How star athletes can rebound after a slump
Lindner professor weighs in on Caitlin Clark getting back in the game
Women’s basketball continues to see a popularity spike, and all eyes are on star player Caitlin Clark.
After missing Thursday’s game due to an injury, what’s next for Clark is unclear as she grapples with a three-point shooting slump. USA TODAY Sports reported that Clark, point guard for the Indiana Fever, is one-for-23 over her last three games. But experts told the publication that even the biggest sports stars get stuck in slumps.
USA TODAY Sports spoke with University of Cincinnati professor Scott Dust, PhD, on what gets athletes stuck in their heads. Dust, the Kirk and Jacki Perry Professor in Leadership and senior director of Lindner Professional Programs, compared athletics to business to illustrate how a shift in mindset can go a long way in getting back on track.
“This happens a lot in sales,” he told USA TODAY Sports. “They'll talk about people struggling. They just can't close a deal. They have a rough quarter, a rough year or whatever it is. But if you can get people to extend the window of how they're evaluating themselves, in terms of their performance episode, then they might see that, ‘oh, wow, overall I still am an incredibly high achiever in my area.’”
He also pointed out that despite her three-point slump, Clark has averaged 9.3 assists and collected multiple steals and rebounds in recent games. “That can be beneficial because then you get what's called a confidence carryover, so that you are feeling better, you're not ruminating about what's not going well, because you're contributing in a productive way,’’ said Dust. “And then (accurate shooting) might more naturally come back because it is getting away from that negative (thinking).’’
Featured image at top of a basketball going into a hoop. Photo/Shutterstock.
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