Tips on how to get out of a really bad slump...

Everyone has bad days... some even have a bad couple rounds... but 2 months of this crap is enough... I'm in a horrible slump where I'm not playing anywhere close to my potential... in fact if I were to put it in percentage, I'd say I'm throwing with about 15% of my full potential... it's not my distance, or even my putting... it's my drives... I changed my footing a while back and I knew it would take time to adjust but it's been a little to long for me to adjust and I'm getting sick of it... I try to practice as often as possible and I can usually put the disc close to where I want it.... but when I'm actually playing, it doesn't happen that way... maybe 1 or 2 holes will work out but that's not me... I need 15 to 17 holes to work out... not 2... any extra advice on what to do... I've adjusted my feet and they are hitting the same spot with the same angle of approach... my release seems to be consistant but I'm not 100% sure on that... it's harder to tell...

I'm good enough I should throw at least even no matter where I'm at... and my last round was +19... NOT COOL! Could it be a simple mind issue or does this sound a little more serious? The floor is open for discussion!

[Lotto]

just need to keep playing, thats all you can do. things will snap together sooner or later.

or just start all over agian with understable discs, relearn good form with the x-step. thats kinda what i had to do when i started working on my backhand. its taken me about three or 4 months to get my backhand to where it is my dominate shot now, vs. forehand. i parked a hole today that i could never park driving forehand, so i know its working!

[Red Line Disc Golf]

I was in a really bad slump after I shattered two fingers and one of my knuckle sockets on my throwing arm a few years ago, not because I was out of practice after the injury or because of any performance issues but because of how worried I was about how badly my game would be effected. It all boiled down to the fact that I was so worried that I had lost something that I was over analyzing every thing that I did, if I threw a bad shot instead of walking away from it on the next hole it stuck with me for a dozen rounds after words and each mistake made things that much worse, and pushed me that much further away from throwing under par again. After turning in double digits over par consistently for weeks I talked to Keith Aten our local guru and he suggested that the next few times I played that I pull a disc out of a friends bag that I had never thrown and play the entire round with it (putt with it and all). At first I thought he was crazy and had no idea how this was going to get me back to were I was before, but having tons of faith in Keith I did exactly what he said. After a couple rounds of this I realized that I was so busy learning the flight of a new disc and worrying about throwing an approach shot with a driver that I hadn't even given thought to my hand or how the movement of it was effecting my game, it sort of took my head back out of the game and allowed my body to take back over. I think some times were our own worst enemy's and once we get in our own head its hard to get over our own expectations!

[Jack Davis]

Take it from someone who knows: you are not throwing as bad as you think you are! Keep playing and it will suck for how ever long it takes, but when you break past it...YOU WILL BE A BETTER GOLFER! I hit that place not to long ago, and not knowing what to do, I JUST KEPT PLAYING! And it will get better and not only better you will have a better form, power, and a over all "understanding" of the game.

JUST KEEP RIPPIN!

[kindofabuzz]

If you were +19, the problem is not your driving, it's your putting. unless you're only driving like 50 eet or something.

[Ric Roc]

Slow down is my advice, when I get into a bad slump its because I am overthrowing and not getting a smooth and consistent release. Maybe shorten up your approach and really concentrate on form. I could even tell from the beginning of my round today and then when I went and played 9 holes at a different course I was throwing much better because I slowed down and relaxed.

[ray price]

Well keep playing but slow down and think about your shots.Have fun and it well ccome around.

[Jamie 'gr8rocshot' Ruane]

This definitely sounds mental....The best advice is to slow down your run-up...focus on control, being smooth, not distance...relax. Maybe take some drives from a stand still.

While taking some time off from playing may help you get a freash mind set....it's hard to walk away from a game you love to play....So I say step back to your early disc days....and only throw a couple of discs in your bag. Focus on 1, no more the 2 discs for driving...no more the that!!! Dial in those discs, re-build some confidence.

[Yeddie VanHalen]

1) Peaks & valley my friend. Peaks & valleys.
2) Take time off. A week or two away from DG & you'll be craving the game so much you wont care how good or bad you play.
3) When I change something about my game & then I play worse than I did before, I have to question my decision to change in the first place. Go back to your original footing. Go back to your 'happy place'.

[Travis]

It might be really hard to do but taking a little time off seems to help me when i am in a slump. i don't know why but when i come back after more time off than usual, I feel really crisp.

Yeddie VanHalen said:

1) Peaks & valley my friend. Peaks & valleys.
2) Take time off. A week or two away from DG & you'll be craving the game so much you wont care how good or bad you play.
3) When I change something about my game & then I play worse than I did before, I have to question my decision to change in the first place. Go back to your original footing. Go back to your 'happy place'.

[get your discs and godiscn]

at the opening of Blizzard Hills in Pinconning Michigan, Terry Calhoun gave a speech and dedication to the course he designed in part saying that the most important rule of disc golf to remember is "he who has the most fun wins". Oddly enough, just this morning I was watching the documentary "Chlorine" as I gave platelets and that same line was the key line of the documentary when explaining the thrill, excitement and practice of pool skating. It put getting out of my 6 year slump into perspective.

[Dr. Zaius]

fantastic question. i think most of the posts above have covered the best methods. my only input besides the above is to try to make it fun again. do different things. play different games (wolf, doubles, etc). usually what i do if my back hands are off is to learn or practice something that i'm not good at. play a full round with mids, forehands, rollers et. al. it's like learning the game all over again, and if that round completely sucked, well then you have a reason why it sucked, and you won't feel pissed off. then when your game returns, your arsenal is bigger, better, and with a different perspective. give it a shot.

acknowledging the slump and working on other things has always helped me and kept the game fun.

[mark ellis]

Take time off from the game! Heresy! Blasphemy! No self respecting addict can voluntarily take time off. There has to be a better answer. And there is.

Slumps, great and small can happen to anyone. The key is to keep them small and overcome them quickly.

Slumps start when our timing gets messed up. Then most of us push ourselves harder in order to recover. But we are playing golf, which is a control sport. The easiest way to mes up a shot is to overthrow it. In fact, it is really difficult to throw as hard as we can and not mess it up. So a small case of poor timing can grow into overthrowing then a loss of confidence.

Extended slumps not based on injury are based on loss of confidence. Once your confidence goes away you might find yourself shooting 19 over or something crazy like that.

To regain your confidence, go back to the basics. Throw smooth and flat and clean and balanced. This is exactly the opposite of what your instincts tell you to do. Your instincts say try harder. Instead try less hard. This approach will work quickly unless you have totally destroyed your own confidence. If that is the case then you need to understand and accept that the problem is your head, not your body, and give it some extended practice throwing smooth, flat, clean and balanced.

This approach will also work in the middle of a round when things are not going well. Dial back. Be less aggressive. Smooth. Flat. Clean. Balanced. Do these things. Everything else will work out.