Cue words are words, phrases, or acronyms that help you with focus, motivation, and even instruction (Sport Success 360). 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.
A cue word is designed to help you re-focus in games, and to bounce back from frustration, choking, 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.” As you can see, sport psychologists are big fans of having athletes use cue words to improve mental toughness and athletic success.
The reason athletes use cue words is that during competition it is very easy to get caught up in the emotions of the game, which often takes away from the focus needed to be successful. For example, when a baseball or 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.
If you decide to come up with a cue word for this season (and you should!), think about the following tips:
- Make the word your own and be sure it is meaningful to you. No word 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 cannot remember 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.
Learn more about cue words by checking out Mind of Steel, and be sure to upload the Sports Performance Assessment to your iphone today!
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