Name: Michiel Coenraad
Surname: Welgemoedt
Student number: 66391946
Module: PYC4812
Assessment: Exam 15 October 2022
, Section A
Question A1
Setting goals is now a cornerstone of mental training programs for athletes. Goal setting has
long been recognized as a performance booster in the corporate sector. When applied
effectively, objectives have an impact on performance by focusing athletes' attention on the
right activities and boosting perseverance when faced with challenges. Setting goals helps
you perform better. Theorists have suggested that performance changes happen as a result of
objectives' effects on psychological traits including anxiety, confidence, contentment, and
motivation; they do this by drawing attention to crucial or advantageous features of the task
being done. If the coach does not help the athlete in creating goals, it will not be successful.
The coach must be aware of the process in order to support it and eventually improve the
athlete's performance. Coaches may get the knowledge they need about goal-setting so that it
is beneficial for the athlete by putting goal-setting approaches into practice.
There are six distinct sorts of objectives, including subjective ones that have nothing to do
with specific sporting accomplishments but may simply involve participation and giving it
your all. Specific, objective goals that are based on an athlete's performance are most
effective when a number is attached to them, such as decrease time by 2 seconds in the 200m
freestyle event by the end of the season. These goals help the athlete stay focused on the task
at hand in order to advance their technical abilities. General objective goals. Outcome
objectives are performance benchmarks that place an emphasis on a contest's outcomes, such
as defeating an opponent. Setting performance objectives can aid with gains in relation to
one's previous performance, such as lowering one's own marathon time. Process objectives
are the activities that the athlete will carry out during the competition with an emphasis on a
particular action, such as keeping their feet moving while they are tired.
Goals can affect performance in four different ways, according to mechanistic theory. The
performer's attention and actions are first directed toward key components of the work by
goals. For instance, by setting goals, a basketball player would concentrate attention and
subsequent action on developing certain abilities, such as blocking out under the rims or
reducing turnovers, rather than progressing as a ball player overall. The performer may
mobilize effort by having goals. A swimmer will put in more practice effort in trying to
accomplish these goals, for instance, if they have established a number of practice goals.
Thirdly, achieving goals helps to enhance perseverance or effort in the long run in addition to
the present effort. As an illustration, a wrestler who sets a variety of short-term goals
throughout the year is more likely to persevere and overcome the monotony of a lengthy
season. The process of defining objectives has also been found to help performers create and
use new learning techniques.
The only focus of cognitive theory is on how setting goals affects performance in sporting
settings. The degrees of anxiety, motivation, and confidence of athletes are related to their
goals. That is to say, when athletes just think on the end result or winning objectives, they
frequently develop unrealistic future expectations. As a result, they may lack confidence,
have heightened cognitive worry, exert less effort, and perform poorly. Performance
objectives are more flexible and under the athlete's control than outcome goals. Additionally,
when used correctly, performance objectives help the athlete create reasonable expectations.