Dream Goals can be very useful for improving your dinghy sailing
What the Experts Say
Jon Emmett – Be Your Own Sailing Coach
A dream goal can be very important, as this is perhaps the goal which makes you give 100% every day.
Paul Goodison – Laser Handbook
At the time you write it down it may look unrealistic, but it will help you define what your more immediate outcome goals are
Eric Twiname – Sail, Race and Win
You need a realistic target which you can work towards with enthusiasm; one which is beyond you at the moment, but not impossibly so
Beggs, Derbyshire and Whitmore – Mental and Physical Fitness for Sailing
The dream goal is probably a long way ahead…getting there might look virtually impossible – until you start to break down the problem into manageable chunks
Books with information on Setting Dream Goals for Sailing
The following books have excellent sections on Goal Setting for Sailing:
Laser Handbook – Paul Goodison, page 130
Be Your Own Sailing Coach – Jon Emmett, page 3
Sail, Race and Win – Eric Twiname, page 13
Mental and Physical Fitness for Sailing – Beggs, Derbyshire and Whitmore, page 9
What We Learned…
Dream Goals can be very useful for improving your dinghy sailing. If you don’t have a dream goal right now, no problem. Have a think about what you’d like to achieve 2, 5, 10 years down the line. Have fun with this, and don’t put limits on the dream – after all, it is not something you’re expecting to achieve tomorrow. The important things about setting a dream goal are
- It must be something you really want to achieve
- It should be something you expect to achieve in not less than 12 months, and that could take up to 10 years (or sometimes even more)
Don’t forget, you can change your long term goal, but try to do this early in your improvement programme. You should have something that you are committed to achieving, and that will remind you why you are working so hard at improving. It will also provide clarity and help you focus your training when you need to prioritise areas for improvement.
Some ideas for Dream Goals
- Win a club race
- Win a club series
- Win the Club Championship
- Sail in an Open Event
- Finish in the Top 3 in an Open Event
- Win an Open Event
- Compete in a Class Regional Event
- Finish in the Top 10 in a Class Regional Event
- Finish in the Top 3 in a Class Regional Event
- Win a Class Regional Event
- Compete in a National Championship
- Finish in the Top 10 in a National Championship
- Finish in the Top 3 in a National Championship
- Win a National Championship
- Compete in a Continental Championship
- Finish in the Top 10 in a Continental Championship
- Finish in the Top 3 in a Continental Championship
- Win a Continental Championship
- Compete in a World Championship
- Finish in the Top 10 in a World Championship
- Finish in the Top 3 in a World Championship
- Win a World Championship