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When you work with a Sport Psychology Consultant or Peak Performance Coach they'll take you through each of these steps spending significant time on each one, however you can replicate the experience yourself to extremely good effect.
Step Number 1 - Set your outcome goal
Get really clear on exactly what you want to achieve. Give yourself permission to go a little crazy. Don't worry if your goal currently seems out of reach. Write it down on paper and play around with the phrasing until you are completely happy with it.
Step Number 2 - Picture yourself having already achieved that goal
Reading your outcome goal out loud, find an internal picture that best represents you having already achieved this goal. You can see this picture as a still image or as a video. Either one is fine. Just try and make the picture as clear as possible. For now, create the image as though you are watching yourself.
Step Number 3 - Step into that picture
Next see yourself stepping into the picture. We call this associating into the picture. Allow yourself to fully experience what it's like to be this version of yourself, having achieved this goal. What do you see, what do you hear, and what do you feel?
Step Number 4 - Past pace back to the present moment
Staying associated, take a moment to look back at what you did over the past 3, 6, 12, and 24 months to achieve this goal. What were the critical actions that you took that helped you get to this place?
Step Number 5 - Write down your CAS's
Based on your visualisation identify the 5 critical action steps that you feel had the greatest impact on you achieving your goal. These should be CAA's that you intent to perform daily or at the very least weekly. Write these 5 critical action steps down.
Step Number 6 - Track your CAS's
Create a spread sheet, blog, or some other tracking system that allows you to monitor your progress. I use google docs with my athlete's to increase accountability. If you have a coach or friend that you can use as an accountability partner this system can be very beneficial. Each day grade yourself out of 20 for each of your 5 CAS. Doing this will give you a score out of 100.
Step Number 7 - Celebrate your wins
Develop a system that allows for you to celebrate your wins. For example, every time you set a new personal best for your daily 100 score reward yourself. Every time you set a new personal best for your weekly 700 score reward yourself. Every 10 days that you consistently perform and grade each of your 5 CAS's reward yourself. It doesn't have to be a huge reward, but it is important to include this step. If possible make sure your reward is in alignment with your end goal.
Wrapping Up
The truth is goal setting is important, but what's more important is taking the right type of action towards achieving your goals. I want to leave you of the four objectives of any good goal setting system, that we identified at the start of this article.

Your system will:

1. Provide you with direction and keep you moving forward.
2. Develop clarity on the immediate action steps that you need to take.
3. Provide a platform to evaluate your performance.
4. Lead to a surge of motivation.

If you're goal setting program is not ticking these four boxes then you need to re-evaluate it. To lean more high level tips on goal setting and other peak performance strategies you can visit Matt's blog at www.peakperformancesports.com.au.

Matt Neason is a leading Peak Performance consultant in Australia and founder of Peak Performance Sports.

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When you work with a Sport Psychology Consultant or Peak Performance Coach they'll take you through each of these steps spending significant time on each one, however you can replicate the experience yourself to extremely good effect. Step Number 1 - Set your outcome goal Get really clear on exactly what you want to achieve.

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The UK's leading Sports Psychology Website

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James Haskell: How involved is sport psychology within rugby? - The UK's leading Sports Psychology Website

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Created in 2013, BelievePerform has rapidly grown to become one of the largest Sport Psychology sites in the world. We are proud to boast over 150 writers for our site including a number of elite athletes.

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Renowned for being tough and resilient, many can be forgiven for thinking that rugby players do not need a grasp of sports psychology in order to succeed. However, by implementing sports psychology tactics, rugby players can overcome setbacks such as injuries and match-day defeats.
Training Well
Unfortunately, training the mind is often neglected by many athletes. However, when rugby players train their mind, their bodies will follow. If they feel that they are weaker than their opponents, they will not train as well. This is because they will not see the value in training if they feel that they are going to lose anyway.

Psychologists usually encourage athletes to look backwards, rather than forwards. If the player looks back over their past career, they will see that they have developed significantly as an athlete, rather than focusing on daunting tasks such as training sessions and the big matches that may be ahead of them. This allows players to think more positively and logically about their abilities.
Match-Day Inspiration
Match-days can be very daunting, especially for young and inexperienced players. It can feel as though there is a huge amount of pressure on rugby players. If a player walks out onto a pitch burdened with feelings of anxiety and worry, they will not perform at their best.

However, if an athlete believes that they are the best at what they do, they will be at the top of their game and they will be mentally prepared to defeat their opponents.

Disciplining the mind so that it thinks positively takes time. However, once a player is mentally capable of performing on match-days, they will outstrip their opponents and hold onto this mental toughness for the rest of their lives.
Overcoming Injury Setbacks
Injuries can lead to dips in confidence that can affect performance even after the athlete has fully recovered. Therefore, it is important for a Sports Psychologist to speak to the player soon after their injury has occurred and during the recovery process. As many rugby players dedicate their lives to the sport, they can often feel angry and depressed when they cannot play.

After the Psychologist has developed an understanding of the player's feelings, they can then decide on the best course of treatment together, choosing the best means of recovery in a clear and positive way. As the athlete is treated and goes through the process of rehabilitation, small recovery goals should be set. As the player achieves each goal, they will slowly begin to increase their confidence, preparing them for their return to rugby.
Motivation after Defeat
Asking rugby players to remain calm in the face of defeat is not an easy task. Many players take defeats personally, viewing themselves as incapable of playing their sport. However, once emotions have subsided slightly, it is important that Sports Psychologists speak to team members. This encourages the team to think clearly about their defeat and pinpoint why they lost.

When the team carefully considers what happened, why they lost, and what they will do about it, the issues that they are experiencing will subside. At this point, they will be able to overcome their weaknesses, grow in confidence and succeed in their coming matches.
Supporting the Underdog
Leading up to big rugby matches, the media can often label certain teams as "underdogs" or as the team that is less likely to win. This can affect the mindset of rugby players. If they believe that they will not win, they simply won't. However, sports psychology can overcome difficult circumstances like this and increase the "underdog's" chances of victory.

To create an environment that facilitates success, Sports Psychologists encourage feelings of trust, positivity and enjoyment during training sessions. This improves team morale and means that players will support each other when it comes to match-day, whether they are considered to be the underdogs or not.
Using Sports Psychology to Improve Your Performance
Rugby certainly isn't a game for the faint-hearted. Players need to be at their best physically and psychologically in order to succeed. However, if sports psychology is used as a means for overcoming obstacles such as injury and loss, players will have a much greater chance of succeeding.

This article is written by Joe Gann

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Renowned for being tough and resilient, many can be forgiven for thinking that rugby players do not need a grasp of sports psychology in order to succeed. However, by implementing sports psychology tactics, rugby players can overcome setbacks such as injuries and match-day defeats. Training Well Unfortunately, training the mind is often neglected by many athletes.