Baseball Yips Coaching. Get Back to Throwing Freely
Throwing a baseball is supposed to feel effortless or automatic. If it feels that way in practice, but your arm tightens, hitches or freezes once the game is on the line, you may be dealing with the baseball yips. Our certified mental performance coaches work one-on-one with baseball and softball players on exactly this problem, from anywhere in the world.
What are the baseball yips?
The baseball yips are a sudden loss of control over a throw that used to feel natural. Players freeze in the middle of the motion, hitch, double-clutch or sail the ball, and it often happens on the easiest throws. Researchers do not fully agree on the cause. The Mayo Clinic says that in some people the yips are a type of focal dystonia, a neurological condition, while in others they are tied to performance anxiety. In the ball players we coach, fear of failure and over-control sit at the center of it.
That is why changing your grip or arm slot rarely solves it. Baseball yips coaching goes after the thinking and the fear that keep the problem going. If you want the full background first, read What Are the Yips in Baseball? And if you have pain, numbness or weakness in your arm, see a doctor first.
Coaching baseball and softball players worldwide via Zoom
Prefer to talk first? Call us at 407-909-1700
Does This Sound Familiar?
The baseball yips show up at every level, from youth ball to the pros. See if any of these sound like you:
→ “I’m fine in warm-ups and in the bullpen, then everything tightens up once the game starts.”
→ “The easy throws, like flipping it back to the pitcher, scare me more than the hard ones.”
→ “I hitch, pump or double-clutch before I let go of the ball.”
→ “I have changed my grip and my arm slot, and nothing sticks.”
→ “I dread the ball coming to me, and I wonder if I should keep playing.”
How to tell if the baseball yips are behind your throwing trouble
If you throw on target in practice but lose control in games, the baseball yips are a likely suspect. Other signs are trouble on short, simple throws, and trusting only a few of your normal throws or pitches when it counts.
Pitchers lose the strike zone and the feel for the ball. Catchers struggle to return the ball to the mound or to throw down to second. Infielders describe a hitch or a double-clutch right before they release the ball to first base. Softball players run into the same problem.
Many players also worry about what coaches and teammates will think, or about losing playing time, and that worry feeds the problem. You can find more answers in our baseball yips questions and answers.
What Players Say About Baseball Yips Coaching
★★★★★ 4.7 out of 5 — See our reviews on Google
✅ A+ Rated — BBB Accredited Business since 2010
“A Game Where My Throws Were 100% Yip Free”
“When I got on the field, it was like I couldn’t control my own body… When I would go to pull the trigger, some demon would take over. It was happening for about three years and kept getting worse and worse. I worked through it where the fear is pretty much gone. I had a game recently where my throws were 100% yip-free. But I feel like I have more confidence now. I feel like I control my body now.”*
“I Got My First Win of the Season”
“I recently read the Yips report and the next day I came in out of the bullpen and pitched two shutout innings and got my first win of the season. The part that got to me was talking about how the thing holding me back is myself and my fears of embarrassment and failure. I forgot all about that on the mound yesterday and it really helped.”*
~Jack Deardorff
How Baseball Yips Coaching Works
Step 1: Find Where the Yips Come From
We start with the Baseball Mental Aptitude Assessment (BMAP) and a detailed conversation about what drives your yips: overthinking, worry about what others think, perfectionism, performance anxiety, or a mix. Every player’s story is different.
Step 2: Build Your Mental Game Plan
Together with your coach you build a custom Mental Game Plan aimed at the fears and habits that keep you stuck in the yips cycle.
Step 3: Coach Every Week
You meet one-on-one for four 45-minute sessions a month, then use the workbooks and unlimited email support to practice between sessions.
Step 4: Take It Into Games
You bring your plan into catch play, bullpens and then live games, so trust under pressure comes back one step at a time.
What Baseball Yips Coaching Includes
- The Baseball Mental Aptitude Assessment (BMAP) to identify your mental game challenges
- A custom Mental Game Plan that guides your progress
- Four 45-minute coaching sessions each month, on a month-to-month basis
- Unlimited email correspondence with our staff to answer your questions between sessions
- Breaking the Yips Cycle workbooks to help you review and apply what you learn
Sessions take place by Zoom, FaceTime, phone or video conference, so you can work with us from anywhere. Want a self-guided option first? See the Breaking the Yips Cycle audio and workbook program. Questions? Call us at 407-909-1700.
Work With a Certified Mental Performance Coach
Our Coaches
Peak Performance Sports has a team of certified mental performance coaches, including Jaclyn Ellis, Carolyne Lawley and Lane Schwarz, who coach baseball and softball players by video from anywhere in the world. Meet the whole team on the Peak Performance Sports coaches page.
Meet Dr. Patrick Cohn
Dr. Patrick Cohn is a sports psychologist and the founder of Peak Performance Sports, LLC. He earned his Ph.D. in Sports Psychology from the University of Virginia and has spent 40 years working in baseball and helping athletes with the mental game. He created the Breaking the Yips Cycle program, the Athlete’s Mental Edge workbook and the Mental Game Coaching Professional (MGCP) certification. Read more about Dr. Cohn.
Baseball Yips Coaching FAQ
How much does baseball yips coaching cost?
Baseball yips coaching costs $600 to $700 per month. The program is month to month and includes four 45-minute coaching sessions each month.
What is included in the coaching program?
The program includes the Baseball Mental Aptitude Assessment (BMAP), a custom Mental Game Plan, four 45-minute coaching sessions per month, unlimited email correspondence with our staff, and workbooks to help you apply mental game strategies between sessions.
Can baseball yips be cured?
No one can promise a cure. Many players improve by simplifying the throw, letting go of the need to be perfect and working on the mental game, and the goal of coaching is to help you throw freely again. See a doctor first if you have pain or any physical symptom.
How is yips coaching different from general baseball mental coaching?
General mental coaching builds skills such as focus and confidence. Yips coaching targets the cycle of fear of missing, over-control and embarrassment that keeps throwing problems going, using a plan built around your own triggers.
Is coaching done online?
Yes. All coaching is virtual. You work one-on-one with a mental coach from anywhere in the world by phone, Zoom, FaceTime or video conferencing.
Which players do you coach?
We work with baseball and softball players at all levels, from high school and college players to seasoned pros.
Ready to Throw Freely Again?
Book your free 15-minute introductory session with a mental coach, or send us your questions about baseball yips coaching:
Available worldwide · No travel required · Zoom · FaceTime · Phone
Or call us: 407-909-1700
What the Research Says About the Baseball Yips
The Mayo Clinic notes that the yips are most often described in golf but can affect baseball players too, and that anxiety can make them worse. In a 2021 questionnaire study of 107 college baseball players in Japan, 47.1% met the researchers’ definition of throwing yips. Read the Mayo Clinic’s overview of the yips or the 2021 college baseball study.
More on the Baseball Yips
- What Are the Yips in Baseball? The full guide
- Baseball Yips: Your Questions Answered
- Get the free baseball yips report
- Breaking the Yips Cycle audio and workbook program
- Baseball and softball mental coaching at Peak Performance Sports
- Putting yips? Visit our putting yips site
Disclaimer
*Testimonials found on this site are examples of what we have done for other clients, and what some of our clients have said about us. However, we cannot guarantee the results in any case. Your results may vary and every situation is different. No compensation was provided for these testimonials.
Last Updated on October 3, 2026