Figure Skating Practice Part 3: Goal Setting

Figure Skating & Goal Setting

Goal setting is important when wanting to advance in anything in life. In figure skating it is essential to set goals no matter how big or small, so you continue to grow and advance as a skater. As you learn how to skate in the beginning stages, you instantly start creating goals for yourself. When you first begin maybe you set your goal to do a new spin or jump, or to reach a certain level, or maybe competing and placing in the top 3. There are two general types of goal, short-term goals and long-term goals. Setting your goals are to help guide and keep you on track to advance your figure skating skills, keeping you accountable.

Writing down your goals in your Skate 2 Great Pocket Coach ™ Skating Journal, is a good way to remind you of what you want to achieve and your main focus at hand. Setting goals is also a record of what you want to get out of practice, competition, or the skating season. It keeps you accountable, motivated and helps you stay on track to reach your goals.

Motivation – Stay Focused and Positive on the Ice

Goal setting provides you the foundation for your drive. Making goals gives yourself a concrete endpoint to aim for and self motivation. Goals give you something to focus on and motivate you while practicing, putting all of your energy working towards your goals. To maintain your goals, you have to stay motivated to advancing your skills in the right directions.

Long-Term Figure Skating Goals

A long-term goal is something you want to accomplish in the future. These goals require time, patients and planning. A long-term goal for figure skating could be placing third or higher in your final competition of the season or advancing to the next level or even making it to a regional competition . Long-term goals give you an objective to achieve you career goals within figure skating. When setting your long-term goal for the season or next couple of seasons, you need to choose one main goal. Having to many long-term goals can be over whelming and can hinder your success.

Short-Term Figure Skating Goals

Short-term goals are meant to be obtainable on a daily or monthly basis. Your short-term figure skating, goals are the building blocks to your long term goals. Short-term goals provides motivation to advance quickly. These short-term goals are goals that you know are accomplishable but still push you to continue to advance your skating skills at a steady rate.

As an example, if your long-term goal is to place third or higher in your last competition of your season. Your short term goals need to guide and direct you towards your long-term goal, its a road map to your main goal. They might consist of learning new elements or being proficient at the fundamental movements. The short-term goals that you set at the beginning of the season will not be the same short-term goals you have at the end of the season. As you execute your short-term goals, you will continue to tweak your short-term goals to reach your long-term goal.

Making sure your goals reach these standards will allow you to reach your goals more successful. Its important having your goals measurable, realistic, timely and specific. SMART goals give you a sense of direction and pushes you further to help organize and reach your goals. An example of a SMART goal as a figure skater, Making it to the national figure skating competition in 2030.

How to achieve your Figure Skating Goals

Your goals wont be achieved over night, it takes time and determination. The most important way to achieve your figure skating goals is to practice, practice, practice. With out practice, its hard to continue to get better as a skater or continue to advance your skills. Its similar to learning how to become good at math or anything in life, you have to continuously practice. The same is with figure skating you have to constantly practice to achieve your goals. The Skate 2 Great Pocket Coach ™ can help you acheive tour figure skating goals with less time.

Goals guide your focus

When setting figure skating goals, you think of the bigger picture, what do you want for your career in figure skating. Goals guide your focus and help sustain your momentum. Setting goals guide you to stay focused on the task at hand, as a result, leads you in the right direction towards your goals. Once you focus on your goals and begin to gain success on your goals, its easy to sustain momentum. Momentum works the same way as a snowball grows as it goes down a hill.