Volleyball Goal Setting
Each new season has a tendency to sneak up on us. While we’re worried about running tryouts, getting practices started, and preparing for our first few matches and tournaments, we tend to forget about something…
Goal setting.
This is a huge mistake. Study after study indicates the beneficial power of setting goals in an athletic environment. Not only does proper goal setting lead to better performance overall, it also positively impacts player motivation and confidence if done correctly! *(1)
Coaches who choose to ignore the growing body of evidence that goal setting improves their team’s performance are doing a huge disservice to their athletes.
WHAT CAN YOU DO ABOUT IT?
Listen, we’re all busy. Work often has us pulling into the parking lot just before practice starts, we’ve got things to take care of at home, and quite frankly, we just want to sit down and relax for a minute! Adding more to your plate sounds almost overwhelming.
That’s why I created my printable goal setting worksheets! You don’t have the time to sit down and draft out your own. But even if you did have the time, wouldn’t you rather relax instead of work more?
TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR TEAM’S FUTURE
Simply put, the effort you put into planning your practices, analyzing stats, and crafting the perfect rotation simply won’t work as well for you if you are ignoring the mental elements of the game.
Teams who participate in goal setting activities over the course of a season have been proven to have a higher sense of cohesion by the end of the year. *(2)
Have you ever watched a team who supported each other play against a “team” of individuals? Sure, skill level will have an impact on the outcome. But if skill levels are the same (or nearly the same), my bet is on the REAL team to come out ahead.
hERE’S WHERE I COME IN…
Coach, I want you to be successful. That’s why I created Get The Pancake (this website!) in the first place. Since I started coaching back in 2008, I’ve learned a lot of things the hard way. Through trial and error.
These years of experience led me to create printable goal setting worksheets that coaches can use with their own teams. I wanted to do this for you, because I know that staring at a blank screen trying to draft up your own goal setting process is challenging at best!
Each goal setting worksheet packet provides you with the proper tools to set goals with your entire team for the whole season.
Each packet includes GOAL SETTING worksheets for:
Season Goals
Tournament Goals
Match Goals
Practice Goals
Goal Check-Ins
Plus, you also get instructions for each worksheet and tips on building habits around goal setting with your team.
In other words… these worksheets are all you need to set (and achieve!) your goals this year.
I’LL BE HONEST…
One of the biggest regrets I have is not using goal setting with every team. The teams where I used goal setting were my most successful (both in results AND in team cohesion).
But sometimes I’d let that slide, because I felt too busy at the time to add another thing to my plate. It was wrong of me to skip that extra work, and I think my teams missed out on growth opportunities because of it.
Besides… once you get the routines in place, goal setting is actually EASY! And it’s FUN!
It’s fun to hear your middle blocker squeal with excitement when she finds out she met her blocking percentage goal for the match. Or when your team goes high-five crazy as they realize they’re closing in on their top season goal.
But it’s also a great feeling when your team faces a setback and you see them come together to solve the issues instead of turn away from each other and start blaming teammates!
BUT THE SEASON ALREADY STARTED
Sorry to be blunt with you, but… SO WHAT?
Yes, the best time to have goal setting routines in place was the beginning of the season.
But the next best time is NOW!
There’s always time to add new tools to your coaching toolkit. It’s true that the longer you wait, the harder it’ll be to get your team on board. But I’d hate for you to skip out on such a beneficial practice just because you felt like it was too late when you actually still had plenty of time to make an impact on your players.
There’s even a coach in our “Volleyball Coaches Corner” private Facebook group (join us if you like to “talk shop”) who told me they were using the sheets for the last two weeks of their school season. You can literally use them any time!
Remember: You’re getting printable worksheets (aka, when you need more, you print more. You don’t have to buy more!) which helps you set your team up for success by setting long-term goals, which can be split up into smaller goals to help you get there.
What if you set a goal that’s too easy? Just set a new one using the Goal Check-In sheets! This will keep your players motivated throughout the season. Constant motivation, consistent focus, and feelings of accomplishment are just a few more benefits of using goal setting with your team.
FEEL MORE CONFIDENT AND FOCUSED
Not only will your players grow through goal setting. YOU’LL benefit as well! Coming up with your own goal setting process is not only time-intensive, but you might wonder if it’ll even work.
Feel confident when you present your team with my goal sheets which not only help you reach long-term goals, but look pretty too (ladies, you know we can all agree that this is important)!
I give you simple instructions and a couple of examples to help you get started, so you get a feel for goal setting before you actually present the idea to your team. That way you can come in confident and enthusiastic instead of shy and embarrassed with your own creation.
TEST THEM OUT
Look, I know how hard it is to buy something online, let alone buy something you don’t get to fully review before hitting that last “submit” button. That’s why I offer a 100% money back guarantee if you buy my worksheets and decide they’re not right for you in the first 30 days.
This gives you the chance to review them, use them with your team, and see if they’re worth it. I fully believe in this worksheet packet and know you’ll be satisfied with the value you get out of them. You’ll get an entire season of high-fives, “YES!”’s, and team bonding . Good luck finding a better deal somewhere else!
But, if you buy them and your director has something else they want you to use, or you end up having to leave coaching abruptly for any reason, I’m happy to give you a refund within 30 days of your purchase.
I’m here to support coaches, and I’m willing to risk refunds to make sure coaches are satisfied with my product!
If you’re ready to see the power that simple goal setting routines can have on your team, click the button below to head to the shop and get your copy of this goal setting worksheet packet today!
*Citations… because I base this stuff on science and research.
Locke, E. A., & Latham, G. P. (1985). The Application of Goal Setting to Sports. Journal of Sport Psychology, 7(3), 205-222. doi:10.1123/jsp.7.3.205
Senécal, J., Loughead, T. M., & Bloom, G. A. (2008). A Season-Long Team-Building Intervention: Examining the Effect of Team Goal Setting on Cohesion. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 30(2), 186-199. doi:10.1123/jsep.30.2.186