POSITIVE COACHING SCOTLAND LADDER OF SUCCESS Goal setting is one of the most important skills taught to young people in order to help them achieve their personal best performance. The goal setting process helps players understand where they are currently and also where they want to go. Coaches can work with athletes to focus on the process and performance rather than focused on the outcome of competition. For coaches to set effective goals, it is also important to understand the different between outcome, performance, and process goals. OUTCOME GOALS are related to winning and losing or specific results of a competition, this also leads to direct comparison with others - these differ from performance and process goals. PERFORMANCE GOALS focus on helping a young person improve a weakness. This may be to improve a technical aspect of their game that has an impact on their overall performance. PROCESS GOALS are related to performance goals; they are what the athlete should focus on while performing a skill. For example, in addition to setting a performance goal to improve their technique, the athlete may also set a goal to go through the same routine every time they complete the action. Research has shown that the more a young person focuses on process goals, the less that athlete will worry about how they perform – meaning they actually perform better. The importance of this is that through learning to set process and performance goals rather than outcome goals, young people have control over their learning and development. Research has found that young athletes and coaches often set goals that are not specific and not measurable, meaning that they cannot be controlled. Young people are often set goals that focus on winning, but they may have little control over whether they win. Their team may have an off day, a key team member might become ill or get injured, or the opponent may get some lucky breaks, and none of this is under that athletes control.

POSITIVE COACHING SCOTLAND LADDER OF SUCCESS The ladder of success helps young people identify a dream goal that they would like to achieve, followed by the steps required to reach their dream over a period of time. Work with young athletes to identify a dream goal and establish the steps required to be successful. Rate this tool! Give us your feedback.