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Yips

The yips is a psycho-neuromuscular movement disorder characterized by the sudden onset of involuntary jerks, tremors, freezing, or loss of fine motor control that impairs the execution of precise skills in experienced performers, particularly athletes.^[1] This condition disrupts automatic movements, often manifesting under pressure and leading to significant performance declines, with symptoms typically emerging after years of proficient practice.^[2] While the exact mechanisms remain debated, the yips is distinguished from general anxiety by its focal, task-specific nature, affecting sports reliant on hand-eye coordination and muscle memory.^[3] Most prominently associated with golf putting, where it causes an inability to smoothly stroke the ball, the yips also impacts other sports such as cricket batting, darts throwing, baseball fielding and pitching, basketball free throws, and archery.^[1] Notable examples include golfers like Bernhard Langer and Tom Watson, who have publicly discussed overcoming putting yips; baseball pitchers Steve Blass and Rick Ankiel, whose careers were derailed by throwing difficulties; and basketball player Markelle Fultz, who struggled with free-throw shooting.^[2] Prevalence varies by sport and skill level, but studies indicate 28% to 48% of professional golfers experience it, with higher rates among low-handicap amateurs (up to 47.7%) and lower but significant incidences in other precision-based activities.^[4]^[5] The etiology of the yips involves a complex interplay of psychological and neurological factors, often viewed as a continuum between choking under pressure and focal dystonia.^[2] Psychologically, it stems from heightened anxiety, overthinking, and loss of the "flow state," where self-consciousness interrupts ingrained motor patterns, exacerbated by fear of failure in high-stakes situations.^[6] Neurologically, evidence points to task-specific dystonia, a disorder of involuntary muscle contractions possibly linked to repetitive strain or basal ganglia dysfunction, with brain imaging showing altered motor control pathways in affected individuals.^[7] Risk factors include perfectionism, high athletic identity, and prolonged exposure to the sport, typically onsetting in mid-career athletes, with an average age of onset around 35 years.^[3]^[8] Interventions range from cognitive-behavioral therapy and mindfulness to technique changes or, in neurological cases, botulinum toxin injections, though success varies and full recovery is not guaranteed.^[1]

Definition and Characteristics

Definition

The yips is a psycho-neuromuscular movement disorder characterized by involuntary, sudden disruptions in fine motor control, primarily affecting the hands and wrists during the execution of precise, skilled tasks in sports.^[9]^[10] This condition manifests as an impediment to tasks requiring high levels of motor precision, such as putting in golf or throwing in baseball, often leading to jerks, tremors, or freezing that interfere with performance.^[2] The term "yips" originated in golf in the early 20th century, first described by Scottish professional golfer Tommy Armour, who referred to it as a "brain spasm" impairing the short game, though earlier accounts by Harry Vardon noted similar involuntary disruptions in putting as far back as the 1900s.^[11]^[12] Over time, the phenomenon has been generalized to other precision sports involving fine motor skills, distinguishing it from broader motor control issues.^[13] Unlike full-blown neurological diseases such as Parkinson's, the yips is a task-specific impairment that does not persist outside the affected activity, and it is often classified as a form of focal dystonia—a localized movement disorder—or as a manifestation of performance anxiety under pressure.^[14]^[15] This distinction highlights its occupational nature, akin to other task-induced dystonias in musicians or writers, rather than a progressive systemic condition.^[16] Prevalence data indicate that the yips affects approximately 20-48% of professional and low-handicap golfers, with higher rates among experienced players due to cumulative skill demands.^[4]^[5] Emerging 2024 studies also report about 10% prevalence among youth baseball players, particularly in high-pressure throwing scenarios.^[17] A 2025 scoping review reported a 13.2% prevalence among collegiate athletes across multiple sports.^[18]

Symptoms and Types

The yips manifest primarily as involuntary disruptions in fine motor control during task-specific athletic performances, such as putting in golf or serving in tennis, often characterized by sudden onset under pressure. Common symptoms include involuntary wrist flexion or extension spasms, tremors, jerks, twitches, or freezing of the affected muscles, which impair precision and lead to inconsistent execution of skilled movements.^[9]^[19] The yips are categorized into two main subtypes based on symptom presentation: Type I (dystonic) and Type II (non-dystonic). Type I yips involve jerky, involuntary movements resembling focal dystonia, such as twisting, rapid spasms, or tremors that feel neurological in origin and disrupt the mechanical aspects of the skill.^[20]^[21] In contrast, Type II yips feature smoother interruptions like hesitations, overcontrol, or loss of rhythm, often linked to psychological interference rather than overt physical spasms.^[21]^[8] Associated features of the yips include anticipatory anxiety that heightens awareness of the impending action, potentially leading to avoidance behaviors such as altering grip or stance to circumvent the disruption. If unaddressed, symptoms may progress from intermittent episodes during high-stakes situations to more chronic interference in routine practice.^[8]^[20] There is no formal medical diagnostic criteria for the yips; identification relies on self-reported experiences and observational assessment in performance contexts, with recent scoping reviews underscoring its task-specific nature in sports requiring repetitive, precise motions.^[22]^[18]

