The Most Mysterious Mental Disorder In Sports

[@madethecut]

Don’t miss out on all the action this week at DraftKings! Download the DraftKings app today! Sign-up using dkng.co/mtc or through my promo code MTC

[@patanstee2315]

Enjoy your 9k a yr slandering baseballers more talented then you could ever be Chaim

[@andrewleplatt502]

Let's talk about mental illness, brought to you by compulsive gambling.

[@LowEndMarauder]

Yeah dont be a shill for sports books please.

[@StarBoyBooya526]

are you kidding me??? you make a whole video about mental health in baseball and put a gambling sponsorship in it???

[@philipripper1522]

You're part of the problem.

[@avandelayy9089]

It is kinda ironic advertising a gambling site in a video about mental illness, given that they are a primary cause of them

[@juliananthony1226]

Boooooooooooo

[@buddhababy1565]

Lolol it’s pretty funny though 😅

[@Bernie2032]

I’d say it’s more scummy then ironic

[@ninjya_bakon]

I’m so tired of these gambling site ads; gambling is terrible and ruins lives all the time. It’s one of the easiest addictions to have and ruins the lives of the majority of people it hits. It’s almost like crack

[@lewa9575]

Thank you for using the word irony correctly

[@rameshmukherjee6422]

The yips nearly made me quit college baseball. There is no worse pain than not being able to do a simple task that you have done thousands of times before without issue (for me, throwing back to the pitcher), and having it cost your team. If anyone is going through anything similar, I can share my strategies and what I went through to overcome them.

[@joshuatyler551]

Hey, I went through the exact same thing for two years in college and never recovered so I had to stop playing. What strategies helped you overcome it?

[@gradyroberts4455]

Mate if you cand help that'd be great

[@cartertaylor9012]

I have almost quit high school baseball due to this, please share your strategies.

[@donnymcjonny6531]

​@@cartertaylor9012 My brother, it's going to be okay and you have the skills to do it. The hardest part is going to be learning that the yips are not YOU. You have already learned how to do it successfully, it's just a matter of tuning back in to what you already know how to do. You're giving the poor skills too much weight and neglecting your training.

[@TheHeadincharge]

@@cartertaylor9012 Taking a break to help “reset” your mechanics can be quite helpful for some. During that time, you need to refrain from doing the action. By continuing to do the action poorly, you’re only making it harder to pull out of the yips. Taking the break allows both your mental and physical to relax and reset. When going back into the movement, ramp up slow and go from there. Bard’s story that was discussed in the video is actually a great representation of this, although he didn’t do it on purpose.

[@VinnyI6420]

Im shocked Matzek wasn't featured on this video. Going from a promising prospect, to retiring with the yips, to coming to the Braves, and being amazing, and one of the key contributors to their WS win. His 3 straight Ks against the Dodgers will always be legendary.

[@CTSkydives]

Honestly shocked - well documented and written about very well, not only the struggle but the journey back to world champion.

[@bc9478]

Was thinking the same thing, glad someone beat me to it

[@ぽん-w1v]

There’s a Japanese pitcher witch joined the Oakland A’s this season Fujinami, he had suffered YIPs and still struggling. He tried everything but has not recovered completely , so for the last chance he decided to challenge majors. Change the whole environment might work. He had the potential as being rival with Ohtani in early years but Yips came. It was so painful to see him hit the batters and keeps on apologizing and even showed tears on the mound. Batters all knew he was suffering Yips and showed sympathy to him and didn’t get mad even plunked near the head. I wish him recovery in US.

[@cdeanda21]

It still shows. $3+ mil salary for an ERA of over 12. I hope he gets out of it because he has some good stuff.

[@ぽん-w1v]

@@cdeanda21 Yeah I know he’s a bust recently. But I think it’s not a bad gamble for the A’s. Because he has potential close to Ohtani both physical & pitches and the problem is his mental & stableness but those have chance to get fixed suddenly. Especially moving to US is a huge environment change. Maybe, sending him down once to minors would work. Giving him some shock might wake him up. If he recovers, it’ll be a jackpot for A’s.

[@JohnSmith-im8qt]

Yips isn't why this guy isn't ohtani. He was never going to be ohtani because the guy is the biggest phenom literally since babe Ruth.

[@ぽん-w1v]

@@JohnSmith-im8qt Well, sorry , I agree most of that but my English level was too poor so it might sounded like that . Let me try one more time. I’m a long Hanshin Tigers fan since childhood and Fujinami was Hanshin Tiger since debut. Of course He’s not 2way. Their debut year was almost same (different league) and and they were both top prospects, also both looked as future ace of the Team. Hope of the team. And First few years they both grew well at same pace. As a pitcher, people’s opinion about witch is better was 50/50. To be fair, performance was real close…. Until he Yips came. You know their physical is really gifted & rare from a Japanese standards Their velocity was almost same too. Also they both started pro career right after high school . One more thing. Ohtani,s ridiculous level of 2way bloomed in US. He only played in Japan for 5-6 years and he was mostly looked as pitcher

[@ceryno3571]

@@JohnSmith-im8qt Japan praised Fuji’s pitching as on par with shohei in regards to velocity and pure stuff. that’s what they meant. Fuji unfortunately isn’t meant to be a starter and I doubt the A’s pitching coaches know what they’re doing. (The team has an ERA above seven.)

