What is a Performance Slump?
A performance slump is simply when you struggle to perform at your usual level for an extended period of time.
The biggest challenge related to slumps is an athlete’s misconceptions about slumps, such as:
- Slumps are solely a physical or technical issue.
- The only way to get out of a slump is to wait it out.
- Trying harder fixes a slump.
- Slumps are evidence of a lack of ability.
- Overhauling my technique is the answer.
- Talented athletes never go through slumps. Buying into these misconceptions often prolongs the length of a slump.
Let’s counter these misconceptions by highlighting the facts about slumps. There are six truths about slumps:
- Every athlete, regardless of skill level, experiences a performance slump at some point in their career.
- When you focus on the slump itself or personal statistics during a competition, you will experience increasing levels of self-doubt and pressure further detracting from your performance.
- Slumps are temporary. No slump lasts forever, but your perspective about your slump impacts how long the slump will last.
- Slumps are more than physical or technical issues. Mental factors significantly impact slumps.
- You have the ability to work through your slump by learning and implementing mental strategies during practice, pre-game preparation, and competitions.
- Overcoming your slump will help you become a better and mentally tougher athlete.
Understanding these truths will give you the necessary insight to help you overcome your slump. It is crucial for slumping athletes to grasp that mental barriers contribute most to slumps.
Several consecutive poor performances can shake self-belief, creating a negative cycle of doubt, anxiety, fear of failure, and overthinking.
These factors contribute to losing confidence and further embed the slump within your mind.
University of Michigan Rubin Jones struggled most of the 2024-25 NCAA basketball season. Jones had a subpar shooting percentage throughout the year: 33 percent from the field and 26 percent from the three-point line.
As the postseason nears, Jones will be a key piece if Michigan is to make a deep run in the NCAA tournament.
Jones admitted he had been dwelling on his shooting numbers and knows the answer to overcoming his slump is to immerse himself in the flow of the game.
JONES: “When you’re going through a slump especially, you get to overthinking stuff. You got a wide-open 3 and second guess. I’m like, ‘Man, I just missed. I just missed. I just missed.’ But when you’re just in the flow of the game, you kind of forget about all of that.”
Jones turned to his coaches for advice on how to work through his slump, and their suggestions were simple: focus on doing rather than overthinking.
JONES: “Get back to being myself. Don’t overthink about making 3s. Don’t think too much about the offense thing. Do what I enjoy doing: that’s playing defense, bringing energy to the team, leading the guys. Me focusing on that is going to pay off on the offensive end.”
Instead of being preoccupied with scoring, Jones focused on immersing himself in the game, playing from his strengths, and contributing to his team in other ways.
By altering your perspective, changing your focus, and addressing your mental game, you can break the cycle and regain peak performance.
A performance slump is a natural part of an athlete’s journey. While it can be frustrating, it also presents an opportunity to develop your game in other ways and become a complete player.
Related Sports Psychology Article
- Breaking Through Plateaus for Athletes
- Team Mindset and the Next-Man-Up Mentality
- How to Reach Peak Performance In Athletics
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