Process goals and outcome goals: aim at what you can control
Why "win the tournament" is a poor goal for a practice, and how to set small goals about your own play that lower pressure and build confidence.
Two kinds of goals
- Outcome goals are about winning or doing better than someone else: winning a match, reaching a ranking, being selected. They matter, but they depend on other people. You can play very well and still lose.
- Process goals are about your own improvement: a technique, a movement, a tactic, a habit. You decide whether you did them.
Examples
- Outcome goal: "I will win the club tournament." — Process goal: "In this tournament I will breathe out slowly between points."
- Outcome goal: "I will beat my rival." — Process goal: "By the end of the session I will play a straight backhand drop shot consistently from a hand-fed shuttle."
Why it matters
Players often expect a lot of themselves, and friends, family and teachers add to it without meaning to. Expectations are linked to results, so they make you judge every point as good or bad, which raises pressure and wears confidence down. Attention on a process you control takes the weight off the result.
Step by step: setting a process goal
- Observe first. Notice one part of your game at a time (footwork, balance, racket skills, decisions) and write down only what you see, without "good" or "bad".
- Pick one thing that matters most for now.
- Write it with a doing word. Start with "By the end of [a date or session], I will be able to…" and use a verb you can see: perform, play, keep, use.
- Make it small and checkable. "Keep my elbow high on three of five lifts" can be checked; "be better at the back" cannot.
- Check it and renew it. After the session, say whether you did it. If yes, make the next goal a little harder; if no, make it smaller.
Common mistakes and fixes
- Only outcome goals. Keep them if you like, but add one process goal for each match or practice.
- Vague goals. Replace "play more calmly" with a visible action, such as "one slow breath before every serve".
- Too many goals. One or two per session.
- Judging yourself on the score. After a match ask first "did I do my process goal?"
Simple practice
- Before your next practice game, write one process goal on a card or in your phone.
- After the game, answer yes or no, and write one sentence about why.
- Before your next match, choose a process goal for the first game and a different one for the second.
Limits
These are general habits, not psychological or medical advice. If worry about playing is strong and lasts, talk to a qualified person.
General practice advice: play within your limits and stop if something hurts.