[@weewoo314]

honestly very dystopian to see the pretty genuine, serious, and caring introduction of this video follow by a sports betting sponsorship. as much as i dont think anyone else couldve made this video and am therefore thankful that it exists, a sponsorship like that really does a number on the discussion of the topic as a whole

[@PerkyPineapple]

It really ain't that deep

[@DDG20012]

The yips is such a fascinating phenomenon. It happened to me in bowling. Used to average over 200 but went through a solid period of time when I could barely break 140. I think it’s 90% mental, but the mental aspect affects your physical game. What happened to me is that I never even used to think about my mechanics. I had repeated it so many times that it was natural and automatic to me. It was at the point where if someone asked me what I did to get good, I wouldn’t know what to say cause I never deliberately practiced my mechanics, it just came about due to pure repetition of bowling. There wasn’t some special method that I used, so if I randomly lost my bowling abilities one day, I would have no idea how to bring it back. One practice session I had a random bad game. I started the next game, but I couldn’t get that last game out of my head. That game, I started overthinking my mechanics. What once came naturally now wasn’t there anymore because I was now thinking about every aspect of my shot. It all spiraled from there. It’s hard to even remember, but it seemed like trying to be too deliberate in the entirety of your mechanics fucks you up. After a few months, my mechanics just randomly came back out of nowhere. The scariest part is how rapid it was. It’s not like practicing during my slump slowly brought my abilities back. I was at the same level of sucking the entire time until it randomly returned

[@donnymcjonny6531]

This is interesting because it calls attention to one thing: you don't know WHY you were good. To become a better athlete, you can't take the subconscious things for granted. You HAVE to know WHY if you're going to improve. It's not a sign of incompetence; as a matter of fact, it means your skill has caught up with your natural-born abilities and now it's time to sharpen the knife.

[@bullfrogger1208]

I'll try to explain it. You don't really think when throwing a ball. You know where you want it to go. You have repeated the motion thousands of times. Eventually, you just look where you want it to go and throw it. Your muscle memory tells you how hard to throw and in what direction. Now, suddenly change the strength in one of the major arm muscles. The throw misses it's mark and you don't know why. In fact, you hardly notice. We all brain fart a throw now and then, even playing catch. You chalk it up to that. Then another muscle loses strength and you miss again, still just a brain fart. Then at some point you start to question mechanics. This is what really screws you up. You cannot think your way through throwing a baseball. Eventually, you lose your confidence to make even the easy tosses. So, it is a physical problem that ends up messing with your brain. If your arm just got weaker and stayed that way, you could adjust, probably unconsciously. But if the muscles act different all the time, your brain cannot keep up and it loses confidence for muscle memory to work and tries to think the process out, which creates a disaster. This is why guys go to the outfield. They don't have to think about throwing. Just throw it hard. It is why a catcher can still throw BBs to second but can't throw back to the pitcher without problems.

[@curlyb]

Hahahaha

[@ImmenselyTilted]

I deadass went through the same thing this last bowling season

[@__Dave__]

You nailed it; if you don’t correctly diagnose what you’re doing right, you won’t have a checklist to fall back on when things go wrong. Only thing you can do to fix it without a checklist is to reboot.

[@arlo0011]

As a lifetime Cardinal fan, I was watching the playoff game that Rick Ankiel threw all those I wild pitches in. We fans were stunned as we had watched him all season and had truly fallen in love with him. When he didn't improve the next season, we were truly saddened as if he had died, BUT, when he came back as an outfielder, and did so fantastic, I truly believe the entire city rejoiced. I, for one, wish him only the best.

[@BeefPapa]

I could have sworn his implosion happened against the Mets

[@donnymcjonny6531]

The Ankiel situation has become the quintessential example of the yips

[@bullfrogger1208]

Surprised that Steve Sax isn't mentioned. I thought they named the condition after him.

[@MIKEDOMO]

I remembered that game too, I still can't believe a mental issue could be torn down a pro career.

[@chrissizemore8705]

I'm a lifelong Braves fan so I was on the other side of that. We were flat out confused. Wondering if he was injured or something. It was wild to watch.

[@alecdomotor316]

I caught the yips as a pitcher in high school and man, they are just brutal. I used to have excellent accuracy and would almost never walk a batter. Then one morning I woke up and literally forgot how to throw a baseball. It was the weirdest feeling ever. My arm felt clunky and awkward, almost like trying to throw with your opposite hand. I couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn and lost a lot of velocity too. At some points I was honestly nervous about throwing the ball over the backstop, it was that bad. The worst part was that none of my teammates or coaches understood and just assumed I sucked. The whole experience was so frustrating and embarrassing that I lost my love for the game and ended up quitting. If anyone else out there is going through the yips right now, I feel for you. They are no joke.

