While They’re Demonstrating Their Unhappiness With Their Mistakes, Players are Not Involved in the Game

Sport Psychology: Cue Words Help Players Recover From Mistakes

Pat Aitken for PE Update.com

    In game situations you'll often see players who have made a mistake stomping the ground, “cussin'” at themselves, and generally acting out.
    While it may seem like a good idea to vent such frustrations (as opposed to throwing a punch), in fact it's not productive. Here's why.
    While they're beating up on themselves, players aren't concentrating on the game. They may not be getting back on defense, chasing down a rebound or observing a flaw in an opponent's game.
    They may also be putting added pressure on themselves with internal self-talk such as: “I must do better,” or “Don't mess up again.”
    And finally, they may be angering officials or even ardent fans.
Cue Words to the Rescue
    Obviously, you want your players to get immediately back into the game after an error. One solution is to have them say positive word cues to themselves.
    Cues could include words or phrases like: “Next Time,” “Nice Try,” “Get Back,” or “Rebound.” These cues are positive motivators that immediately refocus your players' attention to the game. In situations where the mistake has made your player genuinely angry, cue words can help them to redirect their anger towards working even harder.
Change their Expectations
    Some kids act out because they see such behavior during TV sports, and/or think they are supposed to express their outrage when they make a bad play.
    A simple explanation of how you want them to behave is often all that's required to change their behavior. For the others, having cue words as tools for controlling themselves may be a necessity.

Cue Words or Phrases Will Help Your Players Respond in a Positive Manner After Mistakes

Learning to Use Cue Words
It takes practice to make effective use of cue words. You can present the following process to your students to help them identify and use cue words.

Think about the kind of mistakes that get you down on yourself.
Where does your focus wander to in those situations?
What positive cues would help you to refocus on the game in those situations?
Practice your cues whenever you goof up—in practice as well as in games.
Visualize yourself in a game feeling angry after an error, then using your cue word to refocus and get you immediately back into the action.

References:
1. Costas Karageorghis & Peter Terry, Inside Sport Psychology, Human Kinetics, 2010.
2. Vikki Krane (Bowling Green State U.), “Attention skills training.” Mental Training and Performance Enhancement: A Guide for Volleyball Coaches and Players, Edited by Brett D. Mills, Eddie Bowers Publishing, Inc., 1995.

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