A slump is just the gap between two hot streaks. Stay in the lineup.

Performance moves in waves, for reasons that mostly have nothing to do with effort or character. A flat stretch feels permanent from inside, and it usually ends the way it started, gradually and without explanation. Leaving during the low part is what turns a temporary dip into a permanent exit. Staying available is most of what carries you across.

During a slump, lower the target rather than the participation. Keep turning up with smaller goals: technique, consistency, one thing done well. A hot streak cannot return to someone who is no longer in the lineup.