Chapter 6 - Sport Psychology (Paper 2)

Question 1

What is the trait theory?

Answer 1

A theory which suggests that innate characteristics produce consistent behaviour. Is a theory that individuals are born with innate characteristics called traits, that are stable, enduring and stay the same in different situations. Behaviour is said to be consistent so that the sports performer will behave the same in most situations.

Question 2

What does trait theory aim to predict?

Answer 2

It attempts to predict behaviour because if sports people are always going to behave in the same way, there is a good chance we can expect and predict the same behaviour most of the time.

Question 3

What is an extrovert?

Answer 3

Extroverts have loud and bright personalities.

Question 4

What is the problem of trait theory?

Answer 4

It does not take into account personality change as your personality can change with the situation. Trait theory does not consider that personalities can be changed by experience.

Question 5

What is the social learning theory?

Answer 5

This theory suggests that behaviour is learned from significant others by socialisation. Rather than being born with a characteristic we learn them from other people. We are more likely to copy behaviour that is consistently shown.

Question 6

What is the interactionist approach?

Answer 6

A theory which combines trait and social learning to predict behaviour in a specific situation.

Question 7

What is Lewin’s formula?

Answer 7

B=f(PxE) : behaviour is a function of personality and the environment.

Question 8

What is the Hollander approach to interactionist theory?

Answer 8

He suggested that personality is made up of three features: the core of the performer, the typical responses and the role-related behaviour.

Question 9

What does the core of the Hollander approach to interactionist theory represent?

Answer 9

The core is a stable and solid and not likely to change. Beliefs and vales, such as the belief in the benefits of playing a team, are underlying.

Question 10

What does the typical responses of the Hollander approach to interactionist theory represent?

Answer 10

Typical responses are the usual responses the player would make in a given situation.

Question 11

What does the role-related behaviour of the Hollander approach to interactionist theory represent?

Answer 11

The role-related behaviour implies that further changes to behaviour may be needed as the situation demands.

Question 12

What is the credulous approach?

Answer 12

When the link between personality and behaviour is accepted.

Question 13

What is a sceptical approach?

Answer 13

When the link between personality and behaviour is doubted.

Question 14

How can knowledge of the interactionist perspective improve performance? (3 main points)

Answer 14

1) Coach could predict any potential unacceptable or aggressive behaviour and remove the player from the situation by substituting them off.
2) The coach could identify situations that cause inappropriate actions or a dropping off of a performance and creat similar situations in training so that the player can learn to cope.
3) The coach could use the interactionist approach to change player behaviour by encouraging players to adapt to specific circumstances.

Question 15

Define attitude.

Answer 15

A value aimed at an attitude object. (An opinion)

Question 16

How are attitudes formed?

Answer 16

Attitudes are formed by associating others and picking up their opinions and values, a process called socialisation. These attitudes are more likely to be learnt if they are reinforced and successful.

Question 17

What is the triadic model?

Answer 17

The three parts of an attitude: cognitive, affective, behavioural.

Question 18

What is the cognitive component?

Answer 18

A belief, such as the belief in the ability to win. This is probably the most deep-rooted part of attitude and represents your beliefs.

Question 19

What is the affective component?

Answer 19

Relates to feelings and interpretation such as enjoyment.

Question 20

What is the behavioural component?

Answer 20

The actions of the performer.

Question 21

What is cognitive dissonance?

Answer 21

New information given to the performer to cause unease and motivate change.

Question 22

Give 4 ways the coach can use cognitive dissonance to cause change in a performer.

Answer 22

1) The player may be given some new information or presented with a new form of activity so that they begin to question their current attitudes and become motivated to change them. The coach might point out the benefits of a new form of exercise which the player has shown a negative approach to and almost challenge their current thinking about it.
2) Making the activity fun and varying practice may make the session more enjoyable. If the activity is more fun that first thought, it may help to change your opinion.
3) Using rewards as reinforcement may increase the turnout at training and at games if there is a prize for the player of the week.
4) The coach could bring in a specialist or role model player from another clubs to encourage participation.

Question 23

What is persuasion?

Answer 23

An effective communication to promote change.

Question 24

In order to persuade someone to change their attitude, what should the communication be like?

Answer 24

The communication to the performer needs to be relevant and important and the message needs to be understood. The person giving the message also needs to be high status so the impact of the message is high. Timing is also important as the information should be given at a time when the performer realises they need to change.

