SLUMPS IN COMPETITIVE SPORTS
Performance slumps are one of the most common, yet mysterious,
phenomena in sports. Typically viewed as unexplained drops
in performances, slumps are a source of concern for athletes
and coaches. Despite its visible place in the collective psyche
of the athletic community, little is known about the causes
or cures for performance slumps. As a consequence, this article
will look at how athletes and coaches may prevent, identify,
and overcome slumps.
What is a Slump?
Slumps are used to describe a wide variety of performance
declines. As a result, there has been no clear definition
of what a slump really is. For example, Webster's New Collegiate
Dictionary (Merriam-Webster, 1974) defines a slump as "a
period of poor or losing play by a team or individual"
(p. 1095). However, this definition lacks precision. Several
factors must be considered in defining slumps. First, ability
is important. That is, if the team is always lousy, their
poor play would not be a slump. As such, current performance
must always be compared to a previous level of play. Second,
the length of the decline is relevant. For example, a baseball
hitter who goes 0 for 4 may not be in a slump, but if he goes
0 for 25, he probably is. Third, a common aspect of a slump
is that there seems to be no apparent explanation for the
decline. If there is an obvious reason for the drop in performance,
such as an injury, then it would not be a slump. Finally,
a slump is subjective, i.e., a slump for one person may not
be a slump for another.
In defining a slump, these factors must be taken into consideration.
As a result, a slump is presently defined as: An unexplained
drop in performance that extends longer than would be expected
from normal ups and downs of competition (Taylor, 1988).
Identifying a Slump
An inherent part of sports participation is that performance
will vary naturally during the course of a season. In other
words, it is rare for athletes to maintain a consistently
high level of performance. As a result, most performance declines
are simply a typical part of the ups and downs of competition.
So, the question is whether a decline is a slump or just a
natural drop in the performance cycle?
The first step in determining whether a decline is a slump
is to evaluate an athlete's average level of performance.
That is, how does the athlete usually perform? For statistically-oriented
sports like baseball and basketball, this can be measured
by plotting performance to date on a graph. Then, normal variation
can be determined by seeing the ups and downs that commonly
occur during the season. Next, recent performance can be compared
to the normal variation. If the current decrease is unusually
low, it may be a slump. Finally, a superficial look at the
causes of the decline should be done. If there is no obvious
cause of the drop in performance, it is safe to say that the
athlete is in a slump.
Causes of Slumps
The causes of performance slumps can be grouped into four
general categories. First, perhaps the most common cause of
slumps is a physical problem. These difficulties include fatigue,
minor injuries, and lingering illness. Second, slumps may
be due to subtle changes in technique that occur during the
course of a season. These changes may be in the execution
of the skill or in the timing of the movement. Third, slumps
may begin with changes in an athlete's equipment, e.g., loosening
of string tension on a tennis racquet or a different weight
of a new baseball bat. Particularly in those sports that require
elaborate equipment, there is a precise balance between equipment
and technique. As a result, a slight change in equipment may
alter technique, thereby hurting performance. Fourth, slumps
can be caused by psychological factors. Furthermore, the mental
contributors may be related to or independent of the athletic
involvement. For example, a particularly poor performance
may reduce confidence and increase anxiety, which could lead
to a prolonged drop in performance. In contract, issues away
from competition such as family difficulties, financial problems,
and school struggles may distract concentration, increase
stress, and decrease motivation, thus resulting in a performance
decline.
Recommendations for Preventing Slumps
The best way to deal with slumps is to prevent them from happening.
Slumps can be prevented by paying careful attention to the
causes of slumps and taking steps to avoid those causes.
Physical. As discussed above, many slumps begin with physical
difficulties. More specifically, slumps are often caused by
the normal physical wear-and-tear of the competitive season.
As a result, performance slumps may be prevented by paying
attention to various factors that influence an athlete's physical
state.
One important area that can be addressed is physical condition.
