Virtual Sport Psych

Setting Sail for Paris: Goal-Setting with Olympic Athletes

April 15, 2024

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It’s just a little over 100 days until the 2024 Olympic Games commence. What an exciting time!

Qualifications and nominations are currently underway, placing a significant amount of pressure and expectations on the shoulders of many athletes – and their coaches.

Some have already qualified and are now embarking on the specific preparations for the Olympic Games. This is something they have trained and prepared for not only in the past three years since Tokyo 2020/2021, but most likely for the last 5, 8, 10, or even 15 years!

Imagine working diligently toward a specific goal for such a long time and now being on the brink of achieving it. How would that impact your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors in the coming weeks and months?

Currently, I’m working with several athletes who have already qualified for Paris 2024, and they are also mentally preparing for this globally and personally significant event.

Today, I’d like to share some of the aspects that we’re focusing on together over the next few weeks to prepare for the Olympic Games this year and to savor the event because it’s a very special moment for almost every athlete in the world.

These ideas may also assist you in your work with your athletes – not only in preparation for the Olympic Games but also for other sporting events that are important and relevant to them.

So, let’s get better together…

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

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IDEA OF THE WEEK

We’re all familiar with the famous quote from Pierre de Coubertin in which he said: “The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle.”

Taking part is indeed paramount when we consider the Olympic Games, isn’t it? Being present, savoring the moment, competing alongside the world’s finest athletes in various sports. Success takes a backseat – or perhaps falls further down the list.

Honestly, I respectfully disagree.

Yes, for some athletes, the most important aspect is participating in the Olympic Games. They are thrilled to have qualified and reached the elite – no, the Olympic level in sports.

Yet, simultaneously, there are countless athletes who aspire to achieve success at the Olympic Games. They strive for medals. They aim to ascend the podium. They yearn for triumph. They seek to demonstrate their years of hard work, to prove that they’ve earned their place among the world’s elite, and they endeavor to achieve the highest level of success possible.

As mentioned, I am working with a number of athletes who will compete in Paris, and almost all of them express their desire to be as successful as possible, setting high – yet realistic – goals of winning medals. They aim to make their participation in Paris a memorable success story they can fondly look back on in the future and say: “That was a great event. I gave it my all and succeeded.”

In preparation for the Olympic Games, I have agreed with the athletes to regularly sit down and discuss with them how they can achieve their goals. During this process, we will focus on different aspects that are relevant in general and specific to them, and we will work through these topics together. The wonderful thing is that over the past years, they have already developed many psychological skills that help them in difficult and high-pressure situations. So, we do not need to focus on the basics but can delve into the specific preparation for the Games.

One of the general topics we discuss revolves around the basic development of goals for the Olympic Games… It’s not rocket science…

I recently had one athlete express that he believed if he were to go to Paris this year and return home without at least one medal – despite having the potential chance to win three – the Olympic Games would be a complete failure for him. He even mentioned that, although he knows this isn’t entirely true, he feels that returning home without a medal could potentially lead to him quitting sports altogether. He felt that all the work, sweat, time, and money he invests in his sport would have been for naught.

After discussing his goal for Paris together, we realized that he only had one goal: winning at least one medal. Obviously, if you only have one goal, there is a higher probability of missing it, resulting in negative thoughts and a decrease in, for example, self-efficacy after the event.

Due to this, I typically develop three goals with athletes and teams. These goals are divided into the minimal, the normal, and the optimal goal.

The minimal goal is the one that can be achieved even if most things prior to and during the event go wrong. However, even if those things go wrong, the athlete can still deliver a good performance and achieve this minimal goal.

The normal goal is based on previous experiences of how competitions typically unfold. Whether it’s good or poor draws, readiness on a competition day, or any other factors, a “normal” competition comes with a goal that the athlete will be satisfied with.

The optimal goal is for when everything goes as planned – or even better. It includes great draws, decisions, preparation, and everything else falling into place.

I always check in with the athletes while discussing the goals to ensure they consider them realistic because unrealistic goals do not motivate; they demotivate. Additionally, all goals – even the minimal ones – need to be difficult to reach. As we all know, moderately difficult goals are more motivating than easy ones, so we need to consider this in the development of goals for important events like the Olympic Games.

In the example of the athlete, we discussed his goals, and he mentioned that his minimal goal would be to reach at least one semi-final competition, thereby having the opportunity to contend for at least one medal. His normal goal was to win at least one Bronze medal, and his optimal goal was to win at least one Gold medal. Given that the athlete competes in three different categories and possesses the abilities to win medals, the likelihood of achieving these goals is realistic.

After establishing the three goals, we then engage in basic discussions about what needs to be done to achieve them, what could potentially go wrong during training and competition, how the athlete can respond in such situations, and creating a plan to reach the goals, etc. Upon completing these discussions, athletes typically feel that the pressure has been alleviated, and they become more focused on the necessary steps to make their participation in the event a success.

Certainly, this is only one aspect of our preparation for the Olympic Games, but over the years, I have observed that focusing on goals and subdividing them into three different categories helps athletes approach competitions with greater relaxation and less pressure. They know that they can at least achieve their minimal goal.

Of course, they may still fall short of their minimal goal. In such cases, we strategize about various scenarios that could occur at the Olympic Games, how they intend to respond to such situations, etc., so they are prepared not only for the possibility of success and winning medals but also for the possibility of not reaching their goal of showcasing their best performances.

How do you work with athletes in preparation for important competitions? What approaches do you take? Do you follow a standardized procedure, or do you adapt as necessary? I am curious to learn from you!

I will be sharing more of my work with athletes and teams in preparation for Paris 2024 over the next couple of weeks. At the same time, I am also interested in how you work with your clients in sports. If you are open to it, I look forward to personally discussing our experiences. Simply reach out to me, and we can try to find some time to connect!

CHUCK NORRIS JOKE OF THE WEEK

When Chuck Norris sets a goal, the universe rearranges itself to ensure it’s accomplished.

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