Two Strategies to Beat The Pitching Yips

Baseball YIPS

Strategies to Overcome The Pitching Yips

The yips can often be the toughest opponent a baseball player can face.

With the yips, you never know exactly what to expect every time you throw the ball.

At least when you face an opposing team, you can scout them so you have some idea what to expect when the game starts.

You know the opposing team’s starter’s pitching arsenal, go-to pitch, velocity and tendencies.

Most baseball players are embarrassed to admit to having the yips and find the mental block to be puzzling.

Throwing a baseball is one of the most basic and fundamental skills for every player.

How is it possible to suddenly have such difficulty performing an action they have done with relative ease thousands of times?

Related Article: Do You Have Throwing or Pitching Problems?

Aaron Barrett was a 2010 draftee of the Washington Nationals and, soon after joining their rookie class affiliate in Vermont, Barrett came down with a bad case of the yips.

BARRETT: “I got booed one outing in Vermont because I threw eight wild pitches to the backstop,” Barrett said. “I remember someone screaming at me, ‘You play professional baseball?’ I mean, it’s embarrassing. I can’t describe it. It just happened. I just lost feel for everything. You see it happen, and it’s scary.”

Barrett was converted into a reliever due to his problems with control as a starter. Once he settled in the closer role, Barrett saved 26 games, posted a 2.15 ERA and compiled 69 strikeouts in 501 /3 innings at Class AA Harrisburg. With his improved accuracy, Barrett is hoping to land a consistent role in the National’s bullpen in 2016.

How did Barrett overcome the yips?

Barrett’s minor league manager Jeff Garber and pitching coach Franklin Bravo had Barrett take repetitions turning double plays at shortstop during practices.

The speed of the double play reduces the amount of time you have to think about throwing the ball. It is the overthinking that leads players to be trapped in the yips cycle.

In essence, Barrett tuned out his “thinking” brain and relied on what he has trained himself to do from an early age… throw the ball, one pitch at a time.

Now that Barrett has overcome the yips, he can focus on attacking the hitter instead of where the ball may end up.

BARRETT: “You’ve got to have a ‘screw it’ attitude. I’m going to throw it through the target as hard as I can. That kind of attitude carries into how I pitch — one pitch at a time, I’m coming at you.”

The mindset you choose will ultimately determine if and when you over the yips.

Two Effective Strategies to Beat the Pitching Yips

Strategy #1: Arm yourself with attitude – Adopt a nonchalant attitude. Instead of worrying about the end result of your pitches focus on attacking the hitter. After the pitch, let go of the result and get ready for the next pitch.

Strategy #2: Pitch swiftly – When you are in a groove on the mound, you take less time between pitches. The key is to pitch swiftly without rushing your mechanics.


Overcome Throwing Yips: How to Break The Yips Cycle

Do you (or a ball player) suffer from:

  • Inability to throw or pitch freely (despite the fact that you can in practice)?
  • Anxiety, tension and over control of their action?
  • Performance anxiety about what others will think?
  • Super low confidence with the yips-infected mechanics?
  • Feeling like an alien has taken over your body and you have no control?

If you can throw well when alone, but can’t take it to games, this is a mental game issue and not a physical challenge!

The Yips Cycle is a vicious cycle that causes ball players to stay trapped in over thinking and over control…

Learn to throw or pitch freely again with my proven audio and workbook program:

Breaking The Yips Cycle: Mental Strategies to Improve Confidence & Throw Freely Again

Breaking The Yips Cycle” is a complete brain dump of the TOP Eight mental training sessions I do with my personal coaching students to help them overcome the yips and play with freedom again.

The Audio and Workbook Program Includes:

  • Two CDs (CD purchase only). 120 minutes of mental training sessions to help you gain greater freedom, focus on the right performance cues, and simplify your prepitch routines.
  • MP3 Audio (Digital Download). 120 minutes of mental training sessions you can download to your computer right away while you wait for the CDs and workbook to arrive. (MP3 Audio value = $149).
  • An 8-Session Breaking The Yips Cycle Workbook to guide you through my mental game sessions and to overcome the throwing yips (Workbook value: $149.00).
  • Bonus Session: Practice drills to free up your throwing to help you improve consistency and stop focusing on mechanics when you play.

Learn more about Breaking The Yips Cycle…


Download Our FREE Baseball Throwing Yips Reportyips-cover-web2

Do you throw accurately in practice, but lose control in games?

Learn how to over come the throwing yips!

Download our FREE Throwing Yips Report and learn how to break the yips cycle and throw freely and confidently again!

8 Mental Game Strategies to Break The Yips Cycle

What are ball players and coaches saying?

“After completing ‘The Confident Athlete’ series, I noticed a dramatic improvement in my level of play or should I say consistency. I play NCAA Division I baseball for Lamar University, and even my coaches have noticed a change in the way that I approach the game – my attitude and confidence at the plate. It has also helped me reach a new level of focus. I am able to get into that zone where I am able to narrow my focus on to the task. Thank you for helping in my continuing goal to mental toughness.”
~Tylor Prudhomm


Beat The Throwing Yips With Expert Mental Game Coaching!

Master mental game coach Dr. Patrick Cohn can help you overcome your mental game issues with personal coaching.

You can work with Dr. Patrick Cohn himself in Orlando, Florida or via Skype, FaceTime, or telephone. Call us toll free at 888-742-7225 or contact us for more information about the different coaching programs we offer!

What are our mental coaching students saying?

“After completing your program… he was more aware of the things that made him tight. He learned to control his breathing and control his emotions.”
~Mark’s Father

Leave a Comment