Setting yourself some specific goals can help you keep up your motivation in training and competing. When you have goals, it is easier to keep track of your development. If you focus too much on a result on a competition course, it might have a negative impact on your performance.
A goal can be something entirely different than running a clean run. You can create a task for yourself, for example “Today I am going to stay connected with my dog during the whole course”, or “I will handle the course without my hands / verbal commands”. By challenging yourself, you will focus on what is actually happening on the course, instead of thinking about things that you have no control over, such as the final results.
You can even create your own competition! Remember this video of Janita Leinonen and Fu training contacts in a competition?
Why do you need goals?
"Goals and your goal-setting practices affect your performance, training motivation and self-confidence more than you think," says Vappu Alatalo, a specialist in sport psychology, in her article "Objectives - Magic!"
"The more precisely thought out and consciously set our objectives are, the more likely it is that we will achieve what we want. Clear objectives also help us to decide what should be done in situations where a choice must be made", Vappu says.
The goals you set to yourself are supposed to challenge you, and inspire you in your training. On the other hand, if you aim too high, you will probably get frustrated quite quickly.
In their article "Keys To Success", the leading OneMind Dogs coaches Janita Leinonen and Jaakko Suoknuuti point out an important fact: "You need to set your goals high, but they must be realistic, and you need to acknowledge your own - and your dog's - characteristics."
You’ve got skills, now use them!
Janita and Jaakko advice their students to train as they compete, and to compete as they train. "Training and competing should go hand in hand. This way, a competition run is a normal performance, and there's no need to feel it would require some sort of a supernatural performance."
Vappu Alatalo instructs competitors to forget their result-oriented goals in trials. "If you constantly must get results and show off your competence in the competition, you do not dare to “test-drive” the skills you have been practicing. Taking the risk of failing is necessary for developing your skills. You need feedback on how that new handling or tempo works in real life – in the trial situation. If you don’t expose yourself to this valuable feedback, your training program will be at a standstill and your practice sessions will probably be spent on training all the wrong things. Skills, however well trained, will not help you reach your objectives unless you have practiced using the skills on trials too."
What is success?
Success does not mean the same thing for everyone. Janita and Jaakko write: "Before you can find the secret of success, you need to define success."
"For some, success might be getting clean runs, or finishing their dog's agility championship. One person might be happy with placing, no matter what the results, while another may think that true success can only be reached at the World Championships."
The journey towards your goals is more important than any amount of success. Enjoy the ride!
What are your goals in agility? Leave a comment in the comment field below!