Question 25

What is arousal?

Answer 25

A level of activation, a degree of readiness to perform.

Question 26

What is the drive theory?

Answer 26

As arousal increases, so does performance: P =f(DxH) (function of drive x habit). Represents a directly proportional straight line on a graph.

Question 27

What is the dominant response?

Answer 27

The stand-out response that the performer thinks is correct.

Question 28

What is the inverted-U theory?

Answer 28

Theory linking arousal and performance by stating that increased arousal improves performance to an optimal point at moderate levels of arousal.

Question 29

How does the level of arousal vary between novice and experts?

Answer 29

Experienced players are used to dealing with pressure and can deal with tasks effectively, even if they operate with limited information. The dominant response of an expert is likely to be correct so they can produce a high level of performance at a high level of arousal. A beginner might need to be operate at a low level of arousal since they would be uncomfortable under pressure.

Question 30

What are the problems with the drive theory? Why?

Answer 30

Increased drive does not always improve performance. It is unrealistic to suggest that performance always keeps improving. At high arousal, less information is processed and the performer tends to concentrate on the dominant response.

Question 31

What is the problem with the inverted U-theory?

Answer 31

It suggests that a medium level of arousal leads to best performance however the optimum level of arousal can vary depending on the skill level, personality of the performer and the task being undertaken.

Question 32

How does level of arousal depend on the personality of a person? E.g. Introvert or extrovert.

Answer 32

Extrovert personalities may perform happily at high levels of arousal; introverts would prefer to perform at low arousal. This may be because the reticular activating system (RAS), which controls and measures the levels of adrenaline in the body suggests that extroverts have naturally low levels of activation and can tolerate any increase in arousal; introverts are said to have naturally high levels of adrenaline and therefore would perform best at low arousal.

Question 33

What level of arousal is best for different tasks?

Answer 33

If the task is gross, such when doing a stroke in rowing, it can be performed using large muscle group movements at high arousal, without the need for precise control needed for finer skills such as table tennis return. A complex skill needs decision making and the ability to process a relatively large amount of information. At high arousal, the ability to process a lot of information is reduced so the performer may require a lower level of arousal to execute a complex skill. A simple skill requires less decision making and can still be executed well at high arousal levels.

Question 34

What is the castastrophe theory?

Answer 34

Theory suggesting that increased arousal improves performance to an optimal point but there is a dramatic reduction in performance when arousal increases beyond the optimal.

Question 35

What causes the dramatic reduction in the catastrophe theory?

Answer 35

This slump is caused by a combination of both high levels of both somatic and cognitive anxieties.

Question 36

What does somatic anxiety include?

Answer 36

• Muscular tension

- Increased heart rate

Question 37

What does cognitive anxiety include?

Answer 37

• Loss of concentration

- Worries about performance

Question 38

What is the zone?

Answer 38

Area of controlled arousal and high level performance.

Question 39

What are the three things performers are meant to feel when they are in the zone?

Answer 39

1) Things seem to flow effortlessly.
2) The performer reaches a state os supreme confidence and remains calm under the utmost pressure.
3) The athlete feels that they are in total control of their actions and totally focused on the activity.

Question 40

What is peak flow?

Answer 40

The ultimate intrinsic experience felt by athletes from a positive mental attitude, with supreme confidence, focus and efficiency.

Question 41

What are the three main factors that affect peak flow?

Answer 41

1) Poor mental preparation and the failure to reach optimal levels of arousal.
2) Environmental influences such as the pressure from the crowd or the frustration caused by a referee decision.
3) The effect of injury or fatigue during the game will also stop the player keeping up with the flow experience.

Question 42

What is anxiety?

Answer 42

A level of nerves and irrational thinking.

Question 43

What is competitive trait anxiety?

Answer 43

A disposition to suffer from nervousness in most sporting situations.

Question 44

What is competitive state anxiety?

Answer 44

A nervous response to specific sporting situations.

Question 45

What is somatic anxiety?

Answer 45

A Physiological response to a threat such as increased heart rate.

Question 46

What is cognitive anxiety?

Answer 46

A psychological response such as worrying about losing.

Question 47

When does competitive trait anxiety occur?

Answer 47

Is when a player feels nerves before most games and occurs before all competitions, regardless of the importance of the event and the possibility of winning.

Question 48

When does competitive state anxiety occur?

Answer 48

Is more temporary and is a response to a particular moment in the game or a specific sporting situation.

