Have you ever experienced a time when nothing athletically seemed to be going right? Have you ever felt capable, well-rested, focused on the task at hand, yet for some reason unable to perform? As a result of that experience, did you feel frustrated, aggravated, angry, down on yourself or demoralized? Did you hear from teammates, coaches and family that "Everything will be alright, just hang in there," yet felt annoyed by their well-intentioned statements of support? Did you begin to wonder if today's aggravation and frustration would carry over into tomorrow's practice or game?
If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, you have experienced "a slump." Slumps might be painful, frustrating and sometimes seem inevitable, but they don't last forever and can actually provide a lesson in disguise.
What is a Slump?
No matter what sport you play or what level you have attained, you will probably experience a slump. A slump is when an athlete performs at an uncharacteristically lower level for a period of time when there appears to be no tangible physiological or technical factors (injury, lack of knowledge or skills) that could account for the drop.
High level athletes seem particularly prone to slumps. These athletes consider sports an integral part of their lives, unlike casual athletes who see sport as a recreational outlet. How long a slump lasts, as well as the intensity of the experience, varies by athlete. And despite all their hard work and commitment, it seems that most career athletes inevitably experience a slump.
Effects of a Slump
A slump can feel confusing, troubling, and sometimes, overwhelming. These feelings emerge because of an athlete's frustration at being unable to predict when a slump will occur or when it will end. Rarely does there appear to be any logical reason for the slump, so it is difficult to make sense out of an experience that seems to occur randomly. Slumps also seem to happen most often at a "bad time" or during a period in one's life when "things seem to be going very well.
It is fairly common for athletes to experience fluctuations in their performance, but negative feelings about the experience begin when the athlete starts believing that performance problems are signaling the beginning of the end, that they indicated a loss of skills or will cause them to fall out of grace with family, fans, and friends. These beliefs and images, though often false, trigger negative self-statements and make already painful feelings worse, having a negative effect on sport-related behavior.
Struggles with self-esteem also begin to take center stage, especially when athletes feel that their slump has lasted for a long time. It is virtually impossible for high-caliber athletes to avoid becoming strongly identified with their sport. In fact, the greater the involvement in, attachment to and success with sports, the more ingrained one's sport/identity becomes. So poor performance often triggers anxiety, panic, depression and anticipatory fear of loss or that one's career is at a crossroads. This shift in focus from athletic self-assurance to worrying about continued poor performance is the key reason why the slump persists.
Overcoming the Slump
The good news is that the actual slump isn't the problem. It is how athletes think about it that makes it feel awful. Fortunately, thoughts and perceptions can change, which is the best way to work through a slump.
Below is a list of possible interventions: