SMART Goals for Your Season

Matt Krug, Ph.D.

June 17, 2026

Softball player holding a bat at the ballpark

We use the SMART method—specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound—when setting goals. Here is how that process works for a hitter:

Specific: Improve two-strike approach.
Measurable: I will track my strikeout rate with two strikes.
Achievable: Cutting that rate by five percentage points is challenging but realistic.
Relevant: My coach says two-strike at-bats are where I have the most growth potential.
Time-bound: By the end of this season.

Finally, put your SMART goal somewhere you will see it every day—your locker, your phone's lock screen, the inside of your cap. Then design practice sessions that move you toward it.

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