seemly out of reach, perhaps there are a series of smaller goals that will help you get there. Every sports game has 50/50 odds. I don’t bet for this reason. One team has to win and one team has to lose. Las Vegas would say the odds are different than 50/50 but I work in youth sports and no other odds seem to hold true. No matter how good (or inexperienced) you think your team is, you still have a chance at winning! I typically start a match with two goals – to serve well & to pass well. (I know before I said to be specific but I’m also relatively scatter-brained and it’s difficult for me to keep stats directly outside of serves missed.) If this is working, we will likely win the set.

If you come across a team that has players all 7ft tall, you may need to adjust your goals and expectations. Work on the things YOU can control. Define success in a different way by setting smaller goals. For example, serve at 80% or better. If you get the opportunity to serve, don’t start that next rally off by handing the ball back to the other team because you failed to serve it over the net. Minimizing unforced errors is a great way to give your best in a match. Send the ball to the other team and give them the opportunity to make a mistake.
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Not everyone can win and you certainly can’t win all the time. By setting goals though, you should be able to measure improvement regardless of your opponent. Players and teams should see success throughout their season outside of their win-loss record. If you don’t have anything desired, planned, or attempted, you cannot succeed. Set small goals first, achieve them, and then set more! There’s always room to grow.