How to Deal With Baseball Yips

Baseball Yips are a real thing and can really ruin the fun of playing baseball. This is a mental health issue that affects players at every level of the game from catcher to infielders to pitchers. It is often a symptom of years of practice and repetition, although it can occur for other reasons.

The yips are not the only mental challenges baseball players encounter. For example, a player may experience weird ball movements or shaking in their hands.

A yips sufferer has to face the reality that he or she will not make a perfect throw every time. This is why players who have yips often feel a sense of panic whenever their mechanics are gone or when they are faced with a difficult pitch.

To prevent a yips occurrence, a player must learn to control his or her emotions. If a baseball player is overwhelmed by negative feelings, he or she will not perform well and may become frustrated.

One study examined the effects of a trigger-based classification system for yips in baseball players. Researchers divided yips symptoms into two groups based on their psychological and non-psychological triggers.

The psychologically triggered group showed higher agreeableness scores and higher neuroticism scores. They also had a tendency to develop yips symptoms more slowly. However, they also threw more errors.

In general, a yips is a good indication that a player has a problem that needs more attention. Luckily, there are several methods to deal with a yips and to overcome them.