Slump Busting 10-2009

CANOE -- SLAM! Sports - Columnists - Tychkowski: Slump busting 101

    

SLAM!

    

Canoe

     

Page 1 of 3

Web

Inside CANOE.CA 

Wed, November 5, 2008

COLUMNISTS

Sport Index

Slump busting 101



Oilers learn lessons about momentum

SCOREBOARD SPORTS TALK TRANSACTIONS DAILY SPORTS SKED UPCOMING EVENTS QUOTE OF THE DAY TRIVIA CANOË SPORTS

COLUMBUS -- If you build it they will come, and if you doubt it you will lose. Those are the golden rules when creating a field of dreams or escaping a nightmarish slump - take it from some guys who know a thing or two about navigating the dark, troubled waters of futility. On a five-game losing streak with six games left to play on their road trip, the Edmonton Oilers looked like they were starting out on a death march that would sewer their season by midNovember. Then, as suddenly as the losing started, it stopped. Back-to-back wins over Carolina and Philadelphia helped them sidestep a complete disaster. How did they right the ship? Good question. "When a slump gets to four or five, that's a lot of games to lose in a row," said Oilers captain Ethan Moreau. "That's when you need veterans making sure everybody has the right mind-set because if you don't it can get pretty ugly. No matter how bad it is, it can always get worse." It's been a season of fits and starts for the Oilers - four straight wins, followed by five straight losses, followed by two straight wins. Momentum swings are clearly a factor, so knowing how to stay on the right side of them is crucial.

http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Columnists/Tychkowski/2008/11/05/7311726-sun.html

Back to School Everything you need to get ready for school.

9/25/2009

CANOE -- SLAM! Sports - Columnists - Tychkowski: Slump busting 101

And not getting sucked into the vortex of gloom when you've lost four or five in a row is vital to survival. "When you're losing, you want to reel it in as fast as you can," said Fernando Pisani. "But if it doesn't happen, you can't get down, you can't get negative or you end up feeling like you're trying to skate uphill, fighting every stride, fighting every puck and every pass. You have to make sure you still keep a positive attitude coming to the rink or you're never going to get out of it." Easier said than done when every pass seems a little off and every shot that's heading for a corner hits the post, and all you hear all day is how bad you are, and all anyone with a microphone or notepad wants to know is why the hockey club is such a terrible mess.

Page 2 of 3

Great prices! shopping.canoe.ca

Find a used Ford Get it now at Zender Ford in Edmonton www.autonet.ca

Check out new & used cars. Find a car & get a great deal! Search from 14 search engines in 1. www.info.com

I Got $12,000 CAD Dollars From the Canadian Government. Find Out How I did it. richgetsricher.com

"You have to be mentally strong," said Pisani. "It's obviously part of the game for people to ask questions, but you have to be strong enough mentally to put that behind you and correct what you need to correct. "We have the mentality in that dressing room that no matter the situation, we don't get down on ourselves."

$84/Hr Part-Time Job Make $5500 A Month Online. As Seen On ABC, CNN, and CBS. philadelphiacitypost.com Klix.ca

Advertise!

As tempted as a coach is to crack the whip after a few losses, he must be careful not to make the situation worse. "As a coach you want to increase the pressure as the losses pile up, but at the same time you don't want your players tight - it's a fine line to walk," said Craig MacTavish. "There are a few things you have to have every night, which is the effort and the smarts. And you try and rationalize the rest, the things you can't control." Why does a guy shoot 84 at the golf course one day and 94 at the same course the next? A couple of bad breaks, a little doubt creeps in and boom, you suck. It can be the same in hockey. "It's a product of the NHL right now," said MacTavish. "There's probably four or five very elite teams out of 30, and there's a bunch of us who are looped together and on any given night a break either way can turn it. If you're playing with some confidence you're going to win hockey games and if you're lacking some confidence it's enough to swing the game." They say experiences like these - how to deal with a slump and how to work your way out of one - are good lessons for all the younger players in the room. "They see how you react in the dressing room," said Pisani. "If they see that we're not getting down on guys and making a difficult situation worse, then young guys will see this is how it works, this is what it means to be a professional."

http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Columnists/Tychkowski/2008/11/05/7311726-sun.html

What will Wayne Gretzky do next after leaving the Phoenix Coyotes?  Long sabbatical      Olympic hockey     role  Wait for next     opening  Find a new     interest

SUBMIT Results | Story

9/25/2009

- To: Coach Dave Berger ^"

Page 1 of 2

From: Dave Berger To: Coach Dav€ Berger Subject: Overcoming Slumps Thu, 06 Feb 2OO3 13:21:58 -O5OO

f:tglt

"ovERcoMrNG A FORM SLUMP iiitfi$ ''e4H

LO

I La/

2OOL

by Steve O'Connor.

