I've been in a "slump" lately. Scratches on the break, scratches on the 8 ball, 8 ball out of turn, every shot missed stops in front of a pocket in 9 ball,and so on. From some, I've heard , time will go by, it'll change. Others I've spoken to maintain Slumps are a figment, get back to basics/fundamentals. Still others say that there is a lull before any improvement. What is your belief ? All I can figure is to keep shooting , and try to work it out ?
I have a good system that works to pull myself out of a slump:
1) Revisit fundamentals. Especially stance and head/eye alignment. Sometimes a slight change in head position (higher/lower or shift right/left) can make everything look wrong. For me, this is usually due to some kind of injury, stiffness or pain that causes me to not get down enough.
2) Slow everything down for a long practice session. Think about what you are doing on every shot. Disconnect from the outcome of the shot and focus on the process of the shot. Go through your pre shot routine, get your line, drop into the shot and shoot. If the balls goes in or doesn't, or if you scratch, just make a mental note of it and don't stress about it. Patience is the key right now.
3) Try to get position using speed control and angle control using vertical axis only. Don't even try to use sidespin for a whole practice session (hour or so). Just throw balls out, plan your runout and execute. If you miss, take ball in hand and just keep going.
In my experience, slumps are caused by something minor and then made worse by dwindling confidence, second guessing, self doubts and negative self-talk and judgement. Give yourself a damn break. You were a good pool player last week/month whatever. You're still a good pool player.
After an hour or two of being purposeful, I'll start increasing the tempo and just look/shoot. This helps my instincts kick in. Again, don't care if you miss or scratch or anything. Just see shot, shoot shot, repeat. Keep doing this until you get in a rhythm where you are making shots and controlling the cueball.
When you are in that state, stop playing pool and go to bed and sleep. Don't watch TV, don't argue with anyone or talk with anyone more than you have to. Just think about the shots you were making and how effortless it was. Studies have shown that people who learn a new skill and go to sleep immediately afterwards retain the skill much better than people who stay up afterwards. The brain actually internalizes skills when we sleep.
For me, using this system, I can break a slump in one or two fairly long sessions of 2 or 3 hours.
I've also found that I keep on the vertical axis more after I come out of the slump and my game is usually better than it was before the slump started.
For me, overusing english is a contributing factor to going into a slump because I get overconfident using english and take it for granted then start missing in key situations which leads to the self-doubt, self judgement, etc... that starts the dominos falling.