Goal setting and self-talk in circus

This chapter covers the mental skills goal setting and self-talk in the circus context. The chapter starts with a discussion of the performance and mental health consequences of different goal types. The benefits of a combination of long- and short-term goals, approach goals, and mastery goals are discussed. Following this, the SMARTS principle is introduced to promote effective goal setting in circus. The impact of positive, instructional, and negative self-talk on performance and mental health is discussed, followed by a brief introduction to ironic effects. The chapter concludes with advice on thought-swapping from negative self-talk to positive or instructional self-talk using circus-specific scenarios.