OVERCOMING A SLUMP-a slump is really another description of "under achieving" All athletes and all teams have form slumps at some stage. Detecting them may be easier than overcoming them but there are some approaches that may be useful, x Coaching is as easier task when the team is winning; you earn your coaching skills when team is losing. * You should aim to install coaching strategies that achieve consistency in performance. * Positive aspects can be identified even in lost games e.g. if new strategies were being trialed.

When addressing form slumps; 1. Assess whether the players are flat: - Can a sports psychologist help - Try one to one talks with individuals - Try group discussions e.9. with the mid-field players - Obtain feedback from the players - Establish priorities Set goals Ensure that their personal lives are in order - Influential players may be down in performance - "Confidence" players may lead to fluctuating performances; a strategy is needed to achieve consistency

--

2. Are they over training? 3. Are they under training? 4, Is it time to introduce some variations e.g. workload, play in different spots. 5. Are their fitness levels appropriate? 6. Do your practice sessions have real purpose? 7. Do your sessions have the appropriate levels of intensity? 8. While physiological data may assist in making assessments do not overlook the accuracy of "coach's eye" and your gut feeling. 9, Are there tactical problems? - Are the players capable of executing the system in place - Is part of the team strategy e.g. poor defence; lack of counter attack; goal chances not being created? - Do they have a complete understanding of their role? - Do players have the specific skill needed for their role e.g. speed? - Is there an overall low level of skill that becomes exposed at higher levels? - If so, does this require a change in training drills? Possible solutions include: - The design and practice of specific drills; - Creating decision making situations that are based on game situations; - Improving techniques - Practicing phase plays that transfer readily to match situations The coach must reinforce basic habits. The aim is to limit form slumps and achieve reliability and consistency. It is important to encourage "flair" as long as it is within the overall team strategy. Certainly it is more permissible away from the danger zone. * The "KISS" principle is appropriate when in trouble. * Remember that "the penny drops at different rates" - learning may reflect developmental levels. x A form slump is really another description of under achieving.

-*

http://mailcenter.comcast.net/wmc/v/wm/979?cmd=Print&no=1&sid=cO&folde...70/77/2OO3

Page 1 of 2 Dave Berger

-'om: - o: Sent:

Subject:

"Dave Berger" "Dave Berger" Friday, November 14,2003 10:40 AM Emailing: slumpbusting.htm

Fitness Links

Winninq Ways: Slump Busting Wednesday, January 27 , 7999

By Gregory "Graig" White SJsports Physical Fitness Advisor This morning I was in the weight room and one of my athletes came in looking sad. I asked her, "What's up? Why are you looking so sad?" She said to me that she was upset because she felt like she was in a slump. She asked me, "What's the best way to get out of a slump?" I thought about it for a minute and said to her, "Don't get into one."

That may sound really simplistic, but stay with me and I'll show you that it may not be that simplistic at all. As an athlete and coach, I know that confidence comes from being prepared. Great players work hard to make sure that they are prepared for any situation that may come up during a game. When it comes to "Slump Busting", the first thing an athlete needs is a goal, When a good solid game plan is in place, the wins will outnumber the losses, When deciding what the goal should be, there are a few things to keep in mind. First, write down the goal and put it somewhere you can see it. Athletes function better with visual clues. The second thing that an athlete needs to do is to create a time frame for him or her to reach their goal. Doing this will help them become more conscious of reaching it.

Another component to concentrate on is their physical conditioning. When training, a person owes it to themselves to see that their best effort was put forth every training session. This will go a long way in creating the confidence needed to stay away from any slump. The most impoftant aspect is making sure that the athlete has their basic sports skills down. When athletes find themselves in a slump, they need to go start from square one and analyze their ability to execute fundamental skills. The athlete might be surprised by what they find. Getting athletes out of a slump is a job that coaches wish they didn't have to do, but if a person is in the business long enough they will eventually have to deal with it.

for Graig? Send it to [email protected]. If your question is used in an article, you will receive a free Team Conditioninq Svstems t-shirt.

