By Joel Nilsson & Eric Martin
(June 30, 2022)

When we think of motivation, we think about the famous pre-game hype speeches and inspirational half-time talk to “never give up, “keep fighting till the end,” and “where there’s a will, there’s a way.” While these seem to work universally in the movies, the effect of the speech is largely dependent on how well they are received by each individual athlete. Motivation is much more complex than giving a simple pep talk to your athletes; it involves developing proper systems within your sport environment that breeds high motivation levels for every athlete on your team. The goal of this article is to help coaches understand how to utilize a goal-setting process to maximize the motivation of their athletes and to develop practical strategies to implement in their own programs.

SMAART Goal Setting

The acronym SMAART refers to the 6 components of effective goal setting: specific, measurable, aggressive yet achievable, relevant, and timely. These are the basic foundations of effective goal setting, and each component is essential in the goal-setting process.

• Specific goals should be more concrete and focused on improving a specific attribute for your athlete to improve upon. Have players set goals to be a better free-throw shooter, a more consistent 3-point shooter, or be a better left-hand finisher at the rim rather than just “improve their game”.
• These goals also need to be measurable or have some numerical value behind it. Instead of having a player become a “better 3-point shooter”, have a player set a goal to make at least 40 shots out of 50 in a drill to earn the “license to shoot” 3-point shots in games. These measures should also be adjusted to different players and positions to target individualized improvement.
• Goals athletes set should be Aggressive yet Achievable meaning that the goal you set with your athlete can be met within a reasonable amount of time but should push the athlete outside of their normal routine. An example would be a basketball player with a low free throw shooting percentage committing 30 minutes 3-5 times a week to work on free throw shooting with specific drills and games focused on the skill.
• Goals should also be Relevant to the athlete. Doing this requires goals based on an individual skill they want to improve, increasing their investment, and aiming for something they hope to get better.  
• Lastly, each goal must have a time date to be achieved. Giving your athletes a set date that these goals need to be achieved provides increased motivation to complete these goals before that date. The due date could be at the beginning of the first practice of the season, by the start of the regular season, or at the end of the year. As a coach, consider how long they will need to work on each goal based on the difficulty of the goals, how many goals they are working on, and how much time each athlete can devote to working on these goals.

Now that I’ve provided an overview of the essential components of the goal-setting process, I want to overview the type of goals you can set with your athletes to increase athlete motivation.

Trust The Process (Goals)

There are several types of goals that coaches can incorporate to help develop a stronger motivational climate within their respective sport(s). These goals include process and outcome goals. Process goals focus on improving a necessary action that optimizes performance. Process goals largely are under the athlete’s control and based on their focus and effort. An example of a process goal might be having your post player box out on every defensive possession during a game/scrimmage (and tracking that they are doing it). For players that struggle with shooting the ball consistently, a process goal of having them hold their follow through on every shot attempt might be beneficial. These goals are focused on effort and are under the athlete’s control.

Conversely, outcome goals are focused on achieving a desired result. Outcome goals are primarily concentrated on either winning or losing and there isn’t an emphasis on individual/personal development. Outcome goals ignore or do very little in developing an athlete’s perceived competence and are (in most cases) largely out of the athlete’s control. These types of goals can lead to negative behaviors including creating unnecessary stress and pressure, developing a sense of failure, and becoming result-focused rather than process-focused.   

Even though process goals are important for a wide range of positive athlete outcomes, outcome goals oftentimes take a greater level of importance in competition, especially as the season moves into the final stages. With the small-time frame left in the season, it may seem difficult to make much individual improvement via process goals instead of winning, but it is still very possible. In fact, it might be even more important to focus on process goals at this time to help athletes concentrate on their own performance and not others.

For example, in track and field, an athlete in high jump can create a process goal of improving their individual approach and technique and consistently achieve a certain height that would qualify them for the next stage of competition. In a team sport setting such as basketball, a process goal could be for a player to work on improving jump shots they will be attempting against specific opponents during their playoffs. For football receivers, a process goal could be working on improving their specific routes they will run for different plays they will be running against specific opponents they might face in the final portion of the season. All of these goals consider the importance of winning and performing well, but the focus is still on the process goals instead of solely dwelling on the outcome.

What You Can Do You as A Coach

Beyond understanding goal setting and what types of goals work best for motivation, there is still an essential component in maintaining high motivation levels in athletes. This is achieved by controlling the sports practice environment, with a specific focus on building a task mastery environment. A task mastery environment is where athletes receive positive reinforcement from coaches, work hard and demonstrate individual improvement, and believe that every player contributes to the success of the team. Research studies have been shown that a task mastery environment leads to higher athlete motivation levels and increased performance levels. Here are some practical examples of how to set up this type of environment within your sport:

• Have private meetings with your athletes to go over what individual weaknesses they need to work on to improve while also highlighting their individual role and contribution to the team. Giving your athletes an individualized and personal improvement plan for them to work on and track progress will show the athlete that they are a valued and important part of the team.
• Give athletes positive reinforcement and proper feedback when they are showing signs of improvement during their tasks. For basketball coaches, when you notice an athlete who has been struggling with his follow-through consistently shows an improvement in consistency, acknowledge that he is making improvement and doing well. That positive feedback will let the athlete you are invested in their improvement, know they are getting better, and motivate them to keep at the task.

Developing proper goal setting to work on utilizing the SMAART method will assist in creating realistic and effective goals. Establishing a mixture of process and outcome goals (but with a more direct focus on process goals) can help with individual improvement and improvement of the team throughout the season. Developing an environment that promotes goal achievement through a mastery climate will help to keep your athlete’s motivation levels high and lead to overall improved performance levels for your team/program. As a coach, the effectiveness of any goal-setting plan is based on how well you implement it and how it addresses the needs of your team. By implementing the three guidelines discussed in this article you can work to increase the motivation levels of your athletes within your respective teams.