Applying the Theory

Setting Smarter Goals

A great way to assist in both yourself and your athletes to remember the various principles of goal setting is to use the acronym SMARTS [1].

S          – Specific

M         – Measurable

A          – Attainable

R          – Realistic

T          – Time-bound

S          – Self Determined

Using SMART Goals you can help your athlete get to the next level - photo: Jed Hughes

The SMARTS system is really an easy to remember and condensed version of the below principles[2]:

1.     Set specific goals

>  For goals to be effective they must be specific as opposed to ‘do your best’ goals

2.     Set moderately difficult but realistic goals

>  Goals will present no value if they are too easy but they also can pose a threat to confidence if too hard (or perceived as too hard) and unattainable. This gets easier for surfers with more experience however you may need to assist in this step particularly if you are undertaking this with a young grommet.

3.     Set long and short term goals

>  Goals are rarely accomplished straight away

>  Set short and long term goals

>  Can think of it as a mount or staircase to be climbed with the long term goal at the top and the short term goals on the way, that are going to help you get there

4.     Set performance, process and outcome goals

>  As discussed previously Outcome goals are not as effective and less likely to result in anxiety and confidence issues, especially if they are not met

>  Process and performance goals are much more effective

>  All three can be used in you goal setting program

  

5.     Set goals for both training and competition

>  Training goals are important due to the sheer amount of time spent training

>  Using training goals will also influence competition performance and also assist in keeping motivation high in training

6.     Record and put goals in a prominent place

>  Writing down the goal in detail helps the thought process and assists in solidifying the goal

>  Putting it in a place where it is regularly seen can keep the goal in the forefront of you athletes mind

7.     Develop goal achievement strategies

>  Strategies and needed to give a structure to how you are going to achieve your athletes goals

8.     Consider the athletes personality and motivation

>  Goals can be tailored specific to a surfers personality

>  If they work better competing against a team mate or whether they need to be constantly challenged it is up to you as the coach to keep your athletes motivated and committed

9.     Foster an individuals goal commitment

>  Provide constant feedback and encourage progress

>  Let your athletes set their own goals but assist them in the process

10.  Provide goal support to you athlete

>  Enlist the support of family and friends and educate them in the importance of process and process goals beyond that of outcome goals

11.  Provide evaluation of and feedback about goals

>  Consistent evaluation and revaluation of current and progressing goals

>  Provide feedback and support as to how the athlete is going and readjust the program accordingly

These while all fairly self-explanatory allow for effective goals to be set by your charge with guidance from yourself. Attached is a worksheet, which you can use with your athlete applying the above principles.

Make sure to put in a prominent place and reassess. 

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Resources:


SMART Goal Setting Worksheet
SMART Goal Setting Coach Companion
SMART Goal Setting Coach Supplement (Condensed PDF version of this page)

References:

 

1.         Smith, H.W., The 10 natural laws of successful time and life management: proven strategies for increased productivity and inner peace1994: Warner Books.

2.         Weinberg, R.S. and D. Gould, Foundations of Sport and Exercise Psychology2010: Human Kinetics.

Why Should I make Goal Setting Part of My Program?

Goal setting puts definite aims to mind and helps to solidify an athletes main goals and aspirations. While we will go further into applying types of goal setting later on two main views are held as to why goal setting works to improve performance. The first and more thoroughly researched theory is the direct mechanistic view [1, 2]. This proposes that goals directly influence performance through increasing effort, motivation and persistence along with directing attention to particular skills and the development of new learning strategies. On the other hand, the second, known as the indirect thought process view [3] see the influence on behavior as indirect through its influence on psychological factors such as confidence and anxiety. Either way, goal setting can attribute decent improvement in its various forms.

Shane Hogan from Offshore Surf School ripping on his backhand  photo: Caitlin Hughes

Although little literature exists on goal setting specific to that of surfing, it requires the athlete to be fit and skilled in a number of different areas just like any other sport. This means that goal setting can be a useful coaching tool, in fact Burton & Weiss [4] assessed 88 studies in sport and exercise and found that 80% determined goal setting to be effective in sport. While it is regularly used in many forms and not just for sport, goal setting needs to be implemented correctly for it to be effective and as a coach you are in a unique position to do so.

“It's all about where your mind's at.”
Kelly Slater

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References:

1.         Latham, G.P. and E.A. Locke, The Application of Goal Setting to Sports. Journal of Sport Psychology, 1985. 7(3): p. 205-222.

2.         Locke, E.A. and G.P. Latham, Building a practically useful theory of goal setting and task motivation: A 35-year odyssey. American Psychologist, 2002. 57(9): p. 705-717.

3.         Garland, H., A cognitive mediation theory of task goals and human performance. Motivation and Emotion, 1985. 9(4): p. 345-367.

4.         Burton, D. and C. Weiss, The fundamental goal concept: the path to process and performance success, in Advances in sport psychology (3rd ed.). T.S. Horn and T.S. Horn, Editors. 2008, Human Kinetics: Champaign, IL US. p. 339-375,470-474.

What Exactly is Goal Setting Anyway?

Goal setting is the process used to determine and define what an individual wants to be, do or have. It can also be defining an objective or target and these can give a sense of purpose, direction and drive in achieving these goals.

Goals can come in two forms being either subjective or objective. Subjective goals are neither measurable nor objective and are vague or general statements of intent without a timeframe, for instance ‘I want to surf better’ is one such example. Objective goals on the other hand, focus on attaining something specific, be it a specific skill, skill level or even weight in a specified time frame. Generally objective goals in their detail and specificity are the more successful of the two types of goal setting, however it is always good to set both objective and subjective goals in your program.