Quite simply, athletes who are well-conditioned will be less
susceptible to fatigue, injury, and illness. Consequently,
a rigorous off-season physical training program and a competitive
season physical maintenance program will help minimize slumps
due to physical breakdown. Second, a significant part of slump
prevention is rest. In other words, physical deterioration
can be lessened by actively incorporating rest into athletes'
training and competitive regimens. Adequate rest can be assured
in several ways. Days off can be built into the weekly training
schedule. For example, in sports with weekend competitions,
having mandatory Mondays off is a good way to ensure that
athletes are able to recover from the prior week's training
and the stresses of the previous days' competition.
Third, athletes can reduce the quantity and increase the quality
of training as the season progresses. This approach will allow
athletes to maintain a high level of health and energy right
through the end of the season. This is especially important
in sports that have lengthy season such as baseball, tennis,
and golf.
Fourth, planning a responsible competition schedule can also
prevent slumps. Perhaps the most demanding aspect of sports
involvement is the actual competition. Competing in too many
events is both physically and mentally draining and may be
counterproductive for the athlete. As a result, athletes and
coaches need to select the competitions that are most important
for the athletes and to avoid scheduling events that serve
no specified purpose in the athlete's seasonal competitive
plan.
Fifth, scheduling time off about three weeks before an important
competition, particularly when it is towards the end of the
season, can help to ensure a high level of performance. This
strategy allows athletes to recover from previous competitions,
overcome nagging injuries and illness, focus attention on
the upcoming competition, and prepare for the final push toward
that competition.
Most fundamentally, the best way to reduce the likelihood
of a slump due to physical causes is for athletes to listen
to their bodies. They need to acknowledge fatigue, injury,
and illness and when any are evident, they should be dealt
with immediately. Simply put, athletes must learn to work
hard and rest hard.
Technical. Slumps that are caused by technical changes can
also be prevented by taking steps to maintain sound technique
which results in strong performance. First, technique is best
developed during the off-season when the primary focus is
on technical improvement and there is adequate time to fully
acquire the skills. As a result, technically-induced performance
slumps may be prevented by minimizing technical work done
during the competitive season. Working on technique may not
only disturb the technique that is producing good performance,
it may also hurt performance by reducing confidence and distracting
concentration. In addition, maintaining a video library of
good technique and performances can be used by athletes and
coaches to remind them of proper technique and to compare
current with past technique.
Technological. The best way to prevent technologically-related
performance slumps is to maintain equipment at its high performance
level. For example, tennis racquets should be restrung before
their tension changes or if a favorite baseball bat is broken,
it should be replaced by another of identical weight and balance.
Psychological. Performance slumps that are caused by psychological
factors can be addressed at two levels. First, for those difficulties
that arise directly from competition, it is important to have
athletes engaged in a regular mental training program. This
approach will develop athletes' mental skills in areas such
as self-confidence, anxiety, concentration, and motivation,
thereby making them more resilient to the negative psychological
effects of periodic poor performance. In addition, following
poor performance, it is necessary for athletes to actively
combat these negative psychological effects by employing these
mental skills. This will prevent them from getting caught
in a self-perpetuating vicious cycle of low self-confidence
and poor performance.
Second, for those difficulties that occur away from the sport,
it is necessary for athletes to work them out quickly and
effectively. In addition, the previously-learned mental skills
can used to leave these difficulties off the field, so that,
at least during competition, athletes are able to maintain
their proper focus and intensity, thus preventing a drop in
performance.
SlumpBusting Plan
It is essential that slumps be addressed in an organized and
systematic way. Athletes and coaches must look at each cause
and determine to best way to alleviate it. In addition, the
attitude that athletes and coaches have about getting out
of the slump will also be a factor. Typically, athletes and
coaches believe that athletes can just jump out of their slump.
However, the fact is that it takes time to get into a slump
and it takes time to get out of one. As a result, athletes
and coaches must be prepared to put in the necessary time
and effort for the athletes to return to their previous level
of performance.
