3 Bad Cues

“Constantly talking isn’t necessarily communicating.”

-Charlie Kaufmann

What makes a cue “bad”?  Put simply, Bad = Ineffective.  At best, bad cues don’t get the point across.  At worst, bad cues cause the opposite of the intended result and can even cause injury.   

Bad Cue #1:  “YOU CAN DO IT!!!!”

I call these types of cues Cheerleader Cues.  To be clear, I want my students to grow, and in order to grow they must push their limits in a healthy way.  The problem with this cue is the assumption that everyone can “do it” (sometimes they actually can’t), and the aggressive tone and attitude behind it.  There’s a big difference between telling a student that they can handle an exercise based on a careful understanding of their capabilities vs. shouting “YOU CAN DO IT!” or “KEEP GOING!” mindlessly at a group of people.  One is leadership, the other is noise.  If you rely on cheerleader cues your students will eventually learn to tune you out.   

Bad Cue #2:  “Neutral Pelvis.”

Before you grab your pitchfork and torch and storm my house in protest, let me put your mind at ease:  There’s nothing necessarily wrong with wanting the pelvis to be in a neutral position on certain exercises.  The problem isn’t the position. The problem is that most of your students have no idea what “neutral pelvis” means (one experienced student recently admitted to me that she didn’t understand what it meant, despite having heard the cue repeatedly over years of practice).  Of course, you could try to explain it:  “A neutral pelvis is holding the Iliac crest and sacrum in the same plane parallel to the floor.” Now, instead of focusing on the details of controlled movement, your students are Googling what “Iliac crest” is and trying to remember the difference between “parallel” and “perpendicular”.

I call this type of cue an Anatomy Cue, meaning you might need to be a doctor to understand it.  A correct anatomical statement isn’t necessarily a good cue.  Knowing the name and function of every muscle doesn’t make you a good instructor any more than knowing the name and function of every part of a car makes you a good driving instructor.  If a cue needs to be explained then it isn’t a good cue.

The second problem with using cues like “Neutral Pelvis” (or “flat back” if that’s your preferred flavor) is that it is based on an ideal anatomical position.  Every body is different:  Different shapes, sizes, limitations, ages, etc.  Forcing every student into the same position would be like making everyone wear the same size shoe.  Pain and injury are likely to follow.

Bad Cue #3:  “Good Job.”

Let me explain.  I love to praise my students when they do something praiseworthy.  However, giving positive feedback without it being earned first comes across as phony or patronizing.  This is what I call a Feel Good Cue, meaning you say it mostly to make yourself feel good.  Just completing an exercise isn’t itself worthy of praise.  Constant positive feedback doesn’t make students strong, it makes them comfortable.  If you constantly give feel good cues, your genuine compliments start to lose their meaning.  It’s the boy who cried wolf in reverse.

Feel like you've hit a wall in your practice? Find out how to overcome it in my next blog, Give Up (a.k.a, How to Be Happier).