[@matthewtrinhle8445]

Dude, same experience for me happened freshman year of high school. I was a decent catcher with good mechanics and blocking, but I would get such nerves from throwing the ball back to the pitcher or down the first baseline. Ended up getting cut going into JV but it was so demoralizing just trying to get through warmups when I would fret over every throw.

[@tjwalker54321]

Same here. Happened in hs, I threw 2 balls over the umpire in the middle of the game and could never find it again. I tried a few things and could finally hit the plate throwing super slow so I just stopped pitching. My primary position was first base so I just went and stayed there. It even affected my batting.

[@jandptv5954]

I haven’t played baseball in a long time, but i used to be a pitcher and I was pretty good at it. Since around 2 or 3 years ago I haven’t been able to throw a ball straight. It either goes into the ground or 30 feet plus in the air. I can’t seem to let go of the ball at the right time.

[@t_momula9057]

I got drafted from the braves and needless to say, my pro career was darkened by yips. It’s not just losing mechanics, your whole approach to the plate is washed. I’ve never been so scared that I was gonna strikeout, and I constantly felt like I wasn’t improving. On top of that there was this 17 year old kid named Ozzie Albies who was growing so fast that I just felt not good enough. When in reality, I made it there which proved I was. I wish I had the same mindset today, than I did those two years.

[@LunchBoxHero29]

Never too late to take a shot at independent ball and work your way back brother, never give up on the dream!

[@abrahamben-dayan9843]

What is your name??

[@jayinthebx]

Theres alot of players that go from good hitters to ones cant hit a lick anymore

[@hndrxxbeats]

Theres one of these oh yea i can relate stories at the top of the comments on every video and i know some of yall are lying and thats weird as hell😭

[@matthewandress1229]

Mark Wohlers was one of the nicest guys! I watched him pitch in Greenville in AA and he was untouchable. It was funny to watch all the scouts pull out their radar guns when he would come in to close out a game. Some players tried to avoid more contact with fans than necessary, but he would always sign autographs and talk to kids. My brother was 7 or 8 and loved him because they shared the same first name. He would always take a few minutes and talk to my brother prior to a game. He even let my brother interview him for a school project. Such a nice dude and man you could hear the ball when he threw it!

[@whitecoffee1427]

One of our family friends had the same experiences with him! I never got to see him pitch, but they all said he was a nice guy and was really good. Go Drive!

[@richardharp4398]

I met mark wholers as a kid and I was the biggest Braves fan. Such a great player! Very nice guy

[@tylernoggle378]

Played his kid in all stars a while back. That kid could sling it.

[@jamiec6504]

Ankiel was so good defensively as an outfielder that most people forget that he came up as a pitcher. Dude had a legendary arm from the outfield.

[@forgettableaccount5855]

Couldn't throw strikes from 90 feet away but was pinpoint from 250. Sometimes, it's just a change in perspective.

[@theaviat0r548]

Just got the yips this year in college. Terrible experience, especially when everyone you talk to in the baseball world just gives you the “oh well” look. Sometimes they can’t be fully recovered from. I almost broke three metal bats trying to find my mechanics again. Thankfully my friend helped me get through it. Thanks for making a video on this.

[@lovelessissimo]

How'd you get through it

[@mattsupachat5962]

No one cares

[@theaviat0r548]

For me, I took a break from swinging for a little bit, hit the gym some more, and then got back into it when I was home. The familiarity of my home cage I think helped me out.

[@jakehiccup1461]

@@mattsupachat5962 I do

[@BigboiRus78]

@@mattsupachat5962 who hurt you?

[@philipramsden4975]

My daughter's a junior in HS and a catcher and got the yips for a couple weeks throwing the ball back to the pitcher, but her throw downs were perfect. She's all good now, but it was driving her nuts.

[@akg8111]

I battled the yips for 15+ years in competition, from childhood up into my mid-20's. Literally, at a moment's notice, 10's of thousands of hours of play, practice, and competition wiped away in a split second. What I discovered is that a mistake, any mistake, would cause a chain reaction in my thinking. There is a sense in which I believed that I could avoid all future failure by regaining control through a hyper-fixation on mechanics. For anyone experiencing this, I hope what I'm about to say has a positive impact for you. If you've practiced for thousands of hours, your body intrinsically knows how to perform your task. This is universally applicable across all sports at a high-level. You KNOW exactly what it feels like (in your body) to perform that task perfectly....whether that be the perfect free throw, slider, putt, etc... In competition, stop focusing on the "HOW" of what you're trying to achieve. Give up on the belief that you can regain "control" and avoid all future mistakes by just "fixing my mechanics". In your mind and body, on each task, you need to have an overwhelming feeling/sensation of what the perfect performance feels like before you start. This is not in the analytical sense, but in a physical sensation. If you've thrown the perfect pitch, think back on that. What did it feel like? Recreate that sensation in your body over and over again before every single pitch. Be so overwhelmed by that sensation that it is impossible for any outside thought or feeling to creep in. Visualize what you're trying to do, feel the sensation of you doing it perfectly, execute. This routine takes practice and consistency -- it needs to be ingrained in you before you ever enter competition.