Bells at its finest photo: Caitlin Hughes

Types of goals

Outcome goals can be summarized as win focused and are generally preoccupied with the competitive result of the event, such as a heat in surfing. Outcome goals have less control as they also rely on the ability/performance of other competitors and so even though the subject could perform at their very best they may still face disappointment and lowered confidence in the case of aiming just to win against a superior, more experienced or even just a luckier opponent. In this case it

Performance goals relate to ones own performance aims and can be measured by past performance. Along with it performance goals being more precise than outcome goals they are less dependant on another’s performance, which lends to it being more within the student and coaches control. These goals can be useful before and during competition, for example before competition the surfer could make it their goal to increase their wave count during training and then translate this into increasing the amount of scoring waves during competition.

Process goals refer to specific technique based actions to which changes will improve performance and to perform well in both training and competition. These may include getting more speed and correct weight placement during bottom turns or compressing the legs more when transferring out of a re-entry to better enable linkage of moves. Or in Mark Occhilupo’s case speeding up his surfing to better aline with the fast paced style of younger surfers.

While each of the above has their uses, performance and process goals are generally the more useful and flexible of the three. They are multifaceted while outcome goals only focus on one thing, win or lose. This allows you as a coach to better control the outcome, which will then indirectly relate to winning rather than winning directly. However, having said this, outcome goals can be used in conjunction with the other two forms to maximize both long and short-term goals.
It is also important to prioritize your students various goals and not just the ones applying to surfing. There is a good chance that your athletes will have school, work or other commitments and they should be encouraged to set general subjective goals for each of these commitments. These should then be prioritized to then ensure proper time and attention is being payed to the more important goals overall and to avoid stress and general disorganization.

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Resources:

Prioritise General Life Goals

Also worth a look:

a.       http://www.mindtools.com/page6.html

Introduction

This blog aims to give you, the Surf Coach, the skills and materials to use Goal Setting in an effective and successful manner. Goal setting is something regularly undertaken by virtually all athletes and coaches. However certain principles need to be followed for it to be a successful component of a coach’s regime. The material and future posts will provide you with the required information to boost both motivation and performance in your students, no matter the age or skill level.  In addition, even though this material is aimed at Coaches, the information and resources should be sufficient in assisting the motivated lone surfer in using goal setting as a way to improve their own day-to-day surfing.

‘Winning isn't everything, but wanting to win is.’
Vince Lombardi

Mark ‘Occy’ Occhilupo is a great example of how clear-cut goals can help an athlete become a world champion. Also known as ‘the raging bull’, Mark was an impressive young Australian surfer from Kurnell, New South Wales. Rated third in the world at only seventeen and with wins such as the Pipeline Masters at nineteen Mark was set for very big career. However facing psychological burnout, he lost the drive to compete and faded from the surfing scene after quitting the tour in the early 90’s before an epic comeback and world title win in 1999.

‘If there’s one thing I’d like people to take from my world title win it’s that anyone can do what they really want to do, if they set their mind to it.’

Mark Occhilupo [1]

After spending a lot of time on the couch and battling depression along with some serious weight gain. Mark had decided enough was enough and began back on the track to training and eventual competition. He made it his goal to lose the weight he had put on and to get to a fitness level, which would then allow him to compete and eventually re-join the professional circuit. Starting small he worked his way up to a return to the Pipe Masters. In an early heat he beat Sunny Garcia who was set to win the world title however despite trying to give him the upper hand in the heat, Occy won. This heat really drove him to go for the win and despite losing to Kelly Slater in the final it had given him a taste and to solidify his goal for re-entering the tour and going for the world title.

While his powerful surfing had made him well known in the surfing world as the raging bull, the sport had moved forward to a faster paced style. Due to this he faced some difficulty winning heats and requalifying. Using advice from Barton Lynch to speed up his surfing he was able to set himself the new challenge of bringing his surfing to what he needed to win heats. This new goal assisted him in He attributes this to what helped him qualify.

‘You’ve got to be quick and do your thing at the same time. That’s probably the main thing that helped me come back’

Mark Occhilupo [1]

In 1999 and after 3 years back on the WCT, Mark had the feeling of ‘now or never’. With a ramped up training regime in hand and his goal re-solidified he set out to win the world title in which he won later that year.

Mark Occhilupo was able to successfully set goals that assisted him, not only for the world title, which was an outcome goal. He was also able to set performance and process goals that would aid him in losing the gained weight, improving his surfing technique and to requalify for the professional tour. Mark also had a lot of support from his friends, family and from his wife at the time. These people gave him the support he needed to stay true to his goals and to eventually realise his dream.

Ross Wishart smashing the lip - photo: Caitlin Hughes

Please feel free to leave any comments, questions or requests for future posts in the comment section below.

Cheers,

Jed

References:

1.         Occhilupo, M. and T.Baker, Occy: The Rise and Fall and Riseof Mark Occhilupo2010: Random House Australia.

Also worth a look:

 

a.        Occhilupo, M. and P. Sargeant, Surfer's Year2001: HarperCollins Publishers.

b.        Kempton, J., Surfing:The Manual, Advanced2008: Hedonist Surf Company 

c.        http://www.surfingaustralia.com/ 

d.        http://www.mesurf.com.au/