Many coaches help their athletes to set short-term and long-term goals in their sport.

Examples might be to improve a time by two seconds, to average three offensive rebounds or to make an extra volleyball block per game. Such goals are most effective if you actually sit down with your athletes and commit the goals to paper.

However, when establishing sports goals, why not widen the scope of your discussion to include personal goals—for example, to average 75% in Math, to study for at least two hours a night or to complete that lifesaving certification they've been working on.

Advantages
Aside from a desire to help your athletes, there are other reasons to including personal goals in a sports goal-setting exercise:

• It will provide insight into the pressures, lifestyles and ambitions your athletes experience in their personal life—all of which can impact their performance as an athlete.
• You can identify options that will help your athletes make better choices in their lives. Lack of direction is a major stressor for many students.
• It may help your students maintain or improve their academic work. Remember, a student who drops out isn't eligible to compete.
• It demonstrates your concern for the student as a person, not just an athlete. The trust that results will make you a more effective coach.

References:
1. Ralph Vernacchia (PhD), Richard McGuire (PhD), & David Cook (PhD), Coaching Mental Excellence, Warde Publishers Inc., 1995. 
2. Jean M. Williams, Editor, Applied Sport Psychology: Personal Growth to Peak Performance, 6th Edition, McGraw Hill, 2009.

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