Cue words are words, phrases, or acronyms that help you with focus, motivation, and even instruction. Cue words are unique to every athlete and can be placed in a variety of places, including in your locker, on your equipment, and even on your bedroom wall. Sport psychologists have taught elite-level athletes how to use cue words, and now increasingly more interscholastic and youth-level athletes are experiencing the same benefits.
Why cue words work
A cue word is designed to help you re-focus in games, and to bounce back from frustration, adversity, and failure. For example, a high school athlete might choose to use the word “State” as a reminder of her ultimate goal, and she might write this word on her palm every time she goes out to compete. Acronyms are also effective to use, like “FOEP” could stand for “Focus on Every Play,” or “RMFP” could stand for “Reach My Full Potential.”
The reason athletes use cue words is that during competition it is very easy to get caught up in the emotions of the game, often stealing the focus needed to be successful. For example, when a baseball/softball player strikes out, negative emotions usually run high and take away from the fact that it was just one at bat and how there will be plenty more AB’s in the future. A cue word can help quickly redirect focus, energy, and enthusiasm toward the next opportunity to be successful.
If you decide to come up with a cue word for this season think about the following tips:
- Make the word your own and be sure it is meaningful to you. No word/phrase/acronym is too silly to use, so long as it has meaning to you.
- Try not to make the cue word(s) too long or confusing, as the idea is to think of the word quickly when in games so that you can immediately put your focus back on success
- Be sure to put your cue word in places where you will see it – remember, a cue word is meaningless if you do not use it during competition
- Try to use your cue word before each play, if possible. For example, if you play football try to quickly think of your cue word moments before each snap so that you can turn your attention back to a positive thought.
Final thoughts
Competitive athletes want to win the mental moments of sport competition, and one way to do that is to have a tool ready that can help re-direct energy into more positive and productive thoughts while competing. Cue words work because they have been previously conditioned to help athletes immediately take their thoughts away from something negative (a strikeout) toward something pleasant and exciting (an image of a pleasant thought or image). This quick change of thinking can have a positive impact on mood state, focus, attention, confidence, and resiliency — all pieces of athletic (and life) success.
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