Question 49

What is the link between competitive trait anxiety and competitive state anxiety?

Answer 49

An individual with high trait anxiety is more likely to experience high state experience when faced with a stressful situation.

Question 50

What are the three methods of measuring anxiety in sport?

Answer 50

• Self-report questionnaire
• Observation
• Physiological testing

Question 51

What are questionnaires?

Answer 51

A set of questions to measure or assess something, in this case anxiety.

Question 52

What are the advantages of questionnaires?

Answer 52

• Quick
• Cheap
• Efficient

Question 53

What are the disadvantages of questionnaires?

Answer 53

Results can be invalid because:

• Players may not understand the question being asked and their answer may be one that they think they ought to give rather than the actual truth.
• Answers may also depend on mood state. The answers given after a win might vary to after a loss.
• The questions are inappropriate so that biased results are give.
• The responses can be influenced by the time it takes to do all the questions; rushing to complete may lead to an incorrect response.

Question 54

What is the Sports Competition Anxiety Test (SCAT)?

Answer 54

A questionnaire used by sports psychologists to measure anxiety.

Question 55

What is the Competitive Sport Anxiety Inventory (CSAI)?

Answer 55

A questionnaire used by sports psychologists to measure anxiety.

Question 56

Define observation.

Answer 56

Gaining a measure of (in this case) anxiety simply by watching the performer.

Question 57

What is the advantage of observation?

Answer 57

This realistic approach gives observation studies an advantage in that they are true to life.

Question 58

What are the disadvantages of observation?

Answer 58

• The results are based in the opinion of the observer and, where numerous observations are made, these opinions can vary, making the results highly subjective.
• Can be time consuming as the observer needs to know what the people are like normally so that changes from the norm can be noted.
• If the people being observed in sport realise they are being watched, then their behaviour might change or they might feel more uneasy and suffer some anxiety, thus making the results invalid.

Question 59

What are the advantages of physiological measures to measure anxiety?

Answer 59

• They are factual so that that comparisons can be easily made.
• Responses to anxiety could be measured in training or even real game situations. With recent advances in technology, heart rate can be measured by an electronic device contained within the clothing of the performer and relayed immediately to the coach, who could judge anxiety while the game is in motion.

Question 60

What are the disadvantages of physiological measures to measure anxiety?

Answer 60

• Training is often required so that coaches can learn how to use the devices; the cost of them may deter amateur performers from using them.
• In some cases actually wearing the measuring device, such as a heart rate monitor, may restrict movement in sport.
• The fact that the performer is aware that they are being measured may cause additional stress and give a false reading.

Question 61

What is aggression? What are its characteristics?

Answer 61

Intent to harm outside the rules; hostile behaviour. It is reactive, out of control, deliberate and hostile.

Question 62

What is assertion? What are its characteristics?

Answer 62

Well-motivated behaviour within the rules. It is controlled, well motivated, generally within the rules, goal-directed, not intended to harm.

Question 63

What is instrumental aggression?

Answer 63

Has an intent but is within the rules.

Question 64

What is the instinct theory?

Answer 64

When aggression is spontaneous and innate.

Question 65

What is catharsis?

Answer 65

Cleansing the emotions; using sport as an outlet for aggression.

Question 66

What are the four theories that try to explain how aggression is caused?

Answer 66

• Instinct theory
• Frustration-aggression hypothesis
• Aggressive cue hypothesis
• Social learning theory

Question 67

What is the problem with the instinct theory?

Answer 67

Not all aggression is reactive and spontaneous - some aggression is learned and pre-intended.

Question 68

What is the frustration-aggression hypothesis?

Answer 68

This theory suggests that inevitable aggression occurs when goals are blocked and the performer becomes frustrated. The theory argues that once a performer has been prevented from achieving their aim, their will be a building up of frustration leading to aggressive tendencies.

Question 69

What is the aggressive cue hypothesis?

Answer 69

Suggests that aggression is caused by a learned trigger.

Question 70

What is the social learning theory?

Answer 70

Learning by associating with others and copying behaviour.

Question 71

When does learning from others tend to occur?

Answer 71

-When a behaviour is reinforced

Question 72

How did Bandura suggest that aggression is learnt?

Answer 72

Observe, identify, reinforce, copy.

Question 73

Who do people learn from?

Answer 73

Learnt from significant others or those we hold in high esteem.

Question 74

What is the problem with the social learning theory?

