Does “Tapping” or EFT Help With The Throwing Yips?

Baseball YIPS

What is EFT “Tapping?”

Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) works by releasing blockages within the energy system which are the source of emotional intensity and discomfort. An EFT treatment involves the use of fingertips rather than needles to tap on the end points of energy that are situated just beneath the surface of the skin.

EFT often works when nothing else seems to. It is usually rapid, long lasting relief from symptoms. Many people have started to use this method for the yips in baseball, golf, and even surgeons.

They tap on certain points on the body having to deal with which problem you are having and they begin with a firm tap on certain pressure points which can range from the face, hands, and arms to relieve pressure and can loosen these athletes up and get rid of negative energy.

When ball players have the yips they over control their throws and are tight in their motions and tapping is believed to relieve this and help them stay relaxed when they go out and pitch or throw.

What do athletes say about “tapping” in baseball?

Jarrod Saltalamacchia was too proud to acknowledge that he needed help from someone else with his yips, which is a common reaction for ball playerws. He contacted a performance enhancement coach who worked with him on his yips by “tapping.” Saltalamacchia said that using tapping “has been very helpful.”

The yips surfaced for Saltalmacchia after he had some surgeries and he said,

“It was a health issue that kind of grew mental, obviously, but I worked on it,” Saltalamacchia said, “I’ve got stuff I go through, but as far as I’m concerned it’s a dead issue. Are there going to be recurrences? I don’t think so. It’s one of those things that through my career I’m going to have to deal with, but I don’t see it being a problem. I don’t think about it. I used to.”

What does Dr. Cohn think about “tapping” to cure the yips?

Related Article: Interrupt The Yips Cycle And Beat The Yips

My view is that the yips are primarily caused by fear of failure and more specifically fear of embarrassment.

My approach is mostly cognitive/behavioral to help athletes free up their throwing motion and get beyond the fear of making a bad throw and the associated embarrassment and disappointment associated with making a bad throw.

Tapping can be effective for some athletes that like this approach. However, some athletes find that tapping alone is too simple and often awkward.

How can tapping on your forehead help you improve your throwing control?

These athletes often don’t see the relationship between tapping and improvements in their performance. They may view it as a silly, bizarre, or strange method.

However, when EFT can be combined with other cognitive strategies that will help free a player from performance anxiety, it can be an effective treatment. You will find that there are many approached to help ball players overcome the throwing yips. Some approach might fail while others succeed.

I did have a golfer contact me about his yips after having tried an EFT to tapping program. He said that tapping did not work for him and he wanted a different approach.

However, EFT might work for you if you embrace the process and combine this with other cognitive-behavioral strategies.

Personally, I do not use tapping or EFT in my mental coaching with ball players.

Other mental coaches I know, exclusively use tapping to help players overcome the yips.


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?

“I wanted to say that your program is one of the contributing factors that has helped Michelle improve her hitting. Last week she had the most relaxed, confident games at bat ever! The mental exercises have started to make things click. The mental program is something she can practice in other facets of life. I am pleased that we decided to invest in your program: the results are showing.”
~Jim Ellis, Michelle’s father


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?

“I want to thank you for your attention with my son Keith, Jr. You helped him to focus his attention on the sequential steps necessary to make the most of his at-bats. Keith went on to have one of his best baseball seasons ever. He led his team in batting average, stolen bases, RBI, and runs scored. He ended the summer with serious interest from several Division I colleges and eventually signed a letter of intent to play for Pennsylvania State University. He received a partial baseball scholarship and is now on the roster. Thanks again for your help.”
~Keith M. Donnell Sr.

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