[@victorosborn3348]

Check my comments that small grade of TOS may be the underlying cause for yips.

[@rydercollins5553]

This happened to me in most sports. I got a pretty decent injury mixed with covid and i quit everything for a year and a half and have never been the same. I have high mental anxiety especially for sports, comign back i was so scared i was gonna be washed and fallen off i actually couldn't do snything snymore. From far outside the box free kicks to struggling on lifting the ball for penalties, its ridicolous and thats only one exapmle Ive slowly been coming back since and with some more confidence im pretty decent again at all the sports i play

[@Crippledsasquash]

Top darts players have been talking about the yips since the 70s. Going to the occy and making the motion to throw but not being able to let go of the dart. It distroyed one of the very best in the 80 eric bristow (the crafty cockney). He has done some great talks on it and there are a couple great vids on you tube about how low he sank anyway great video. 👍

[@jordanlohse23]

I was a junior college closer where I had success and sat 90-93. I went on to play D2 baseball where my yips began in the fall offseason - I couldn’t find the strike zone even if I wanted to my mechanics felt off every time I touched the mound and eventually lead to me getting my first ucl tear. I went through rehab thinking it would fix all my problems but when I got healthy to play my problems throwing strikes got worse my velocity on my fastball went down to 83-85 then I got injured again and needed Tommy John surgery. My senior year I had one last outting after getting healthy again where I was 87-88 with my fastball. But I never got my velocity or command back or comfortable in my mechanics. Thank you for making this video I don’t think enough people understand how hard this is mentally on players I wanted to quit and give up countless times bc I felt helpless. For anyone experiencing the yips talk and ask for help from coaches and mental coaches aswell.

[@activegraves71]

I was an opening bowler in cricket (similar to a starting pitcher in baseball for the uninitiated) and i had this happen in a few games. It’s literally like you said where your body just forgets to do what it’s done 1000 times. For me it felt like the natural feeling of my action was locked behind this obscure mental barrier, the harder you push your body and try and over do it the worse it gets, but you can’t go off into the nets/bullpen, clear your mind and go back in there, your team needs you to perform.

[@ernesttenesmus6757]

Thank you for posting. Task-specific dystonia - yips - disorders are real and occur in various ways that might go undiagnosed and thus be misunderstood. I first learned of yips in 1983 when Dodgers second baseman Steve Sax inexplicably lost the ability to make routine throws to first base. A magazine article provided background information that helped me understand my sudden loss of ability to perform on a musical instrument I had played since boyhood and my subsequent loss of cursive writing. Some tasks routinely performed with one hand now require the use of both. Go figure! It makes little or no sense and seems almost random (such as a pitcher retaining control throwing to the plate, yet being unable to throw to a base). It’s one thing to experience yips with a hobby, quite another when yips affects one’s livelihood. As frustrating as it yips might be, it’s good to know that “it happens” and for the public to be aware. Thanks again.

[@hand_and_justin_entertainment]

I remember in High School when I finally found my groove as a Varsity Baseball Player, I only was used as a pinch runner for my senior year. I had absolutely no hiccups the entire year until I misheard my third base coach yell "Go! Go!". Instead, he actually said "No! No!" and was humiliated by getting tagged out at home, ending my teams chances of a rally in the 5th. After which, I felt so fucking bad, that for almost the rest of the game, I was either in the porta john, or in the dugout completely destroyed. What made things even worse, was that I never even got chosen to pinch run for ANYBODY afterwards until the second to last game of the season. After which, obviously, I graduated and never could play Baseball again. Wish I could though... Edit: I obviously didn't have the yips lol. It was when Made The Cut talked about how one mistake can ruin your chances of ever starting again.

[@pringlesconnoisseur6067]

I can definitley sympathise with those who have or had the yips. Last season, In about the 6 games I played as an infielder before I got injured, I made 0 outs at 1st and threw away the majority of my attempts, even though I could pinpoint my throws every training session and every warmup. The worst part was my defense was the only thing keeping me on the starting lineup, that season, every ball that came off my bat was either a groundout or a flyout. Adding a rotator cuff injury on top of this situation had taken me to the darkest corners of my mind. I woke up every day thinking about all the errors I made and I couldnt stand even looking at my own gear without despising baseball. I stopped watching baseball entirely and cut myself off from the sport completely. However, after coming across pitching ninja, I was inspired to become a pitcher, which helped me redsicover my love for baseball. I decided to practice pitching in my backyard and eventually asked my coach to pitch. 2 weeks ago I pitched my first game as a closer, and picked up a save. Somehow i miraculously managed to throw 10 consecutive strikes despite my limited experience as a pitcher and my past history with throwing in general. Im telling my story now so if youre are in a similar spot as I or anyone in this video was, I strongly reccomend you not give up, and just take a break instead of immediatley thinking that youre not good enough and quit the sport.

[@mindready]

We encourage athletes to speak up about these issues and have developed what we do to support them in every aspect. Thanks for telling this story!

[@kyledavis693]

I suffered from this greatly in college and lost my scholarship back in 08, I was blessed to find YT videos of guys like Joe Smith and Brad Zeigler and thank God. I converted to sidearm-sub and saved my career and changed literally how I see life. As someone who hasn't summed up the gusto to Google "who else forgot how to throw a baseball out of knowhere" THANK YOU so much for making this video MTC!

[@victorosborn3348]

Check my comments that small grade of TOS may be the underlying cause for yips.

[@isaacgraham5727]

Wow thank you for this video! I’ve been a Red Sox fan for over 20 years and I vividly recall when they first drafted Daniel Bard, and how incredibly high the expectations were. You didn’t really mention it too much in this video but they *totally* rushed him up to the big leagues, in part because he was already 22 years old and had a full successful career as a college pitcher, and the thinking was that he wouldn’t need that much seasoning in the minors. Which is why he was pitching in the big leagues after *barely* more than two seasons in the farm system. I always thought that it was deeply unwise to rush him along like that, and if he’d actually been allowed to spend a proper 3-4 seasons working his way through the system he wouldn’t have mentally collapsed the way that he did, ultimately. So happy to see him thriving out here in Denver, though. If anyone deserves a second chance it was Bard.

[@Gasloot]

Hell yeah and he’s such a factor for the Rockies 17 years later. Great point how pitchers especially ones like Bard need some time to develop and get comfortable in the bigs which takes YEARS

[@robbiearroyo2292]

I got the yips on short throws when I was a freshman in high school. I rarely play anymore so I can't say I still have it and it would fluctuate in severity when I was playing, but it really is a terrible experience. I think the thought of repeating the failure becomes so traumatizing you can't help but repeat it. Great video!

[@somanking3146]

As a sophomore and just had the yips in my freshman year of high school at the beginning of the season. We would throw inside and it started off well but the third practice I physically could not throw and I hit a dude three times next to me. I thought really nothing of it but as the next week of throwing in the gym I could not throw and I physically did everything to stop it and I tried not thinking lobbing it and throwing it as hard as I can, changing arm angle etc.. they would tell me just breath and relax but nothing worked. But all it took for me was to throw against a wall everyday before I pull throw. Idk why it worked but now a days I can throw perfectly fine.

[@diegobascara3279]

I feel ya man. Same thing happened to me. I can throw lasers from the outfield but as a catcher I’d struggle throwing the ball back to the pitcher. Man it sucked and lead to some embarrassing moments and was a big reason I quit baseball all together

[@mattsupachat5962]

No one cares

[@Youraveragehealer]

Always enjoyed the 1st baseman’s reaction when 2nd rifles one into the dirt😂

[@thatguitarist25]

I got the yips in middle school travel ball. I was a really good third baseman in terms of fielding but one day I just stopped being able to throw the ball across the field. I got moved to the outfield and hardly ever made any bad throws. As far as things go now, I’m almost 28 now so 15 years later I still can’t make throws to 1st from 3rd in freaking slow pitch softball. I guess I’ve still got them lol

[@mjccarpenter]

I kind of have the yips with driving. Not sure when it happened as I have driven hundreds of thousands of miles. I started feeling like I was going to crash or pass out. Strangest thing ever, I used to be the one to always want to drive and now I hardly want to go anywhere.

[@144Donn]

Rick Ankiel is to me the most heart breaking\heart warming story! I vividly remember his over throwing...and for the life of me, could not understand it! But, to be reborn as an outfielder and his throws, which I have watched numerous times, never get old. His story is truly remarkable and his resilience is something from which we can all learn and gain strength.

[@dennislodermeier1741]

all accomplished with heart breaking\heart warming PEDs

[@zacsalyer5687]

I had the yips in high school. Baseball was the sport I loved most. It had been where I found so much comfort and joy. But the yips took it away until my senior year where I finally got over it. Something I had done thousands of times, throwing a ball back to the pitcher just vanished from my ability. Even when moving to 1st I still had some struggle. It’s a horrible thing to deal with. But there is hope and good lessons to come from it

[@joshhigdon4951]

This is gonna be a good one! Such an odd thing. I suffered from it and never recovered.

[@ethanrothstein6785]

The yips are no joke, truly wild phenomenon that a surprising number of ballplayers suffer from. Best way I could describe it is it feels like a panic attack every time you pick up the ball - couldn't even feel the ball on my fingers. I was able to overcome it, but it was brutal and almost killed my love for the game entirely.

