Using SMARTER Goals with Athletes: A Perspective from an Applied Sport and Exercise Psychology

Goal setting is a key component of sports psychology and an effective tool to help athletes achieve their potential. However, setting goals is not just about picking something you want to achieve and working towards it. It's essential to set goals that are challenging, specific, and achievable, and that's where SMARTER goals come in.

SMARTER stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound, Evaluate, and Readjust. Compared to SMART goals, SMARTER goals are more comprehensive and focus on the process, outcome, and personal development. Making goal setting an ongoing intervention and not just a one and done task.

Setting goals can also be a good facilitator of conversation with athletes and can be a useful tool in more counselling focused approaches. For example it fits well within in the CBT process and is a useful asset for case formation. It can help athletes identify areas of their lives that they would like to improve or help them work through issues that may be impacting their performance.

One of the benefits of using SMARTER over SMART goals is that it encourages athletes to reflect on their progress regularly. This has a much greater impact than setting a goal and forget about it. Instead, athletes need to evaluate their progress, adjust their plans as necessary, and celebrate their successes. The evaluation and readjust process helps athletes learn from their experiences, build resilience, confidence, and set themselves up for success in the future. It also allows for them to adapt to new obstacles such as deselection and injuries.

It's also worth noting that while setting structured, specific goals can be incredibly useful, sometimes less formal and less structured goals can be useful for wellbeing and exercise psychology settings. Goals related to mental health, stress reduction, or overall wellbeing can be just as important as athletic goals.

Another essential consideration is the importance of non-athletic goals and promoting a dual identity. While it's important to set goals related to athletic performance, it's also essential to recognise the importance of non-athletic goals. By promoting a dual identity, athletes can develop a sense of self-worth and value beyond their athletic abilities, which can have positive effects on their overall wellbeing and athletic performance. Helping athletes to see themselves as more than their sport has several wellbeing and performance benefits, such as helping to reduce competition anxiety, reducing the risk of burnout and providing a buffer to clinical conditions brought on by injury and deselection.

In conclusion, using SMARTER goals with athletes is a powerful tool that can help them achieve their potential and develop important skills such as reflection, evaluation, and resilience. Additionally, it can serve as a facilitator for conversations and aid both counselling and case formulation processes. However, it's also important to remember that less formal and goals related to mental health and wellbeing can be just as important. Finally, recognising the importance of non-athletic goals and promoting a dual identity can help athletes develop a sense of self-worth and value beyond their athletic abilities.

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Leave a comment below about your thoughts on goal setting and if you have ever used SMARTER goals. Also please feel free to get in touch with any questions or if you would like to know more about applied sports psychology or working with myself.

Note: This post is intended to provide general information and is not a substitute for professional advice or support. Please consult with a qualified sports psychologist, mental health professional or get in touch to see how sport and exercise psychology support could work for you.