Nicholls' Achievement Goal Theory (1989) proposes that the way individuals define competence and success, or their goal orientations, plays a crucial role in their sports engagement. Therefore, the aim of this study was to further examine the relationships of dispositional goal orientations among taekwondo practitioners and soccer players. The study utilized the Sport Orientation Questionnaire (Duda et al., 1995) to assess the athletes' goal orientations. The sample consisted of 99 young Croatian athletes, with 63 girls and 36 boys. Among them, 50 athletes were taekwondo practitioners, including 32 girls and 18 boys, while 49 athletes were involved in soccer, with 45 boys and 4 girls. Through data analysis obtained from the survey, it was found that taekwondo practitioners exhibited a stronger inclination towards a task orientation rather than an outcome orientation. This indicates that taekwondo athletes are more focused on developing and improving their skills, technical and tactical aspects of the sport, rather than achieving specific results or victories. These findings are consistent with previous research that has also shown that taekwondo practitioners and athletes in other martial arts disciplines are often oriented towards personal performance, self-development, and individual progress. Such goal orientation can be associated with intrinsic motivation and greater satisfaction in sports, as athletes who are focused on learning and skill enhancement often derive more enjoyment from the process of engaging in sports activities. These results highlight the importance of promoting a goal orientation towards learning, progress, and self-development in sports programs and the training of young athletes. Moreover, coaches and professionals working with young athletes should be aware of these differences in goal orientations and adapt their approaches and methodologies accordingly.