[@mustbemeech]

Sounds like anxiety lol

[@wm_9640]

@@mustbemeechyes, it’s a specific form of severe anxiety

[@mustbemeech]

@@wm_9640 yeah that shit is no joke

[@mrw1208]

I used to play competitive golf. Not pro level, but a good amateur (low single digit handicap). I got away from the game after kids came along, then took it back up 25 years later. I came back with intermittent yips. My arms, mainly the forearms, would suddenly spasm at certain points in the swing. It affected chip shots, fairway shots and drives, but left my putting unscathed (interestingly, the most common affliction). It was strange to go along through six holes of golf even par, then, just like that, take a quadruple bogey because your arms just had a mind of their own for a few minutes. Typically, after the yips hit, they'd leave for weeks, then unexpectedly return. At one point I hit three straight fairway shots straight down into the ground, leaving huge divots each time and barely moving the ball. I took months off after the third of these sprained my wrist. Took about six months to heal.

[@victorosborn3348]

Check my comments that small grade of TOS may be the underlying cause for yips.

[@AllHaiLKINGTIsHeRe3]

I'm a musician and I was playing a job with my band about five years ago. Suddenly, the bass completely stopped playing. I turned over and saw the bassist just sitting there staring. As soon as I had the opportunity, I went over to talk to her. She simply said "I forgot how to play the bass." I thought she might be having a stroke or something so I got ready to call 911 but she told me she was fine, and I noticed her speech was normal and she had normal motor skills. She asked for a few minutes to figure it out and about 10 mins later she was back to normal. It was a one time thing. She doesn't like to talk about it but she just says that it was a horrible and confusing feeling. Yips come in many forms I guess. Who knows what it is. Maybe it's like when you keep saying or hearing one particular word over and over and it starts to lose its meaning. It starts to sound kind of funny and hard to pronounce even though you've known the word for your entire life, when you start to overthink something that comes naturally to you.

[@somerandomguy84]

I’m an operatic tenor and I had trouble with singing high notes - my bread and butter - from fall of 2018 to early 2019. I suppose it’s a little like yips. I just remember thinking “go back to the basics and start small”. I got a new teacher in 2019 and that helped a lot. Now I’ve got top tier high notes haha

[@Blobmanne]

There’s something wild about doing a gambling advertisement in a mental health awareness type video.

[@border056]

I still play adult ball in my mid 30’s and have suffered from the yips my entire life. As a catcher throwing the ball back was always my biggest fear but making a throw down to second was never a problem. If I had a play where I didn’t have time to think I could fire a seed. Give me a chance to think and it it’s all over. To me, at the point where you’re just about to release the ball a thought pops into my head, “don’t over throw”. That would cause me to hit the brakes on my throw and I’d still end up throwing a rainbow over the pitcher or toss it short. I’m always honest with my team and I tell the pitchers it helps if they come in a few steps. It’s maddening.

[@Little_Italy768]

I had this as a catcher growing up! I started off as a center fielder and did really well. Because of this i was eventually moved behind the plate. Kinda got a feel of the whole game and now as captain despite it being my first year at this position with this specific leadership role I was excited. Something about being able to throw a a ball on an absolute zip without thinking is straight instinct for us Baseball players. We could whip that mask off real quick and not even hesitate when it came to releasing it on a rope towards second. We could find ways to keep wild pitches from being not so wild with quick reflexes when that ball takes a bad bounce and pops up from the dirt. That wild pitch alone is another bad pitch closer from turning your pitchers confidence washed. Yet it’s instinct for us. If your pitcher is struggling it’s our job to go out their and tell him that he’s got this. It’s our job. We can block the plate and slap a tag down on someone without thought…not even flinching yet when things slow down and I need to get that ball back to my guy on the mound? One game I couldn’t reach him AT ALL. AT ALL. Who’s gonna come settle me down? What is their to settle? It’s not wild…I can’t reach the guy on the mound. What the fuck man. I was brutally short on a number of different occasions. It was bizarre. Catchers are important. I try n tell my little cousins how much fun I had and how much of an impact you can make. Great years but it really is the little things like this that get athletes all caught up. It’s almost like my subconscious took over and my arm would just go stiff. I somehow knew I might not reach him again yet I’m throwing it. My body just kinda took over. Yet any other day your coach is complimenting that rifle we got planned for teams this season during practice when someone is thinking about stealing 2nd come first pitch. Damn man. Very strange. I fuckin loved being a catcher though! That position is FIRE. Starting catcher for the all star game in my babe Ruth league and the short stop took a cut off throw from the left fielder. This kid was looking to score from 1st on someone else’s gapper of an eventual triple. The Short stop on my all star team was actually a kid I had fought in my first ever fist fight years prior lol. His boys said I won but the kid def earned my respect! Anyway, that same kid threw an absolute BULLET from cut off at short right into my glove at home and buddy coming from first to home didn’t even slide! He thought he was running on in no problem. That kid at short delivering that straight 🎯 despite our past history was a sick little moment tbh. I loved that shit. In the moment catchers are just ready! The Kid running in at full fucking speed almost took off my wrist/hand from his momentum but you already know i kept that ball in my mitt baby. It’s what we do! The ump thought it was sick to see up close. Def one of my favorite plays ever during my baseball years. Loved that position man.

