Which of the following is an external cue?

• A. Telling a student to think about the wrist hinge during the swing
• B. Focusing on the swing tempo as a rhythm
• C. Observing ball flight after impact
• D. Instructing a highly skilled player to visualize hitting a fade when he or she is frequently hooking the ball

Answer: (D)

External focus cues direct attention to the result of the movement in the environment rather than to the body's mechanics. Visualizing hitting a fade focuses the player on the ball’s intended flight and the target outcome, not on how the wrists, grip, or swing should move. This helps the nervous system organize the movement more automatically and can improve accuracy and consistency, especially when a player tends to slice or hook because it reduces conscious control over every component of the motion.

Thinking about the wrist hinge or about swing tempo as a rhythm keeps attention on internal body actions, which can disrupt automatic coordination and sometimes hinder performance. Observing ball flight after impact provides feedback rather than guiding the action during the swing, so it isn’t an in-the-moment external cue. That combination makes the instruction to visualize a fade the best example of an external cue.