Ahead of the Game: How to Use Your Mind to Win in Sport

Summary of the Questions To Ask When Setting Goals
Here are a series of questions which can act as a summary of how to set goals. Whenever you set a goal, ask yourself, or better still get your sports coach or mental skills coach to ask you, these questions:
Stated in the positive.
What specifically do you want?
Specify present situation.
Where are you now?
Specify outcome.
What will you see, hear, feel, etc., when you have it?
Specify evidence procedure.
How will you know when you have it?
Is it congruently desirable?
What will this outcome get for you or allow you to do?
Is it self-initiated and self-maintained?
Is it only for you?
Is it appropriately contextualised?
Where, when, how, and with whom do you want it?
What resources are needed?
What do you have now, and what do you need to get your outcome?
Have you ever had or done this before?
Do you know anyone who has?
Can you act as if you have it?
Is it ecological?
For what purpose do you want this?

As well as being what is important to us, values also normally determine what we spend our time, effort and energy doing. So examples of sport values could be:
Winning
Improving
Being part of a team
Doing your best
Standing out from the crowd
Creativity
Hard work
Being the hero
Being the unsung hero
Fun
Challenge

Performance goals are more under the control of the athlete than outcome goals. In order to achieve the performance goal of 9.75 seconds, he would need to have some ‘process’ goals to keep in mind.