Causes and Pathophysiology

Neurological Mechanisms

The yips involve alterations in brain activity, particularly altered functional connectivity involving the putamen and other basal ganglia structures, including increased connectivity between the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and putamen, as demonstrated by a 2025 resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study on task-specific focal dystonias such as musician's dystonia and the yips.^[23] These changes suggest impaired inhibitory control and disrupted feedback loops essential for precise motor execution.^[24] The yips are classified as a task-specific focal dystonia, stemming from basal ganglia dysfunction that interrupts motor planning circuits and results in involuntary muscle spasms during skilled movements.^[25] This neurological basis distinguishes the condition from mere performance anxiety, with the basal ganglia's role in coordinating habitual actions becoming maladaptive under repetitive, high-precision demands.^[26] A 2024 study utilizing non-negative matrix factorization to analyze electromyographic data identified altered spatiotemporal muscle synergies in some cases of throwing yips, with irregular patterns of muscle activation across the upper body observed during symptomatic throws, leading to desynchronized timing and reduced accuracy in overhand motions.^[21] These findings highlight how neural control of multi-joint coordination breaks down, producing compensatory but ineffective recruitment of synergistic muscle groups. Prevalence studies indicate a higher incidence of the yips among individuals over 45 years old, with approximately 45% of affected golfers falling into the 50–64 age range, potentially linked to age-related declines in neural plasticity.^[4] Dystonic variants of the yips may involve hereditary components, as genetic factors contribute to susceptibility in task-specific focal dystonias, though no specific genes have been definitively identified.^[27] In contrast to generalized dystonia, which causes widespread and persistent muscle contractions across multiple body regions, the yips are highly context-dependent, emerging solely during the triggering task and resolving completely in non-task settings.^[19] This specificity underscores the role of learned motor programs in its pathophysiology. Psychological triggers can briefly exacerbate these neurological mechanisms.^[28]

Psychological Factors

High anticipatory anxiety and perfectionist traits have been identified as key psychological contributors to the onset of the yips, with studies in golf replicating correlations between these factors and impaired performance. For instance, a 2022 replication study of amateur golfers found that anxiety mediated the negative impact of perfectionism on putting accuracy, exacerbating yips symptoms under stress. A 2025 investigation into the yips in golfers discussed performance anxiety as a key precipitant and exacerbating factor for symptom manifestation, consistent with prior research on its links to perfectionistic tendencies that heighten self-criticism during skill execution.^[29]^[28] Performance pressure in high-stakes environments frequently triggers the yips by inducing overthinking, which disrupts the automaticity of well-learned motor skills. This pressure, often arising from competitive demands or audience scrutiny, shifts athletes from effortless execution to deliberate control, leading to involuntary disruptions like tremors or hesitations. Research describes this as a breakdown where situational stressors prompt excessive cognitive interference, preventing the fluid, subconscious processing essential for precise movements.^[30]^[31] The yips can emerge as a learned response through conditioned fear of failure, establishing a self-perpetuating feedback loop that intensifies symptoms over time. In this cycle, initial performance errors foster anticipatory dread, which heightens tension and further impairs execution, reinforcing the fear. Recent data from youth baseball illustrates this, with a 2025 study reporting that approximately 10% of young players experienced yips-like throwing symptoms exacerbated by high-pressure situations, including increased distances and crowd presence, alongside elevated throwing anxiety.^[32]^[33]^[34] Cognitive models of the yips emphasize interference from explicit monitoring of movements, which undermines implicit motor learning processes. According to reinvestment theory, individuals prone to consciously reinvesting attention in automated skills—often under stress—experience degraded performance as this explicit oversight overrides subcortical automaticity. This model posits that the yips arise when implicit, procedural knowledge is supplanted by effortful, declarative control, a pattern observed across sports requiring fine motor precision.^[35]^[36] While the yips share links with broader psychological conditions, they typically manifest as sport-specific phenomena distinct from generalized anxiety disorders. Sufferers often exhibit elevated social or performance anxiety, yet the symptoms remain focal to particular athletic tasks rather than pervasive across daily life. Studies indicate comorbidities with generalized anxiety in athletes, but the yips' targeted nature—confined to high-demand skills—differentiates it from non-sport-related disorders.^[3]^[37]

