Читать книгу Sports Psychology For Dummies - Leif H. Smith - Страница 43

When you walk into a grocery store, whether you’ve written down a list of items to buy or you have that list in your mind, it’s specific. It says more than just “food.” You know you need milk, bread, cereal, bananas, and so on. If you do show up at the store without a list, you’ll likely get home from the store, walk in the door, and realize you forgot something you needed.

The same is true for your goals in sports. The more specific you can be when you set your goals, the better your chances of achieving them. Clear and specific goals allow you to have laser-like focus in your pursuit of greatness. They leave little to chance or imagination, allowing you to channel your energy accordingly.

Here are some examples of specific and nonspecific goals:

Nonspecific Goals	Specific Goals
Get fit.	Run 2 miles in 12 minutes.
Serve well.	Have a first-service percentage of 60 percent.
Play hard.	Make three tackles per game.
Let go of my mistakes.	Follow my post-mistake routine in games.

When you say that you want to “play hard,” what exactly does that mean? How are you going to measure it? Playing hard could be turned into a specific goal, but as it stands, it’s broad, ambiguous, and lacking in clear direction.

Specific goals are better because they increase your motivation and focus — you know exactly what you’re going after. You know what you’re working toward, and your mind will have an easier time stayed tuned into that. It is also important to set these goals before practice, optimally a week before. Then you know what you are going to do exactly. If you do not know your goals for practice, it is easy to become unfocused and underperform.