Sportsmen commonly state
where they would like to be in 3-5 years time, but what plans have they got in
order to achieve these goals. With the athletes I work with this incorporates weekly,
monthly and yearly plans. Teenagers find the act of sitting down and planning
their week extremely difficult, but this has several advantages to both athlete,
coach and parent: identify potential overload issues, decide when to implement
rest and recovery strategies and when to recognise what event that week they
are looking to peak for (match, training, event).
Short term: up to 1 year
Medium Term: up to 3-4 years
Long Term: 6-7 years
This seems very comprehensive
with regards to the length of time you’re having to plan for, but when you
consider many coaches work with athletes on a 2-5 year cycle, for example within
a school environment, it does have practical relevance. My personal viewpoint
on the matter is if you want your athlete to have well-structured plans and
goals to achieve, you as a coach should mimic this within your own professional
practice; you owe it to the athlete your trying to create a culture of excellence
within.
GROW
Many coaches/governing bodies
seem to advocate the GROW method when planning/goal setting. It provides a
simple while intelligent format to help with the assistance of setting a
personal or team goal.
A good way
of thinking about the GROW model is to think about how you'd plan a journey.
First, you decide where you are going (the goal) and establish where you
currently are (your current reality). You then
explore various routes (the options) to your destination. In the final step,
establishing the (will do), you ensure that you're committed to making the
journey and are prepared for the obstacles that you could meet on the way.
Establish the Goal
Make sure
the goal is SMART: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time
related. When doing this, it's useful to ask questions like:
- How will you know the goal has been achieved?
- How will you know when the problem or issue is solved?
- Does this goal fit with the overall career objectives?
- What might be the obstacles to achieving the goal?
- Who might be able to add support?
- What level of commitment is there to achieve the goal?
Reality
Describe
the current reality. Useful
questions to explore the reality:
- What is happening now (what, who, when, and how often)?
- What is the effect or result of this?
- Have you already taken any steps towards this goal?
- Does this goal conflict with any other goals or objectives?
- Can this goal realistically be met?
Options
Determine
what is possible from all possible options discussed. Brainstorm as many options as
possible, then prioritise. Possible questions
to explore options are as follows:
- What else could you do?
- What if this or that constraint were removed?
- Would that change things?
- What are the advantages and disadvantages of each option?
- What factors or considerations will you use to weigh the options?
- What do you need to stop doing in order to achieve this goal?
- What obstacles stand in your way?
Way Forward
By examining the current reality and exploring the options, you should now have a better idea of how to achieve the identified goal. The final step however is to establish the level of commitment you have to the specific actions, in order to move forward. This will establish the desire and motivation to achieve.
Useful questions to
ask here include:
- So, what will you do now and when?
- What else will you do?
- What could stop you moving forward?
- How will you overcome this?
- How can you keep yourself motivated?
- When do you need to review progress? Daily, weekly, monthly?
Finally,
decide on a review date. This will provide some accountability and allow for a
change in direction or approach if the original plan falters.
Putting this into Action
When taking over as Head of
Cricket at Bloxham School, the first task to undertake was to create a plan, a
vision of where we want to be in 5 years time. For me personally it was vital I
sought advice, opinion and clarification from all the cricket coaches and the
children, as they are going to be the individuals putting this plan into
action. Together, we came up with the below:
Mission
Bloxham School to be renowned as a top cricket school which
thrives on enjoyment, development, high performance and winning culture.
Vision
Cricket at Bloxham School will be an enjoyable experience for
all Cricketers. An environment will be created where coaches and players will
understand what talent is available, access what can realistically be achieved
and then plan programmes to improve and succeed in reaching player and team
goals.
In order to plan for this mission I asked 3 questions of
Bloxham Cricket, I find these 3 questions are applicable in all sporting
situations:
- Where is Bloxham School Cricket Now in 2014
- Where do we want to be in 5 years time
- What are the actions to be taken to achieve our plan
Conclusion
Whatever your style or method of
planning, having a detailed and personalised plan/goal will hopefully ensure
you overcome the difficulties that are faced within a sporting environment.
Lastly, make these plans public to friends, family and colleagues, for it is
this social network that will provide support throughout your goal setting
journey.
I would like to thank and acknowledge
Nevil Jeffery from the Rugby Football Union for his advice on Goal Setting and
Planning in a previous CPD event.