Answer 74

Aggression can be instinctive and reactive rather than being learned.

Question 75

List ways to prevent aggression.

Answer 75

Most important for exam:

• Punish aggression with fines or by sending them off.
• Apply sanctions immediately.
• Reinforce non-aggressive behaviour.
• Talk to players to calm them down.
• Walk away from the situation.
• Use mental rehearsal or relaxation to lower arousal.
• Point out non-aggressive role models.
• Channel aggression into assertion

Less important:

• Do not force aggressive acts in training.
• Promote peer-groups pressure within the team.
• Apply rules consistently and fairly.
• Point out responsibilities to the team

Question 76

Define motivation.

Answer 76

A drive to succeed

Question 77

What is intrinsic motivation?

Answer 77

Motivation from within.

Question 78

What is extrinsic motivation?

Answer 78

Motivation from an outside source.

Question 79

What are tangible rewards?

Answer 79

Rewards that can be touched or held, physical.

Question 80

What are intangible rewards?

Answer 80

Non-physical rewards.

Question 81

When do you feel intrinsic motivation?

Answer 81

It is the external stimuli and the internal mechanism that drive direct behaviour. It comes from within the performer and is an inner drive. Intrinsic motivation would show itself when a climber completes a difficult route or when a runner completes a marathon. It gives a feeling of self-satisfaction.

Question 82

When do you feel extrinsic motivation?

Answer 82

It comes from an outside source such as a coach or other player; or it could even be from a spectator cheering you on.

Question 83

What are the two forms of extrinsic motivation?

Answer 83

Tangible and intangible

Question 84

Which form of motivation is better?

Answer 84

Intrinsic because it is stronger and longer lasting.

Question 85

What do you need to consider when using extrinsic motivation?

Answer 85

Coaches and players must be careful not to place too much emphasis on extrinsic rewards,since over-use may lead to a loss in value and incentives. If there is always a trophy on offer, then this might become the norm rather than the exception and players may even compete to get rewards and not for the true value of the game.

Question 86

What is the problem with extrinsic motivation?

Answer 86

Extrinsic motives can undermine the intrinsic reasons for competing; players may start to compete just to get a reward and not for the benefits of exercise, health and skill improvements.

Question 87

What tactics and strategies can be used to maintain intrinsic and extrinsic motives?

Answer 87

• Offering incentives and rewards early on.
• Making the activity fun and enjoyable, perhaps by including mini-games and easier tasks to allow success.
• Pointing out the health benefits of doing the task.
• Breaking the skill down into parts, to allow success on each part.
• Pointing out role models to whom the performer can aspire to.
• Making the performer feel responsible for any success achieved by praise.
• Attributing success internally, in other words telling the performer that a good result was down to them.
• Setting goals or targets that are achievable by the performer.
• Using feedback to inspire and correct errors.

Question 88

Who are the four types of others that can be present when playing sport?

Answer 88

1) Audience
2) Co-actors
3) Competitors
4) Social reinforcers

Question 89

Who are the audience?

Answer 89

Those who just watch the event.

Question 90

Who are the co-actors?

Answer 90

Those who are doing the same task but are not involved in direct competition.

Question 91

Who are the competitive co-actors?

Answer 91

Those who are in direct competition.

Question 92

Who are the social reinforcers?

Answer 92

Those who have a direct influence on the event.

Question 93

Give an example of a social reinforcer?

Answer 93

A coach

Question 94

The audience and co-actors are described as being …

Answer 94

Passive

Question 95

The competitors and social reinforcers are said to be …

Answer 95

More actively involved

Question 96

What is social inhibition?

Answer 96

The negative effect of the presence of others on performance.

Question 97

What is social facilitation?

Answer 97

The positive effect of the presence of others on performance.

Question 98

Who experiences social inhibition?

Answer 98

Beginners

Question 99

Who experiences social facilitation?

Answer 99

Experts

Question 100

What did Zajonc suggest about how experts perform with an audience and why?

Answer 100

Zajonc suggests that if a performer is an expert, it is likely that the responses are well learned and familiar to them. When performing in the presence of others, such well learned responses are performed automatically, with ease and there is no pressure on the performer. The response is made simple because it can be done without much thought or attention. The response will be correct, even when performed under pressure.

Question 101

What did Zajonc suggest about how beginners perform with an audience and why?