[@logan62097]

I was pretty similar to Ankiel in terms of how it turned out (ending up in the outfield with success), except I played 2nd. I went from being a really good 2nd basemen to not being able to make a throw from any position in the infield to 1st base, so I asked my coach to put me in the outfield. Inexplicably I could throw a strike from deep center, but if you asked me to throw 10 feet as an infielder I would overthrow or hit the dirt on every single one. I wish it didn't take 2 years of my high school playing time to figure out that I was better as an outfielder, because it basically took away every shred of confidence I had in my play, I went from definitely wanting to play college baseball to not being interested in the slightest out of fear of potential heartbreak. I truly hope that we find some way of working players out of the yips, then people from generations after me won't feel this overwhelming regret of not going on to the next level; whether it's college, the minor leagues, or MLB.

[@SilverAndBlackZach]

The yips never got to Lester?? Are you kidding me? His absolute meltdown against the Royals in the playoffs where almost every batter ran on him because he would refuse to throw over. Lost the and because of that and was eliminated from playoffs.

[@benjaminknowles7093]

In Sports Pyschology, the yips can also be referred to as an overthinking of the body’s motor control movements. The mind is so stressed that it cannot enter a flow state and you are thinking of every muscle, bone and joint moving, making already known movements, immensely difficult

[@extragoogleaccount6061]

This is exactly the way I feel with basketball, and well, everything at the moment. I have some kind of mysterious muscle disorder I am having trouble getting diagnosed. But because of extremely tight joints/tendons, muscle weakness and deterioration, I have to “manually” control every muscle and limb movement with my conscious thoughts. It sucks. I can barely exercise anymore….exercise intolerance.

[@drewbt]

I had the yips in high school. My coach had me throw into a foam pad as hard as I could so I could feel confident in really letting the ball loose. Worked wonders for me

[@JustMeELC]

That's a confidence issue not the yips. The yips rarely start as a result of a lack of confidence & can be completely unrelated psychological issues ;o)

[@TwoFingerSaloute]

@@JustMeELC but I think when you get the yips, especially with throwing, you kinda get caught in between throwing hard and soft. An unnatural motion to you. As the guy said, his coach teaching him to let it fly stopped his in between motion(if that’s what he suffered from)

[@JustMeELC]

@@TwoFingerSaloute The term is now being incorrectly used to describe any performance issue like this. The cause of the actual yips is a much deeper issue & isn't overcome with drills etc. That is simply a performance issue not the yips. For one mlb pitcher the underlying cause went all the way back to childhood trauma & presented itself as a throwing problem over a decade later. There are throwing problems that can be aided with drills & then there are the yips which is a symptom of the deeper issue simple drills can't fix ;o)

[@mattsupachat5962]

No one cares. Everything doesn’t have to be about you

[@llydrsn]

Daniel Bard was a beast during his breakout seasons with the Red Sox. There were even discussions about his role being more critical than the closer's role as he is tasked with pitching the most critical innings of the game - even coming in with runners on the bases. The Chicken and Beer fiasco turned out to be just the beginning of the end for that version of Daniel Bard. Good thing he was able to overcome the yips and return to the Majors.

[@rftulie]

Thanks for posting this video. It makes me feel a little better. I'm not at the level of these guys or even some of the commenters -- I'm just an old guy who plays slow-pitch softball. I picked up the throwing yips decades ago and fought through it by just having buddies go out and throw and practice with me; repetition sort of helped. But I never had trouble hitting. Then, the year after the pandemic-canceled season, I developed the hitting yips. I mean, the ball is coming in slow motion, but I still couldn't make hard contact! I gave up after 3 games in 2021 because I was so befuddled I couldn't cope. I ended so many innings with runners on base. So I went to cognitive behavior therapy. It did no good. Last season I hardly barreled up anything. I hit great in the cage and in practice, but when the lights came on -- nothing. GIDP, ending innings with ground outs. My teammates were nice about it, but I dropped to near the bottom of the lineup. This year, I'm finally breaking out of it. What did it was a laminated card I put in my pocket. I look at it in the on-deck circle, and it reminds me of mechanics and reminds me to breathe. I'm not all the way back yet, but the signs are there. I know for elite athletes, it's not that simple, but I'm glad I may be finally out of the fog!

[@scootdaws25]

There was a pitcher back in the late 70s early 80s named Kevin Saucier who quit the Tigers because he didn't wanna kill somebody with a pitched ball. He was good for the champion Phillies in 80 and got traded to Detroit and got the yips and retired in 82.

[@BunnEFartz]

I remember it well. He went from the Tigers closer to walking off the mound in Spring Training and never returning. I remembered his career when Dontrelle Willis came along and suffered pretty much the same affliction.

