• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Hockey Mental Game

Mental Toughness Strategies for Hockey Players, Coaches, & Parents

  • Home
  • About
    • Sitemap
  • Free Tips
    • Articles
    • Videos
    • Free Report
  • Mental Coaching
  • Products
  • Contact Us

Busting Out of a Losing Slump

February 8, 2019 By Patrick Cohn Leave a Comment

Breaking out of a slump

How to Break a Slump When Losing Games

How do you break out of a slump? The answer is by not thinking about how to break out of the slump.

It may sound odd, but if you think about the slump, even breaking out of the slump, you are actually reinforcing the slump in your mind.

Try this little test, what word stands out to you in the following sentence, “I need to break out of this slump soon.”

Chances are the word that really stands out is “slump”.

How about the following sentence, “To break out of this slump, I need to be more aggressive.”

A couple words or phrases may stand out to you in this sentence, such as, “break out” or “aggressive” but the word “slump” still strongly impacts your mind.

So, how do you actually break out of a slump?

The best way to break out of a slump is to be task-specific. In other words, come up with a game plan for the specific team you are about to face and execute the plan.

It’s not a matter of trying to win, but the focus should be on executing the plan to the best of your abilities. That requires each player on the team to focus on their role or assignment for the game and let the cards fall where they may.

If you were to sit back and examine your team’s victories, rarely, if ever, were you thinking about winning. When you played your best hockey, you were focused on the game plan that was created prior to the game.

Let’s go back to the exercise earlier and pick out the most impactful words, “Our strategy for the game is to dump and chase and forecheck aggressively.”

Chances are you pick out the phrases “dump and chase” and “forecheck aggressively”. This places the focus squarely on the game plan and not the potential outcome of the game.

To sum up, the plan should be to focus on the plan. That is the most effective strategy to break out of a slump.

The Vegas Golden Knights experienced a 4-game skid losing four straight regular-season games for the first time since entering the league. After their 3-1 loss to the Florida Panthers, Vegas goalie Marc-Andre Fleury commented on the nature of slumps.

FLEURY: “It happens to everybody … maybe not Tampa [Bay]. Everybody has ups and downs in a season, and it’s important to find a way to make it last not too long, to get out of it as quickly as possible and start over. It’s frustrating because we’re not used to this. We’ve got to find a way to get out of this streak, this bad streak quickly.”

The Golden Knights focus on the next task at hand. Coach Gerard Gallant’s message to the team is that it is on to the next game.

GALLANT: “Get ready for the next one. We can’t do nothing about tonight or the last three games. We’ve got to get ready for the next game and play hard. We’re going to play against the top team in the League in Tampa Bay, so it’s going to be a battle.”

How are you going to get out of your next slump? What will you focus on to break out?

How To Break out of a Slump:

Get into the habit of focusing on a game plan for each game. Each game, write out 1-2 objectives.

Before the game, review the plan. Pick 2-3 words that summarize the plan. When your mind drifts to the potential final score, remind yourself of the plan.

To break our of a slump, be proactive with your mental game. Don’t wait for your performance to turn around before you can feel confident again.

Instead, work on your confidence and let your performance follow. You improve confidence by reminding yourself of your talents and getting the most out of your training.


Boost Your Confidence in Hockey!

The Confident Athlete

If you’re an athlete who struggles with self-doubt, loses confidence, or cant take “practice confidence” to competition, The Confident Athlete is for you!

Self-confidence is what separates champion athletes from the rest of the competitors…

You can tap into my knowledge and experience to learn how to bring ultimate confidence to competition!

The Confident Athlete CD and workbook program consists of 2 audio CD’s that include 14 days of confidence fueling exercises and a simple to follow workbook that guides you through the 14 days, helps you apply the strategies and customizes the exercises to your personal needs.

Remember, confidence is a choice you make. You have to make a conscious effort to proactively seek confidence building thoughts and behaviors. Confident Athletes are proactive when it comes to confidence!

Learn more about one of our most popular CD programs in The Confident Athlete Series…

The Confident Athlete: A 14-Day Plan For Ultimate Self-Confidence

Take control of your mindset and performance today!

What are mental game customers saying about our confidence boosting program?

“My son finished the entire Confident Athlete Program. The CD Program helped TREMENDOUSLY.  He used it to keep positive thoughts flowing.  He was able to focus on his fight instead of on his negative thoughts.  He fought at his very best.  We are thankful to God for leading us to your web site. The CONFIDENT ATHLETE was perfect.”
~Wanda, Sports Parent

“I enjoyed ‘The Confident Athlete’ very much. I particularly liked the format, the ease of the program, and the 2 CDs that accompanied the workbook – 10-20 minutes a day was simple to adhere to and put in my busy schedule. I love the part about confidence with grace, and what I want to portray and feel the minute I step foot into Los Angeles for nationals.  I love the affirmations, the relaxation techniques, and just the entire perspective of the program.”
~Sarah, US National Aerobic Gymnastics Team

“I first purchased The Confident Athlete to see how the program went and immediately saw results. I then purchased the rest of the confident athlete series and have noticed a dramatic improvement in my level of play or should I say consistency. I currently play NCAA Division 1 baseball for Lamar University, and even my coaches have noticed a change in the way that I approach the game. My attitude and confidence at the plate.”
~Tylor Prudhomme
(Listen to his success story)

Share on FacebookShare on Google+Tweet about this on TwitterShare on LinkedInPin on Pinterest

Filed Under: Hockey Psychology Articles, Recent Hockey Psychology Tagged With: slumps in hockey players

COMPLEMENTARY 15-MINUTE MENTAL TRAINING SESSION

Do you want to learn how your athlete can benefit from mental coaching?

Call or Email Us Today for a Free 15-Minute Sample Session.

Toll-Free: 888-742-7225 | Local: 407-909-1700

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Hockey Psychology Report

Hockey Psychology Tips

Hockey Mental Game Articles

  • How to Get Beyond Plateaus in Hockey
  • How Adam Brady Stays Motivated During the Pandemic
  • Take Action to Prepare for Next Hockey Season
  • How to Maintain your Edge in Hockey Without Formal Practice
  • How Hockey Players Cope with Difficult Conditions
  • Hockey Players That Worry Too Much
  • When Pushing Athletes to Excel Turns into Pressure
  • How to Take Mental Skills to Hockey Games
  • How to Improve Consistency on the Ice
  • Applying Mental Skills to Games
  • When Should Hockey Players Start Mental Training?
  • How Goaltenders Can Cope with Giving up a Goal

Hockey Mental Game Categories

Partner Links

  • Baseball Mental Game Tips

Top Mental Game Mistakes

Hockey Psychology Report

Footer CTA

Connect with Us!

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Copyright © 2021 | Hockey Confidence by Peak Performance Sports | Privacy Policy