Answer 101

A novice is unlikely to have learned responses that are performed automatically and may not even be able to identify the correct response and may produce an incorrect action. Therefore, responses are made complex as the novice uses a lot of attention to find the right answer and the affect of the crowd is to add pressure and cause inhibition.

Question 102

What is evaluation apprehension?

Answer 102

The perceived fear of being judged.

Question 103

Why does evaluation apprehension occur? What happens?

Answer 103

The effects of an audience could be intense if you are being watched be a professional or a professional scout. The effects of the audience would be intense: it could really motivate the performer to play well but could also increase anxiety and arousal to high levels, meaning that there is a significant reduction in performance.

Question 104

What are three main strategies used to limit the effects of social inhibition and evaluation apprehension?

Answer 104

1) Getting the players familiar with training in front of a crowd. Using the concept of familiarisation to make players get used to playing in front of a crowd so that the players learn to be watched and learn to cope with it.
2) Gradually introducing evaluation. The level of assessment and evaluation should increase so that they learn to deal with scrutiny.
3) Improving focus and concentration. The players should learn to concentrate on the game and not on the audience. This is known as selective attention.

Question 105

What are the following characteristics of a team?

Answer 105

• A collective identity - this means that the team can be recognised easily since they are usually wearing the same colour kit. Often team members will feel a strong affiliation to the team and gain a sense of pride when they wear the team clothing. This affiliation is important to give motivation and a sense of belonging to the team.
• Interaction - The team members should operate in their own role successfully and also be able to link this role with other members of the team. Interaction can be seen as the way the team players work together to complete a task.
• Communication - To help with interaction, the individual players in the team should talk to each other and communicate non-verbally.
• A shared goal or purpose - the prospect of achieving success is what often keeps players in the team and working for each other. All the players should want to aim for the same goal to have maximum motivation.

Question 106

What are the four stages of group formation? Explain each stage

Answer 106

Forming - the group comes together and gets to know each other, with individuals often finding out how they feel about the team and if they think they will fit in. An assessment is made on the strengths of the individual compared to the strengths of others in the group.
Storming - This is the stage of potential conflicts when individuals may compete with others to establish position, status or role in the team. It may be that two players are competitions for the same position and the coach or captain should resolve such issues as quickly as possible to ensure players may accept an alternative.
Norming - Once conflicts have been resolved, the team begins to settle down and co-operate, with the intention of achieving their goals. Group standards are accepted and cohesion of the team develops.
Performing - All the players are now interactive and working together to achieve their goals. The team members support each other and understand their role in the team.

Question 107

What does the length of the forming of the team depend on?

Answer 107

The size of the group, the difficulty of the task and the experience of the players.

Question 108

Define cohesion?

Answer 108

The tendency for individuals to work together to achieve their goals, the forces that keep the group members on task.

Question 109

What is co-action?

Answer 109

When others do the task at the same time but separately.

Question 110

What is interaction?

Answer 110

When a group works together to produce results.

Question 111

What does Carron’s antecedents mean?

Answer 111

These are the factors that influence cohesion.

Question 112

What is task cohesion?

Answer 112

Individuals working together to achieve an end result.

Question 113

What is social cohesion?

Answer 113

Individuals relating to each other to interact in the group.

Question 114

What are the two types of cohesion?

Answer 114

Task and social

Question 115

What does task cohesion look at?

Answer 115

It looks at the end result and involves every player working together to achieve the goal, either by doing their own role well, so that the other team members can also make their contribution, or by working hard, along with everyone else on the task.

Question 116

What does social cohesion look at?

Answer 116

It looks at the interaction of the individuals in the team and how they work with each other. It may be that there is a degree of trust in each others ability and there is support for each team member.

Question 117

Which the of cohesion is best for achieving results? Why?

Answer 117

It is best to have both types of cohesion (social and task). Social cohesion will help the team to be interactive and will help communicate and team spirit. Task cohesion yet is also important.

Question 118

What is the problem with social cohesion?

Answer 118

It might produce sub-groups or cliques that mean some members of the team will not co-operate, or at training they may not contribute to team questions or suggestions on tactics.

Question 119

What can override the problems of social cohesion?

Answer 119

Task cohesion.

Question 120

What is the equation that sums up the influences of cohesion?

Answer 120

Actual productivity = Potential productivity - Losses due to faulty processes

Question 121

Who came up with the equation that sums up the influences of cohesion?

Answer 121

Steiner

Question 122

What is actual productivity?

Answer 122

The outcome of group performance.