Manifestations in Sports

Golf

In golf, the yips primarily manifest as involuntary wrist spasms during the putting stroke, leading to jerked movements that cause putts to be pushed or yanked off line, particularly on short-distance attempts.^[9]^[38] Historical surveys indicate that this condition affects between 28% and 48% of professional golfers, with similar prevalence rates of 32.5% to 47.7% reported among serious amateur players with low handicaps.^[39]^[5] The spasms often intensify under pressure, making the yips more common among amateurs in competitive situations where anxiety disrupts fine motor control.^[33] The term "yips" originated in the 1920s with Scottish-American golfer Tommy Armour, who used it to describe his sudden inability to execute short putts due to these spasms.^[12] Notable cases include Ben Hogan, whose career was hampered in his later years by putting difficulties that limited his major wins after 1953, and Bernhard Langer, who battled the yips throughout much of his professional tenure but adapted to remain competitive.^[40]^[41] The yips have profoundly impacted golfers' careers, prompting technique modifications to circumvent wrist involvement, such as the croquet-style putting adopted by Sam Snead to combat his spasms, which was subsequently banned by the USGA in 1968 for resembling a non-stroking motion.^[42] Later adaptations include arm-locking grips, which anchor the putter against the forearm to stabilize the stroke, and belly putters, as used by Langer with long-shafted models to bypass traditional wrist action.^[43] Other strategies, like the claw grip—where the trailing hand lightly claws the putter handle to reduce its influence and promote a shoulder-driven pendulum—have helped players neutralize spasms and restore consistency.^[44]^[45]

Tennis

In tennis, the yips primarily manifest as involuntary spasms or locks in the elbow or wrist during the serve toss, leading to erratic ball placement, double faults, or weak second serves, while groundstrokes are typically less affected due to their reliance on broader body rotation rather than precise overhead arm control.^[46] This focal dystonia disrupts the fluid pronation and snap required for an effective serve, often resulting in players shanking the toss or failing to accelerate the racket head properly.^[47] Notable cases include professional players such as Ana Ivanovic, who experienced severe serving yips in the later stages of her career, leading to multiple double faults, such as 9 in her 2010 French Open match against Patty Schnyder during high-stakes WTA events.^[48] Similarly, Aryna Sabalenka battled the condition in 2022, serving 21 double faults in one tournament match before overcoming it through technical adjustments, and Alexander Zverev has reported episodes under pressure that compromised his serve accuracy in Grand Slam tiebreaks.^[49]^[50] The impact on gameplay is significant, as the yips can drop first-serve percentages below 50% in affected players, forcing reliance on slower second serves and increasing vulnerability to returns, particularly in professional circuits where serve dominance accounts for 65-75% of points won on fast surfaces.^[51] This phenomenon has been linked in recent reviews to task-specific dystonia in overhand sports, with 2025 scoping studies highlighting its prevalence among elite tennis players due to repetitive overhead motions.^[18] Specific triggers often include fast-paced rallies and tiebreaks, where mounting psychological pressure amplifies muscle tension and spasms, as briefly noted in analyses of performance blocks under stress.^[52] In comparison to golf, where the yips typically affect stationary putting with precise wrist action, tennis involves additional rotational torque from the trunk and hips during the serve, exacerbating the involuntary movements in a dynamic, full-body context.^[53]

