Someone wise once said, “A goal without a plan is just a wish.” It’s so true. When it’s time for a new season to begin, you need to start thinking about what you want to work on this year. If you go into this upcoming season with a goal-oriented mindset, your coach and your team can benefit immensely.
Everyone always has something to improve on, even the pros. So take some time to think about a specific skill you’d like to improve and then make a reasonable goal using the following tips.
Be specific. If your goal is to improve your free-throw percentage, you need to be very specific with your goal. For example, a specific goal could be that you want to improve your free-throw percentage by 20% this season.
Keep it positive. Goals should never be a negative thing. So it’s not a good idea to have a goal that says, “I want to stop missing so many free-throws this season.”
Write it down. It’s not enough to just think about a goal in your head. Keep your goal in mind every day by writing it down on a piece of paper and keeping it somewhere that you’ll see it all the time.
Create steps. It’s okay to have mini-goals, or steps, which will help you achieve your overall goal. So, you may say that you’d want to improve your free-throw percentage by 5% every month. This way, you’ll be able to see if you’re on track to reaching your overall goal.
Know your limits. One key to making a great goal is being realistic with your limits. If your free-throw percentage is currently at 50%, be realistic. You probably won’t be able to have a 100% free-throw percentage by the end of the season.
If you keep these tips in mind as you make your goals, you’ll be able to keep your focus throughout the season. We wish you the best of luck as you prepare for your upcoming season!