Do you have a fitness or conditioning question

For previous Winning Ways, visit Graig's Archives

tt

n/14/2003

The Hockey News: Justin Bourne's Blog: Justin Bourne’s Blog: The art of slump-busting

JUSTIN BOURNE'S BLOG |

Home

BLOGS

Page 1 of 2

Justin Bourne's Blog

Justin Bourne’s Blog: The art of slump-busting Justin Bourne 2009-06-05 09:50:00

Slumps are a bitch. After Game 2, the media tried to proclaim Sidney Crosby’s two-game drought a slump. It isn’t. The guy hit posts, pads, pants, people and pillows in Games 1 and 2, but the damn thing just wouldn’t go in. As I’ve been listening to the sports networks use his stats as the story, rather than to illuminate the story, I got thinking about actual slumps. Did I mention they’re a bitch? Sidney Crosby has 29 points in 20 playoff games, but has only one with a minus-2 rating through three Stanley Cup final games. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

Attempting to break out of a slump is freaking impossible, and, as a player, if I could give you a successful method, I’d be a rich man.

I went through stretches of great success in college and pro hockey, tying together point streaks of double digit games on multiple occasions. As you may have guessed, I also went through stretches of great misery, tying together streaks of wall-punching and pulling my hair out at the root for double-digit games…on multiple occasions. The standard song and dance about slump breaking is, in my opinion, what prolongs them. “Keep it simple. Shoot from everywhere.” Garbage. Nothing twists the knife in your already-stabbed confidence like a goalie casually gloving down your shot from left field that you only took because technically, that spot by the boards at the blueline fell under the category of “everywhere.” The only known antidote for the slump sickness, of course, is to work so hard Rod Brind’Amour looks lazy. It takes a couple games of driving the net, hovering around the crease and generally playing violently before a shot from the point redirects off the bridge of your nose and goes in for you to get back to normal. As far as slumps go, a few games wouldn’t be a huge deal. The problem is there are stages of slump denial, which tend to add extra games to it before you realize you’re mired in one. For starters, there’s the ‘Bad Luck’ phase: “Ha, what a lucky save.” “I can’t believe that hit both posts.” “If another puck bounces over my stick around the net I’m going to sacrifice a goat to the hockey gods.” The ‘Blame Placing’ phase is only a few steps behind. Sadly, some players never get out of this one. They’re convinced their whole career was on the same path as Sid the Kid had they not had this awful nine-year stretch of bad luck.

Related Links More Justin Bourne blogs All THN.com insider blogs Sidney Crosby player page Playoff scoring leaders

“My linemates are awful.” “I’m not getting enough power play time.” “This ice is horrific.” As the sad, slumpy realization sinks in, superstition becomes the only friend to turn to.

You start taping your stick with white instead of black. You stop playing two-touch soccer with the boys before the game. You even write something different on the knob end of your stick, something usually along the lines of ‘WWJD.’ As the slump shovel hits bedrock, thoughts on the home front start to drift, potentially all the way into, “maybe I’m just not good enough” territory, highlighted by such classics as: “I really should finish that degree.” “I could probably work for my sister-in-law’s husband.” And: “#$%$ @#!$#ing &%@#!” But just then, just as you’re about to re-drywall your bedroom and commit career suicide, a puck goes in. And not a two-on-one, fake-pass snapper off the post snipe-type goal. Always some dumb, “I can’t believe it was that easy” freebie-type goal. And so the pendulum swings. When I think about real slumps, I can’t imagine The Kid is too concerned about his play. Hard work is in that guy’s bone marrow. I highly doubt he’s rounding up too many goats these days. In fact, if I had to guess, I’d wager “I really should finish that degree” has never formed as a sentence during any of his mini-slumps. I have a feeling Sid’s mental state is juuust fine. Justin Bourne plays for the Idaho Steelheads of the ECHL. He excelled with the University of Alaska Anchorage before going on to spend time in the Islanders organization with Bridgeport and Utah. His father, Bob, spent 14 years in the

http://www.thehockeynews.com/articles/26590-Justin-Bournes-Blog-The-art-of-slumpbust... 9/25/2009