Cricket

In cricket, the yips primarily affect bowlers, manifesting as involuntary tremors or spasms in the hand or wrist at the moment of ball release, which severely impair accuracy and often result in wides or no-balls. This disruption occurs during the delivery stride, where fine motor control is essential for targeting the stumps, leading to erratic trajectories that deviate from the intended line and length.^[54]^[55] The condition is especially prevalent among spin bowlers, who depend on subtle wrist flicks and finger manipulations to impart variations in spin, flight, and pace, making them more susceptible than fast bowlers to these neurological interruptions. Notable cases include Derbyshire's left-arm spinner Fred Swarbrook in the 1970s, one of the earliest documented instances, and Leicestershire's Scott Boswell, whose severe episode in the 2001 C&G Trophy final at Lord's saw him concede eight wides in a single over, effectively deciding the match. Other affected players, such as England's Phil Edmonds and India's Ravi Shastri, experienced similar declines in bowling precision during their careers, highlighting the yips' potential to derail even established professionals.^[54]^[55]^[56] The yips profoundly impact gameplay by undermining a bowler's control over line and length, compelling captains to reposition fielders deeper or wider and alter bowling rotations to mitigate runs conceded. In spin bowling, where tactical deception is key, this loss of reliability can shift momentum toward the batting side, increasing pressure on the team and exacerbating the bowler's anxiety in subsequent deliveries. Studies on muscle synergies in throwing motions suggest that the momentum accumulated during a bowler's run-up can amplify these spasms, as uncoordinated activation patterns in the upper limb disrupt the precise timing required for release.^[21]^[57] Culturally, the jerky or extended arm movements triggered by yips spasms have occasionally been misidentified as "chucking"—an illegal throwing action—leading to erroneous no-ball calls or scrutiny under cricket's bowling laws, particularly for spinners whose actions already involve pronounced wrist snaps.^[58]

Baseball

In baseball, the yips primarily manifest as an inability to throw the ball accurately to bases, often involving a failure in wrist snap or release mechanics, leading to erratic trajectories.^[59] This condition, known as "throwing yips," particularly affects pitchers, resulting in wild pitches that veer uncontrollably, sometimes even hitting the backstop.^[60] Fielders, especially infielders, experience similar disruptions in routine throws, where the arm feels detached from intentional control.^[61] Two prominent cases illustrate the severity of throwing yips in Major League Baseball. Rick Ankiel, a promising pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals, debuted successfully in 1999 but suffered a dramatic collapse during Game 1 of the 2000 National League Division Series, throwing five wild pitches in one inning and ultimately transitioning to an outfield role after repeated control issues.^[62] Similarly, Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Steve Blass experienced a sudden loss of command in 1973 after a strong 1972 season, walking 84 batters in 88 innings and retiring after the year; his affliction became eponymously known as "Steve Blass Disease" or syndrome, a term for inexplicable throwing breakdowns in baseball.^[63] The yips significantly impair performance in high-stakes scenarios, such as infield throws to first base under pressure from runners advancing. A 2024 study of youth baseball players found a prevalence of approximately 10%, with symptoms worsening at shorter throwing distances, like those in close-play situations, and exacerbated by game intensity.^[17] Specific triggers for yips episodes in baseball include high-pressure innings, such as late-game situations with runners on base, or scenarios involving quick base-running threats that demand precise, rapid throws.^[17] Recent research from 2025 highlights disruptions in muscle synergies among yips-affected throwers, revealing impaired timing in synergy activation—often delayed or excessive co-contraction—that leads to dystonic movements and reduced throwing accuracy.^[64]

Gymnastics

In gymnastics, the yips primarily manifest as involuntary locking or cramping of the fingers and wrists during sustained grips on apparatus such as the uneven bars or balance beam, often resulting in sudden loss of control, falls, or aborted routines.^[65] This form of task-specific dystonia disrupts the fine motor control required for precise hand positioning, distinguishing it from aerial disorientation seen in twisties.^[24] Notable instances include reports from elite gymnasts experiencing "grip yips" that interfere with uneven bars dismounts, such as flyaways, where the inability to release or maintain grip leads to incomplete or failed executions.^[66] These episodes have been documented among Olympic-level competitors, highlighting the pressure of high-stakes performances exacerbating the condition.^[67] The impact on routines is profound, as the yips interrupt critical holds and release moves essential for scoring, with gymnasts often unable to complete sequences despite prior mastery.^[68] Although less extensively studied than in other sports, recent 2023 neuroimaging research links these disruptions to basal ganglia dysfunction, causing loss of automated motor control in precise tasks.^[24] Specific challenges arise in overhead positions, where gravitational demands and prolonged tension amplify dystonic spasms in the forearms and hands, heightening injury risk during swings or balances.^[69] Unlike the yips in sports like baseball or tennis, which involve rapid, ballistic releases, gymnastics demands extended static grips, prolonging exposure to involuntary contractions and complicating recovery.^[65]