Question 123

What is a team?

Answer 123

A group that has interaction, shared goals, an identity and communication.

Question 124

What is potential productivity?

Answer 124

The best performance based on player ability and group resources.

Question 125

What are faulty processes?

Answer 125

The things that go wrong to reduce group outcomes and prevent group potential being reached.

Question 126

What are the two types of problems which prevent a team from reaching its true potential?

Answer 126

• Co-ordination problems

- Motivational problems

Question 127

What are co-ordination problems?

Answer 127

• Co-ordination problems occur when players in the team fail to listen to the coach’s instructions or employ incorrect tactics.
• The players in the team may also fail to communicate with one another.
• The players may misunderstand their role in the team.

Question 128

When do motivational problems in a team occur?

Answer 128

• Social loafing

- Ringlemann effect

Question 129

What is social loafing?

Answer 129

Individual loss of motivation in a team player due to lack of performance identification when individual efforts are not recognised.

Question 130

When a player is social loafing what do they tend to do in a game?

Answer 130

They tend to take the easy options in the game and make a limited contribution to the team cause.

Question 131

What are the causes of social loafing?

Answer 131

• Lack of confidence when the player does not believe in their ability to compete with the opposition.
• When the coach or captain may have displayed poor leadership by not offering incentives and reinforcement.
• Player might not understand the role they need to play in the team or they may not accept their role in the team for the whole game.
• Goals set by coaches may be too general and lack meaning.

Question 132

What is the ringelmann effect?

Answer 132

When group performance decreases with group size.

Question 133

How do coaches avoid social loafing?

Answer 133

• The coach should make sure efforts of the players are recognised and rewarded. This can be done by giving specific roles to play in the team.
• The coach should use statistics such as tackle counts, number of assists or pass completion rates to highlight individual performance.
• The coach should use a goal-setting strategy, setting goals that are realistic and specific and not just based on the results.
• Coach could use video analysis to highlight the performance of individuals and use feedback to evaluate and assess their performance.

Question 134

What is goal setting?

Answer 134

Setting targets.

Question 135

What are the three main benefits of goal setting?

Answer 135

1) Increasing motivation and making sure the participants in the sporting activity keep on trying. Players can become what is called task persistent, since there is a target to aim for that requires some effort to reach, but once the player has successes in reaching that target, a sense of pride and satisfaction is experienced. This sense of pride increases intrinsic motivation.
2) Improving confidence since the performer can experience an improvement in technique or in results as the target is being reached.
3) Regulating and sustaining effort. As the player continues to strive to reach a target, they might begin try a little harder as the goal nears completion. The coach needs to adjust the target to account for specific competition or event so that a short period of effort is applied in the build-up to competition.

Question 136

What are the different types of goals?

Answer 136

• Outcome/product
• Task-orientated
• Performance
• Process

Question 137

What is an outcome goal?

Answer 137

A goal set against the performance of others and based on a result.

Question 138

What is the disadvantage of outcome goals?

Answer 138

There is a danger here that the goal may not be achieved and then motivation is lost.

Question 139

What are task-orientated goals?

Answer 139

Getting a better performance

Question 140

What is the advantage of task-orientated goals?

Answer 140

They are concerned about improving performance or technique. This means an athlete could achieve a goal, even if they do not win, because their performance has improved. Motivation is still maintained when task-orientated goals are used. The athlete does not compare against others but makes an evaluation based on their own past performances.

Question 141

What are performance goals?

Answer 141

When the athlete sets a goal to better their own performance rather than comparing to others.

Question 142

What are process goals?

Answer 142

Based on improving technique.

Question 143

What is the advantage of performance goals?

Answer 143

These reduce anxiety in competition and provide more consistent motivation.

Question 144

What are the factors to consider when setting goals? What is the acronym?

Answer 144

S - Specific - Goals should be clear and precise to the performer and the sport.
M - Measured - Measurements in the form of statistics which allows the performer to track their performance.
A - Achievable - performer should be able to reach their goal.
R - Realistic - Goal should be within reach, not too difficult or not too hard.
T - Time-bound - Short team and long term steps should be clearly defined so that there is a clear deadline.
E - Evaluate - Performer and coach should evaluate how and when the goal was achieved so that future attempts at reaching targets can be assessed.
R - Re-do - if the goal has not been reached, if progress is slow or after evaluation the performer thinks that something could have been done better, do it again! Target can be adjusted to ensure success.