The Throwing Yips Are in Your Mind
Don’t say the dirty 4 letter word… That is how most ballplayers feel about saying the word, “Yips.”
When ballplayers mention the word “yips,” this sets in motion the very thing ballplayers see as their biggest challenge.
How can such a routine throw, a throw you have made thousands of times become such a labored act?
The physical act of throwing the ball is not the problem. The yips are a mental block that interferes with the smooth, fluid motion of accurately throwing the ball.
Yet, most ballplayers who have the yips talk about the difficulty of throwing the ball: “I’m trying to control my throw,” “My release is too late,” “My mechanics are off” or “My throw feels forced and stiff.”
When you attempt to resolve the yips through physical means, you miss the point and ignore the underlying mental block that causes the yips.
When you are in the yips rut, you become preoccupied by your errant throws. You think about the problem on and off the field. The yips eat at you all day. The more you think about the yips, the more the yips take hold of your mind. You may even take less pre-game infield practice because you are just trying to block the yips from your mind.
Unfortunately, keeping the problem “in the closet” puts more pressure on you in games, making matters worse. In games, you feel anxious, you don’t want the ball hit in your direction. The thought of having to make an accurate throw is overwhelming.
The yips have been a problem for Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve during the 2020 playoff series against the Tampa Bay Rays. Even though Altuve is a six-time All-Star, Gold Glove winner and 2017 AL MVP, he made several critical errors in the ALCS that led to several runs for Tampa Bay.
Altuve committed a combined three throwing errors in Games 2 and 3, contributing to eight Tampa Bay runs. After making no errors during the 2020 regular season, Altuve had four errors in the post-season and the frustration was obvious.
ALTUVE: “It’s not easy. It’s not easy to do things against your team. You’re always trying to help your team. For me, to just not contribute, to not play good and help my team to win, it feels bad.”
Houston manager Dusty Baker talked about the potential of Altuve having the yips and the mental impact of the yips.
BAKER: “I don’t know what it’s called — you can go into a defensive slump the same way you go into an offensive slump, and the physical turns mental… You just hope he isn’t getting the yips, because invariably they come in bunches. I just told [Altuve] to flush it. I mean, this guy’s been awesome for us, and you gotta flush it and move on, or else it multiplies.”
Taking extra fielding practice, working on your mechanics or pretending it doesn’t exist does nothing to remove the mental block of the yips.
When you lose confidence in your ability to make accurate throws and your focus is on trying not to make errors, the yips take a stronghold in your mind.
Overcoming the Throwing Yips:
One or two bad throws does not indicate you have the yips. When you find yourself ruminating about the throws, overthinking your throws or over-analyzing your mechanics, you should try to keep it simple and go back to what worked
What is the underlying mental cause? Worrying about embarrassment or letting down you team.
What are the triggers that lead to your throwing errors? Do you feel like you are going to make a bad throw before you make the attempt?
What mental skills or actions can you take to regain your confidence and focus on the field? You have to learn to throw freely again and not overthink a simple action–or what used to be a simple action.
Taking a mental approach to your game will not only help you on the field, but you’ll also improve all aspects of your game throughout the season. Contact us if you need help with the throwing yips.
Related Baseball Articles:
- How the Yips Infect Your Confidence
- How to Bounce Back From the Yips in Baseball
- How Daniel Bard Overcame The Yips
Get Expert Mental Game Coaching for Yips!
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