Other Sports

In archery, the yips manifest as target panic, characterized by involuntary tremors or premature release of the bowstring, leading to inaccurate aiming and misses despite prior proficiency, akin to the precision demands of golf putting.^[70] This condition affects approximately 34% of archers, often emerging under competitive pressure where fine motor control is essential for steady sighting.^[71] Similarly, in darts, known as dartitis, players experience a sudden inability to release the dart smoothly due to hand spasms or hesitation, resulting in erratic throws and scoring failures.^[72] This tremor-like disruption mirrors aiming precision issues in other precision sports and has been linked to focal dystonia in up to 32% of affected players.^[71] Beyond traditional athletics, the yips extend to musical performance as musician's cramp, a form of focal hand dystonia that causes involuntary contractions in the fingers or wrist, impairing control during highly practiced tasks such as piano key strikes or violin string fingering.^[26] Pianists and violinists are particularly susceptible, with symptoms often unilateral—left hand in string players for fingering and right in pianists for melodic lines—leading to loss of dexterity under performance stress.^[73] In writing, writer's cramp presents as task-specific spasms in the hand or forearm during pen grip, causing irregular lettering or inability to sustain writing, recognized as an occupational dystonia affecting fine motor execution.^[74] This condition disrupts the fluid grip and movement required for prolonged script formation, paralleling the involuntary interruptions seen in athletic yips.^[26] In emerging competitive domains like e-sports, the yips appear as sudden lapses in fine motor coordination, such as erratic mouse clicks or keyboard inputs during high-stakes gameplay, undermining precision aiming in titles requiring rapid targeting.^[75] Shooting sports similarly involve yips through trigger flinches or anticipatory jerks, where competitors involuntarily disrupt steady hand positioning, causing misses in disciplines like trap or skeet that demand unwavering control.^[76] These manifestations highlight how competitive pressure amplifies fine motor vulnerabilities in digital and firearm-based activities. The yips also infiltrate non-athletic precision professions, such as surgery, where procedural yips induce abrupt hand tremors or hesitations during incisions or suturing, compromising control in expert practitioners facing high-stakes operations.^[77] In dental procedures, analogous hand control losses can lead to unsteady instrument handling, though less formally termed yips, affecting tasks like drilling or scaling that require stable grip and minimal deviation.^[78] Recent 2025 research expands yips understanding to overhand sports like javelin throwing, where a scoping review identifies focal dystonias causing erratic arm release or grip spasms, with prevalence varying by sport but often tied to repetitive overhead motions.^[18] This work proposes neurological and psychological etiologies, broadening yips recognition beyond core sports to include throwing events with fine-tuned propulsion demands.

Treatments and Management

Psychological Approaches

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) represents a foundational psychological approach to managing the yips, particularly Type II variants characterized by psychological interference rather than primary neurological dysfunction. This therapy focuses on reframing negative thought patterns, such as perfectionism or fear of failure, that exacerbate performance anxiety, while fostering automaticity in motor execution to bypass conscious overcontrol. A single-case experimental design involving a golfer demonstrated that routine CBT sessions, incorporating cognitive restructuring and behavioral rehearsal, significantly reduced yips symptoms and improved putting consistency, highlighting its efficacy under practical coaching conditions.^[79] Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and Brainspotting have emerged as targeted interventions in recent golf-focused studies, emphasizing anxiety desensitization through guided eye movements and visual fixation to reprocess trauma-linked stressors. In a 2024 case series of seven golfers, EMDR sessions led to statistically significant improvements on the Yips Rating Scale for six participants (p=0.04), with an average 19% enhancement in performance metrics at one-year follow-up and no adverse effects, confirming its safety for high-performing athletes. Brainspotting, applied in sport psychology protocols as of 2025, accesses subcortical brain areas to alleviate dysregulation from unresolved stress, enabling performers to interrupt rumination and restore fluid execution in precision tasks like putting.^[80]^[81] Mindfulness practices and hypnosis further address overthinking by cultivating non-judgmental awareness and subconscious reprogramming, respectively, with evidence from athlete trials spanning 2023-2025. Mindfulness-based interventions, including meditation and breathing exercises, have been shown in controlled studies to reduce competitive anxiety and enhance focus in athletes. Hypnosis, through relaxation induction and positive suggestion, reprograms inhibitory patterns to promote muscle memory and confidence; it has been used among PGA professionals to address performance issues.^[82]^[83] Biofeedback complements these methods by offering real-time physiological feedback on muscle tension and arousal levels, empowering athletes to self-regulate responses during skill execution. In sport psychology applications, biofeedback training has facilitated greater voluntary control over yips manifestations, such as involuntary twitches, by linking sensory data to relaxation techniques.^[84] Empirical outcomes indicate substantial improvements with these approaches for psychologically driven yips subtypes, with EMDR achieving symptom relief in approximately 86% of cases in the 2024 golf cohort and a related neuroscientific protocol yielding 61% full resolution rates. While dedicated meta-analyses remain scarce, systematic reviews affirm the promise of such interventions in task-specific dystonias, underscoring their role in anxiety mitigation without invasive measures.^[80]^[85]^[69]

Physical and Medical Interventions

Physical interventions for the yips often involve modifying techniques to circumvent involuntary muscle contractions, such as altering grips or motions to engage different muscle groups and establish new motor pathways. In golf, switching to a long putter or adopting a left-handed putting stance for right-handed players has been reported to reduce symptoms by changing the mechanics of the stroke and minimizing wrist involvement. Similarly, grip modifications, like using an oversized or pistol grip on the putter, can stabilize the hands and decrease the likelihood of spasms during the putting motion. These adjustments aim to bypass the affected neural circuits without addressing underlying psychological factors.^[9]^[86] Botulinum toxin (Botox) injections represent a targeted medical approach for dystonic forms of the yips, where they induce temporary paralysis of overactive muscles to alleviate spasms. In sports-related task-specific dystonia, including yips in golf and baseball, Botox has demonstrated efficacy in 58% of cases across reviewed studies, with improvements in motor control lasting several months post-injection. This treatment is particularly suited for neurological subtypes, as it directly interrupts aberrant muscle activity.^[69] Physical therapy focuses on strengthening exercises and motor retraining to rebuild muscle synergies and improve coordination in affected movements. Graded task-oriented training, such as progressive throwing drills for baseball players, has shown promise in restoring smooth motion patterns by gradually reintroducing the skill while emphasizing proper biomechanics. In one case report, a structured physical therapy program involving forearm strengthening and retraining led to measurable reductions in yips symptoms, enabling the athlete to perform without interruption. These interventions emphasize low-risk, repetitive practice to enhance neuromuscular control.^[87] Other medical options include off-label use of beta-blockers like propranolol to manage anxiety components contributing to the yips, particularly in psychological subtypes, though evidence is preliminary and sport-specific studies are limited as of 2025.^[8] Equipment aids, such as weighted clubs or ergonomic modifications, help mitigate wrist strain and provide sensory feedback to counteract spasms. In golf, heavier putter heads or counterbalanced designs can promote a smoother pendulum stroke, reducing the reliance on fine wrist movements prone to yips. For throwing sports like baseball, adjusted glove designs or weighted training balls may stabilize the grip and lessen focal tension during release. These tools support technique changes by altering the physical demands of the task.^[88] Long-term outcomes of physical and medical interventions for the yips vary, with partial remission achieved in a majority of treated cases but high potential for recurrence if underlying dystonic elements persist. Systematic reviews indicate that while initial symptom relief is common, sustained success rates hover around 50-60% without combined approaches, and symptoms may reemerge under stress. Ongoing monitoring and adaptive strategies are essential to maintain gains.^[69]^[19]

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[PDF] 22 – Avoiding the Yips - Dr Paul Hurrion
The yips are the inability to execute a regular putting stroke, with involuntary jerking of the hand or wrist, often due to psychological pressure.
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How to detect the yips in golf - ScienceDirect.com
The yips is a common phenomenon in golf, affecting 28 to 48% of golfers (McDaniel et al., 1989, Smith et al., 2000). However, the use of samples covering ...
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Woods, Langer display genius in the way they whipped the yips
Sep 19, 2019 · And Ben Hogan only won once, the 1959 Colonial National Invitational, after he started having difficulty getting the putter back. Langer has ...
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Bernhard Langer nearly quit golf decades ago. Beating the yips ...
Apr 7, 2025 · Bernhard Langer, playing in his final Masters this week, overcame battles with the yips and became one of the greatest senior golfers of ...
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What a new study reveals about a method to beat the putting yips
Apr 25, 2025 · Researcher Dr. Andy Hoffer looked at the arm-lock method of putting specifically, and how it helped golfers with tremors or yips.
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Claw Grip For Putting: PGA Pro Alex Elliott Explains How It Works
Mar 31, 2025 · The claw putter grip puts the shoulders in charge and encourages a hands-free action. This creates a smooth stroke, which will be particularly ...
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The Yips - New York Tennis Magazine
May 24, 2018 · Medical researchers call the yips “Focal Dystonia” and they believe it is a neurological disorder due to overuse or extreme repetitive stress.
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Aug 16, 2019 · In tennis, the yips usually occur at the player's worst stroke. First of all, this has technical problems. In pressure situations, this is ...
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6 players who had a bad case of the service yips after Coco Gauff's ...
Oct 15, 2024 · 1. Aryna Sabalenka. Sabalenka knows exactly what Coco Gauff is going through. · 2. Anna Kournikova · 3. Ana Ivanovic · 4. Alexander Zverev · 5.
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Jan 19, 2023 · Aryna Sabalenka was stuck in the biggest crisis of her tennis career 12 months ago, but the Belarusian big-hitter has found light at the end of a dark tunnel.
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Jul 23, 2025 · The top 10 ATP and WTA players average 65–75% first serve points won. Serve speed correlates with shorter rally wins, especially on hard and ...
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Slumps, Chokes, and the Yips: Understanding Performance Blocks
In looking for the solution, many coaches, fans, players, media and even performance experts start by critiquing what they can see (i.e. the double faults, ...<|separator|>
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Yup, The Yips Exist in Other Sports - Like Tennis (Ep.62)
Jan 17, 2019 · Lots of parallels between golf and tennis in this way…hope you enjoy the banter. Got questions or want to be on the show? Email me or hit me ...
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A dummy's guide to 'the yips' | ESPNcricinfo
Dec 22, 2007 · "Getting the yips" is a phrase used to describe a (mostly) mental affliction that prevents sportsmen from performing a repetitive task - such as bowling - in ...
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'It took 10 years to recover': the story of Scott Boswell and the yips
Sep 18, 2013 · Scott Boswell runs in to bowl his sixth wide of the over against Somerset and becomes despondent during the C&G Trophy final at Lord's in 2001.
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Why all cricketers can choke but only spinners are prone to the yips
Apr 29, 2017 · The term “yips” comes from golf, and was originally coined to describe the involuntary twitching and jerking that can affect the putting stroke ...<|separator|>
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Towards an understanding of the personal experience of the 'yips' in ...
We conclude that the experience of bowling with the 'yips' shows many characteristics similar to a severe form of choking. ResearchGate Logo.
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Mysterious sultans of spin step into the warmth of the mainstream
Dec 9, 2011 · ... yips; get no-balled for chucking; have a tantrum while playing for Devon; disappear completely. In favourable conditions there is no reason ...
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The Theory Behind the Yips in Baseball - Tread Athletics
Mar 14, 2019 · Reported dystonia-affected sports other than golf include table tennis (Le Floch, 2010) pistol shooting (Sitburana, 2008) and tennis (Mayer., ...
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The Curious Case of the Yips: Both Psychological and Physical for ...
The yips are when a pitcher can't throw where they want, with both psychological and physical factors, including fatigue, contributing to the issue.<|control11|><|separator|>
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The Yips: A Love Story | Florida Baseball ARMory | Pitchers | Hitters
When he threw, his arm felt detached from his body, and he had no idea where the ball would go. Soon he was unable to play catch, and throwing a pitch anywhere ...
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Rick Ankiel admits to drinking before starts to deal with the yips
Feb 20, 2017 · Ankiel melted down in the 2000 NLDS, then started drinking vodka before starts to calm his nerves in 2001.
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These players famously battled the 'yips' - MLB.com
Oct 14, 2020 · It is also believed that Sasser's throwing yips inspired the character Rube Baker in the film “Major League 2.”
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Electromyographic and kinematic characteristics of baseball players ...
Jan 15, 2025 · A prior study indicated that over 40 % of college baseball players have faced symptoms of throwing yips [7]. Yet, despite this substantial ...Missing: youth | Show results with:youth
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Sports-Related Dystonia - PMC - PubMed Central - NIH
