Set Goals

Coaches, discuss short term and long term goals with your players. Your players should set short and long term goals for themselves, and goals for the team (team goals). Guide your players while they take part in the goal setting process. Be sure the goals are attainable and written down in the players’ Goal Setting Logs. Every player should take part in the goal setting process and every goal should be realistic and within reach!

A Goal Setting Log (Chart) may look something like this:

template

Long Term Goal (Team or Individual):

Short Term Goal (Team or Individual):

How I Will Reach This Goal:

What I May Gain By Reaching This Goal:

Date Reached:
 

*Individual

Double my current juggling record of 50.

Juggle daily for 15 min. minimum..

Improve ball control, trapping and touch.

Write date achieved here!

*Individual

Earn a starting position on premier club team by the time I’m 14 years old.

  

Train on my own as well as at practice, never give up, attend club camps and tryouts.

A starting position on a premier club team and a chance to play at higher levels, such as O.D.P. and college.

Write date achieved here!
 

*Team

Perfect both right and left footed crosses.

Practice crossing right and left footed during and after practice.

The ability to cross the ball with either foot, creating a more effective and efficient team.

Write date achieved here!

*Individual

Make my high school varsity soccer team.

  

Train with competitive players regularly, introduce myself to the varsity coach and provide the coach with my club schedule.

To become a member of my high school’s soccer team. Have fun competing against some of my club teammates. Experience towards playing college soccer.

Write date achieved here!

Once a goal is reached, players should begin the goal setting process with a new goal, although, a new goal can be added any time. Review player goals and team goals regularly (approximately every 2 weeks). Goals setting and sharing sessions help coaches and players get to know what each player wants to achieve, what they’re doing to reach their goals, and what doors they believe may open once they achieve a specific goal. Discussing the goals helps build a cohesive and interested group of players who gain ideas from each other, and compete to reach goals faster than their teammates!

Goals should allow the players to play out of their comfort zone and make mistakes, for it is through mistakes that players learn. Make mistakes with the players and demonstrate how to how to prevent from making the mistake the next time. Make notes of mistakes, discuss how they developed, how to correct them, and what lessons may have been learned as a result of making the mistakes. Practices are an excellent time to make mistakes with the players and laugh about them, correct them, and move on willing to make more mistakes. Players need to understand that it’s acceptable to push themselves so far that mistakes happen, it’s actually a good thing and needs to be reflected in the goals they set!

Goal Setting Log template you may use with your own players!