[@Nick_Valentine2702]

I was a really good QB at my high school. I started every game with the freshman team and I showed the coaches I was good enough to replace the senior QB on varsity when he graduated and I became a sophomore. I did great my first varsity game we won and I threw 2 TD’s. My next game was a road game and it was the worst game I ever played. Threw 4ints and 2 pick sixes. I tried to dismiss it as a fluke but I struggled with my accuracy for the rest of the season. There were times I literally couldn’t make the easiest of throws and every choice I was making was turning out horrible. I was benched in the 4th game of the year but I got to play in the second to last game because the QB ahead of me got hurt. It didn’t go well. I got my job back senior year, didn’t win most of our games but I stopped throwing the ball to the other team, mostly…😂

[@mattsupachat5962]

No one cares. Everything doesn’t have to be about you

[@mustbemeech]

😂😂😂😂😂😂 I really respect that you own it I’m not laughin at you I’m laughing with you. Most these comments are people making excuses imo, you’re not one of them.

[@JasonSmith-zb2cj]

As a coach for little league baseball, who pitched all his days as a teen. I to came across the yips myself as I couldn’t throw a strike for simple batting practice. It was so bad I was throwing behind the kids. Because of this I became a student of yips and googled, researched as much as I could. And well unfortunately my step son got the yips and even though he was a phenomenal pitcher he couldn’t have a simple catch. I helped him overcome it but it wasn’t easy. Please if anyone is struggling I might be able to help. And my heart goes out to all that do struggle with yips. Exactly what Mr. Byrd said you had to think about the basics of throwing just like having to think like walking he’s right but he’s wrong. He needed to think with the opposite side of the brain not the imagination side of not being able to throw a strike and all the fans laughing at him.

[@victorosborn3348]

Check my comments that small grade of TOS may be the underlying cause for yips.

[@bigmayy1290]

Had the yips in high school ball. Forgot how to throw a ball. Would just go straight into the ground or 20ft above anyone’s head. Still fucks with me till this day even tho I ended up playing the rest of that season and the year after with no issues. In the back of my mind it can still happen at any moment and makes me nervous to play ball cause I’m not tryna embarrass myself and throw a crazy ball. Happened once after highschool in college intramural, but currently playing some softball now and all is good. It’s a snowball effect, it happens once and feels like it wont stop and sorta doesn’t. Biggest thing that helps is being in a mindset of relaxation and not putting pressure on yourself. Easier said than done but coming back from the yips is possible.

[@victorosborn3348]

Check my comments that small grade of TOS may be the underlying cause for yips.

[@skiprockjr.6881]

You forgot about Mackey Sasser. He was a catcher who had trouble throwing the ball back to the pitcher. He would pad the ball back into his mitt 2-4 times before he was able to throw it back to the pitcher.

[@tvtitlechampion3238]

Came here to say this. His was the most interesting, because he could still fire it down when a play was on, but couldn't deal with throwing it back to the pitcher. The strangest occurrence was when he would have the ball in his hand, pump it like he was about to throw, but then wouldn't release it. Had the effect of looking like he was waving at the pitcher.

[@skiprockjr.6881]

@@tvtitlechampion3238 I'm pretty sure his yips came after a collision at the plate. I think he got rocked and was never the same afterward.

[@tvtitlechampion3238]

@@skiprockjr.6881 maybe some kind of PTSD, then. The human condition is curious thing.

[@voidsabre_]

I totally understand the feeling. Though I've never heard it called "The Yips" it happened to me in high school archery. I went from top 25 in my state to shooting fives and sixes and sometimes not even hitting the target at all. It was like my body forgot how to hold a drawn bow completely and couldn't relearn until my season was ruined

[@nicholasadams2374]

The YIPS!! My dad told me about this as a kid, watching baseball together. Always made me laugh. Miss you dad.

[@Texpantego]

I got the yips when it was just tossing the ball around. On a bang bang throw from the outfield to throw out a runner I could throw it just fine, but a regular "non pressure" throw the ball would sail in every direction but the intended target.

[@squamsh122]

Totally understand this. Lost the ability to throw short distances during catching tryouts. Got stuck in the outfield and could throw fine. To this day I still have the yips playing casual catch but am fine throwing longer distance or on the move.

[@ideologybot4592]

The yips are a fairly obvious thing to me. In times where the stakes are high, people become so self-aware that they can't rely on usually automatic processes. It happens to me when I'm trying to move around at heights, kind of a muscle lock that goes along with acrophobia, knowing that a wrong move might slip me up and get me hurt or worse. It's about the nature of attention, and it should be in a different class of mental disorder. It's not irrational. Thinking harder about what you do in monumental moments makes perfect sense. It just happens to be disastrous when what you need to do is execute an action that's usually automatic.

[@claythomas9467]

I got the atrangest case of the yipps in college. After TJ recovery, it is my first year back in the fall. