Negative Team Performances Within a Competition

While the previous chapter focused on underperformances on an individual level, this chapter addresses underperformances on a team level, which can be understood as acute performance crises of teams occurring within a competition. Terms describing team performance shifts (i.e., team momentum) and extreme collective underperformances of sport teams (i.e., collective team collapse) during a competition, are defined before theories of both phenomena are introduced. Based on the most recent findings in relation to causes of collective underperformances in teams, the role of emotions and emotion regulation in maintaining an acute underperformance of a team is further explored. Building up on the presented theoretical background of underperformances in teams, the concepts of team momentum and team collapse are integrated into the broader context of prolonged performance crises in teams and the potential development of a team performance crises from team momentum and team collapse is outlined. The practical section of the chapter investigates a case study example of collective team collapse in world-class soccer, which is first related back to the theoretical foundations of team collapse, before strategies for the prevention and intervention of underperformances on a team level are derived and discussed. Practical implications for coaches and sport psychologists working with sport teams are provided.