Goal setting and motivation

This chapter aims to present principles of effective goal setting in sport to enhance motivation and performance. Goal setting is more than just working with goals. There are several types of goals frequently utilized in sport, which are useful in youth sports as well as in cycling. These types are differentiated by goal focus, goal specificity, goal difficulty and goal proximity. In sport psychology it is common to distinguish between outcome, performance and process goals. Goal commitment is an important moderator in the goal–performance relationship. There are different barriers that hinder goal attainment: physical, psychological or external. Action plans help to implement goal-setting strategies. Develop goal achievement strategies and foster an individual&s;s goal commitment. Therefore, goals have an impact on performance by increasing motivation. Long-term goals provide direction and short-term goals provide motivation as well as making long-term goals seem more achievable, since sometimes the &s;whole&s; can be daunting.