Dec 21, 2021 · One group of authors suggested that yips could be related to both dystonia and “choking”, and proposed categorization of yips into- type-1 ( ...Missing: dependent | Show results with:dependent
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Toward a definition and classification of lost move state
Aug 30, 2023 · In this context, yips are considered a neuromuscular problem leading to involuntary movements that occur throughout the execution of a skill. In ...
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A Focus on Choking under Pressure, Yips, and Mental Blocks
Oct 29, 2024 · While one person experiences choking, another may display “clutch” performance, which involves achieving self-referenced goals under pressure ( ...Missing: stakes overthinking
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[PDF] A Phenomenological Look at Mental Blocks in Artistic Gymnastics
Jun 26, 2025 · The term performance blocks was informed by both the yips and another term called lost move syndrome, and was created with the goal of both ...
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Treatment of task-specific dystonia in sports: A systematic review - NIH
Feb 28, 2024 · Task specific dystonia is a movement disorder only affecting a highly practiced skill and is found in a broad set of expert movements including ...Missing: beam grip
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Target panic: Disrupted ecologies of skill in archery
Jan 23, 2023 · The yips – a phenomenon characterised by sudden loss of skill – occurs in many sports, yet no concrete explanation for it has been established.Missing: darts | Show results with:darts
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[PDF] related aspects of the Yips in Tennis, Miniature Golf, Darts - _Layout 1
Results revealed a prevalence rate of currently yips-affected athletes of 6% in tennis, 59% in miniature golf, 32% in darts, and 34% in archery. The yips- ...
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Focal task-specific dystonia of the musicians' hand—a practical ...
Focal dystonia in musicians, also known as musician's cramp or musician's dystonia (MD), is a task-specific movement disorder that manifests itself as a loss ...
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Writer's Cramp: Causes, Symptoms, Treatment, and More - Healthline
Nov 21, 2017 · occupational cramp or dystonia; the “yips”. Anyone can get a task-specific dystonia like writer's cramp. Estimates range from 7 to 69 per ...
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When Athletes Get "the Yips" | Psychology Today Canada
Jul 24, 2023 · The yips refer to psycho-neuromuscular impediment interfering with the execution of fine motor skills during sport.
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The Yips | Clay, Trap, Skeet Shooting Forum
Dec 8, 2013 · It takes several forms. There is one where the shooter actually moves forward as they involuntarily brace against the recoil but they don't pull the trigger.
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The Procedural Yips - PMC - PubMed Central - NIH
Mar 1, 2024 · Described in medical literature as a psycho-neuromuscular impediment affecting the execution of fine motor skills during performance, the yips ...Missing: Clark | Show results with:Clark
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Everyone can benefit from this lesson I learned as a young surgeon
Jan 3, 2024 · “The yips” refers to a spiral of self-doubt in certain high-pressure situations demanding great physical precision.Missing: dental | Show results with:dental
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Cognitive behavioural intervention for the golf yips: A single-case ...
Aug 6, 2025 · The single-case research design indicates that the golf yips can be ameliorated by psychological means under routine coaching conditions.
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Golf, The Yips & How To Use Brainspotting For These Mental Blocks
Feb 20, 2025 · First in part I. we will review how golf can create the yips. Next in part II., we will review the neuroscience principles that explain why this ...
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Impact of mindfulness-based interventions on sports performance ...
Jun 16, 2025 · Emerging evidence from controlled trials and observational studies indicates that MBIs improve both physical and psychological aspects of sports ...
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Game-Changing Hypnosis for Golf Program Unveiled - PRLog
May 17, 2023 · Certified Master Hypnotherapist expands his modern approach to enhance golf performance and eliminate sports anxiety and the infamous "yips".
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What Are The Yips & The Best Sport Psychology ... - Ben Foodman
Feb 3, 2025 · In reality, the yips is a stress response that athletes experience during high-pressure moments in sports.
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Neuroscientists Bring Stunning New Cure for Yips to Golfers
Nov 20, 2024 · A process first developed for Vietnam War veterans had a stunning impact on golfers suffering from the dreaded yips. They found that it cured 61% of those that ...
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The Science Behind Putting Problems - Mayo Clinic News Network
Jun 24, 2016 · Because the yips may be related to overuse of specific muscles, a change of technique or equipment may help. Watch: Video of Dr. Adler ...<|separator|>
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Successful Treatment of Baseball‐Related Dystonia (Yips ... - NIH
Oral medications or BTX should be considered as the first‐line treatment for focal dystonia. If dystonia is not improved, coagulation of the thalamic Vo nucleus ...
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Case Report: Effect of a graded task-oriented throwing training on ...
This case report aimed to evaluate the impact of task-oriented training on throwing accuracy and kinematic variability in a baseball player with the yips. This ...2. Methods · 2.4. Motion Capture System · 4.1. Yips Symptoms Before...Missing: throwers | Show results with:throwers
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How to Cure the Yips in Golf | Keiser University College of Golf
The Mayo Clinic suggests that changes in the grip, mechanical technique, or change in equipment can create a new neural pathway that can disrupt the yip signal.