The coach should start by thinking about what the skating season is all about and what the goals, priorities and expectations are for the skater. It then would be beneficial to start thinking about the upcoming season in three ways:

1. POSSIBLE AREAS OF CONCERN FOR THE SKATER THIS YEAR.

2. SPECIFIC GOALS THAT CAN BE SET IN EACH OF THESE AREAS.

3. STRATEGIES IN PURSUING THESE GOALS.

The coach should also start to think about how the skater can be involved in the goal setting and planning activities. It is important to find out why the athletes are skating and what their expectations are as soon as possible. If the coach's goals, priorities and expectations are incompatible with those of the athletes (or vice versa) the earlier in the skating season you find out, the better. Both sides need to find an acceptable solution while options still exist.

There are other reasons for involving the athletes in goal setting and planning during the skating season. Evidence suggests that involving the skater in discussions and decisions early can increase the awareness of and the commitment to their goals. Involving the skater in goal setting also results in a form of psychological contracting which can be an extremely effective motivational and leadership technique for the coach.

It is advisable to plan and conduct a number of planning sessions at the beginning of the year for the purpose of involving the skater in creating and compiling a comprehensive list of goals and intentions for the upcoming season.

Prior to the planning sessions with the skater, the coach should have done considerable preparation and homework. A fairly comprehensive list of areas of concern should have been developed along with examples of specific goals and possible strategies.

The coach also should have listed any limitations with which the skater has to contend during the skating season. The skater should be made aware of limited practice time, required dress code, or any other organizational, institutional or economic limitations prior to any goal setting or detailed planning. Clarifying these issues early results in more realistic goal setting and avoids the frustration of these things coming up later and disrupting the process.

Many skaters have never been asked to contribute to a process like this before (some skaters may not even know why they are skating in the first place!) and the homework the coach has done is a big help in stimulating discussion and getting the skater to contribute. It may be necessary to give examples of specific goals and possible strategies to give goal setting and planning "homework" exercises to your skaters. Simply allowing time between practice sessions for skaters to think about the topics may help.

It is, however, beneficial to set a co-operative motivational climate at this stage and have as , many ideas as possible originate from the skater. The more the skater contributes to the plan the more likely they will feel committed to it.

The coach is being democratic at this stage, but not laissez-faire and it is important to be organized and appear confident, goal-oriented and committed. The skater should feel free and functional in contributing to the discussion but recognize the commitment necessary to achieve his or her goals .