Time-Out
The first thing that athletes need to do in the SlumpBusting
process is take some time away from training and competition
that provides a change of scenery and people. This time-out
offers several benefits. First, slumps produce strong negative
thinking and emotions in athletes, which helps to maintain
the slump. The time-out enables athletes to let go of the
negative attitudes and feelings and regain a positive attitude
for upcoming preparation and competition. In other words,
the time-out acts like an emotional vacation and provides
them with much-needed perspective with which to look ahead
toward better performances.
Second, slumps can be draining physically and emotionally.
Consequently, time-out allows athletes to recover and to "recharge
their batteries." This restoration will further assist
in the return to competitive form.
Third, the time-out gives athletes the opportunity to devise
an organized plan to overcome the slump. The time away from
the sport will enhance athletes' ability to view their slump
objectively. They can then use this information to alleviate
the slump in the shortest possible time.
Goal-Setting
A critical part of the SlumpBusting Plan is to develop an
organized program aimed at alleviating the slump. This program
is based on setting a series of specified goals. As with all
goals that are set, these should be specific, realistic, and
measurable.
Return-to-form goal. This goal defines the ultimate purpose
of the SlumpBusting program. In particular, the return-to-form
goal indicates the level of performance to which the athlete
wants to return. For example, a baseball hitter in a slump
might set his return-to-form goal at his pre-slump batting
average.
Causal goals. These goals focus on the level of performance
associated with the particular causes of the slump. If there
is more than one cause of a slump, it important that a goal
be set for each cause. For example, if a slump is caused by
an injury and maintained by a loss of self-confidence, then
separate goals should be set for rehabilitating the injury
and for rebuilding self-confidence.
Daily training goals. Once the causal goals have been established,
daily goals must be set in order to achieve the causal goals.
The daily training goals specify what athletes must do in
their regular training to relieve the causes, thereby alleviating
the slump. It is important in determining these goals to understand
what is required to overcome the causes of the slump. For
example, if a cause involves a technical problem, it is up
to the athlete and coach to decide the best way to resolve
the technical flaw and, more specifically, what to do in training
to work toward the causal goal. Additionally, these goals
should ensure that the athletes progress toward their causal
and return-to-form goals in an incremental and constructive
way.
Daily performance goals. Frequently, athletes are unable to
take time off to work on their slump due to their competitive
schedule. As a result, it is often necessary to keep performing
while trying to relieve the slump. This situation is difficult
because it forces athletes to keep performing at a sub-par
level. Daily performance goals provide a level of performance
to work toward that, though below the return-to-form level,
is above the current slump level. These goals act to motivate
the athlete and reinforce rather than discourage effort by
furnishing realistic levels toward which to aim. They also
provide a positive orientation that will help the athlete
in resolving the slump.
Counseling
It is also recommended that, along with the SlumpBusting plan,
athletes in severe slumps have individual and group counseling
available to them. As mentioned earlier, a significant component
of a performance slump is the negative emotional chain that
develops. Individual counseling enables athletes to air their
thoughts and feelings to an objective observer and allows
the counselor to provide effective coping skills that will
help the athlete better deal with the anxiety and concerns
of being in a slump. Group counseling enables athletes to
share their experiences about slumps. These sessions have
several functions. First, they provide a structured system
of social support for the slumping athletes, thereby relieving
the feelings of loneliness and isolation that are often present.
Second, these sessions show athletes that their feelings are
not unique and are, in fact, natural and expected. Third,
they allow athletes to share their ideas about how to get
out of a slump.
Conclusion
By following these recommendations, it will be possible for
athletes to minimize the number of slumps they fall into during
the competitive season. In addition, for those slumps that
do arise, coaches and athletes will have the knowledge and
skills to get out them in the shortest, most effective way.
Taylor, J. (1991, January/February). |
