Setting Goals

I am just back from visiting my 30 year old son in Santa Barbara, California. He participated in the first Santa Barbara marathon and I wanted to be there to cheer him on. He came back from a broken ankle and started to train just a few short months ago. He is not a "runner", but he set a goal for himself to finish the 26.2 mile race. He not only accomplished this goal, but he broke 4 hours in the process. I am very proud of him on so many levels, and he feels proud that he stuck with it through lots of pain. He wrote a wonderful article about his experience on Noozhawk.com, an online newspaper in Santa Barbara. Check it out. Whatever goals we set for ourselves, there is a satisfaction in knowing we gave it our best effort. In dealing with volleyball teams, the goals will vary according to the age and skill level of the players. Give them small goals to work toward, and have them think of goals they would like to reach during the season. Long term goals are great. Don't discourage them from wanting to become a professional beach player or an Olympian, but have them also set some immediate goals they can accomplish this week and this season. Something like getting their serve over the net or learning the overhand serve might be great accomplishments for a beginning player. Assess where each player is starting and give them little improvements to strive for. You want short term goals to be attainable. With club season starting up, please write with any comments, suggestions or questions you want to share. Bye for now.