Setting Goals

One most importing thing when thinking about training is goals. They keep you motivated, they’ll keep you on track whenever your leading off.

The Reason Why

I would recommend everybody who train handstands in any form or dedication to set them self a goal or two. There is a lot of reasons for doing this, and almost no negatives. I’ll just start listing.

• Goals will make it easier to track your progress
• They -hopefully- will keep you motivated for long period
• May make your training more fun or worthwhile.
• The awesome feeling when reaching your goal.

How to set your goals

Goals need to be realistic, not to near but not to far away in the future. Easy recognizable and fairly easy to measure/test. I’ll list a few examples here for you;

Handstand Hold:
Track progress on how long, straight or easy you do it.
Tracking the handstand hold is fairly easy, measure from time to time how good you are. Gather results and watch your progress.
To train for this goal you need to practice those handstands, the transitions and in general get used to it. It will take some time, but you’ll get the hang of it soon.

Handstand Pushups:
How many, how straight, how slow etc.
This is a bit tougher one, and may require a bit of weight lifting adding muscles to the parts used in this specific move.

It’s not perfect!

However, setting goals may be a two edge sword thing, what if you don’t reach it? I can tell you right now that you won’t fulfill every goal you make or do have. That’s life. However there’s a  few tips to use:

• Try to make a list of goals, near future, bit more distant and so on. Don’t overdo it, just make sure you have a set of goals that are manageable.
• Make yourself a dream goal. This is a goal that you know it’s a pretty long shot to get, and that you don’t get disappointment if you’re not going to reach it.
• Change goals now and then, sometimes the goals you set in the past, does not past the future, there’s nothing wrong in modifying it.

Let me illustrate this for you with some previous goals I had. Earlier this year I made a list of things I wanted to learn/do before the summer was over. The list was this:

1. one armed handstand
2. the human flag
3. reverse lower down.

Dream Goal: To travel to a foreign country visiting people doing handstands.

Now, we haven’t even reach mid summer yet, I’ve accomplished Reverse Lower Down and One Armed Handstand (that last one to a certain degree, but I’m satisfied). The human flag progress is going slow, but it’s still progress. The fun part is  this; I thought that Human Flag was the easy hit here.. Guess I was wrong. Which was a nice surprise, since the two others feels good to accomplish, it’s like a nice surprise. It really boosts your self confidence.

Self confidence should not be underrated. Make yout goals, and I’ll see you upside down already

The SMART Method Check List

There is method developed for setting goals called the SMART model. I got to say that I’ve used it all the time, without knowing it. However when I realized it it was way easier to set goals, since there were actually five words I had to think about.

Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Relevant
Time

Specific:In our case that’s handstands, so choose goals that reflect your goal with handstands. This could be strength training, techniques and such.

Measurable:It’s hard to track in milliseconds, so be sure that you goal is easily measurable.  (look above for  tips)

Attainable:Don’t set goals you can’t possible reach, but then again, set goals that are outside your comfort zone. (unless it’s your dream goal )

Relevant:Self explaining isn’t it? It should be a relevant goal.

Time:Give yourself a time period, give this a few thoughts, challenge yourself!