As Jerry Lynch indicates, there are two kind of athletes: those who went through a slump period and those will go through a slump period. It is inevitable that, sooner or later, athletes eventually go through periods in their careers where their learned skills are abandoning them. They put in a lot of time improving their skills only to end up scratching their heads wondering how long this down period will last.
It is quite common that athletes work harder than ever before hoping to make up or find a way to break the low production. Often time, this over-work tends to backfire. They come to compete already thinking and feeling the extra pressure to do well in order to end the slump. Inevitable, this frame of mind leads to exacerbating the down experience and athletes become overly frustrated and irritated.
It may be counter-intuitive, but taking the opposite approach may eventually work to the athlete’s favor. Accepting that he/she is not producing to his/her potential may welcome a relief of sorts. In fact, there will most likely be less muscle tension, better focus, more relaxation and, eventually better production.
As it often goes, going with the flow may actually pay off. I am not one offering to sit back and do nothing. Just the contrary. Accepting that the athletes is under-producing will avoid bring additional stress.
A tennis player who is having a hard time landing the first serve may be better off seeking to slow just a bid down the velocity of the serve in exchange for more accurate placement. A golfer who is slicing the drive may benefit by aiming just a bit to the left and, in turn, hitting more fairways. Accepting that my A game is not with me today opens the door to finding ways to compensate it while still producing optimal results.
After the competition is over, there will be plenty of time to continue working on mechanics. Bringing frustration only increases the slum period.
If you are in a slump,
1. Accept that it is part of the experience of any athlete. You are not the exception; it is bound to happen, sooner or later.
2. Bring in relaxation exercises and practice an imagery where you see yourself succeeding.