Why Goal Setting?
Goal Setting and Self-Efficacy: Goal setting is a crucial aspect of Marathon Kids' program. It is emphasized because it helps individuals build self-efficacy, which is their belief in their own ability to succeed and accomplish tasks. Self-efficacy plays a vital role in initiating and maintaining behavior change.
Practices of Goal Setting: Coaches can guide participants in setting and working towards both personal and collective goals. To make goal setting more achievable, it's important to break down large, intimidating goals into smaller, short-term objectives. All participants contribute to the group goal, and celebrating goal achievements is encouraged.
Using Club Goals for Education: Coaches have the opportunity to use the club's objectives as an educational tool to teach goal-setting practices. By doing this, they can enhance participants' self-efficacy and promote the adoption of positive behaviors. Starting with smaller, attainable goals and gradually increasing the challenge over time is a suggested approach to building confidence and motivation.
The How
Coaches can use the club goal as a point of learning to teach participants the following practices of goal setting:
Focus on short-term goals
The club goal may be a really big number and hard for participants to fathom.
Break the goal into smaller short-term goals to teach participants the importance of making a plan when you set a goal.
Every participant contributes to the goal
Lap by lap, day by day all participants will work together to collectively crush the club goal.
Recognize Goal Achievement
Display the club goal and data
Personal endurance toward their own goal
Give them the opportunity to succeed, then build upon that.
Start a session goal that is manageable like a .50 mile goal and increase over time.
Show participants how their laps turn into miles and those miles will start to add up.
Coaches and participants are encouraged to celebrate all achievements as they work towards individual and collective goals.
Coaches have the opportunity to employ the club's objectives as a valuable teaching tool for instructing participants in the art of setting goals. We want to use the running club environment to increase self-efficacy, and in turn, encourage behavior adoption.
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