THE YIPS…THE WHAT?
A Perplexing Condition That No One Wants to Talk About
Q&A with Dr. Charlie Maher PsyD, CC-AASP
Sport and Performance Psychologist and Director of Personal and Organizational
Performance for the Cleveland Indians
For unknown reasons, a player
suddenly becomes unable to
perform the games basic day-today on the field tasks. A pitcher
throws pitches 45 feet or way
over the head of the catcher. A
routine infielder’s throw
completely misses the first
baseman. A catcher can’t throw
the ball back to the pitcher.
The “Yips” – the perceived loss of
fine motor skills with no apparent
reason or explanation. An
affected player suddenly display’s the inability to perform previously mastered skills.
We’re not talking about the inability to perform in the clutch. No - it goes deeper
than that. What makes the Yips so devious is that it doesn’t strike only during high
pressure situations - it creeps into the player’s everyday performance. When you
look into the eyes of the player you see frustration, confusion, helplessness and
dismay.
To get more insight, we contacted Dr. Charlie Maher PsyD, CC-AASP of the Cleveland
Indians. We wanted a better understanding, education and dispel some myths of this
condition that most don’t openly discuss.
Here is our Q&A with him.
Q: Dr. Maher, what is your definition for the "Yips"
A: The yips is a term that has been used for many years in baseball and other sports.
I recognize the use of this term. However, as a licensed and experienced
professional, I do not use the term, “yips”. From my experience base, the term has
no practical value in terms of how to assist the player or otherwise understand his
situation. Furthermore, it is a term that has negative connotations and by using it
with a player, the individual can be branded or labeled as being crazy, mentally weak,
or with other unkind words.
I recognize full well, however, that the term, yips, is part and parcel of the baseball
and athletic culture- but I caution, though, the term can be bandied about, often to
the detriment of a player and the player’s mental health. With respect to baseball, I
prefer to describe a player as not having the yips but rather as an individual who has
lost his composure and focus to some degree in terms of throwing/delivering the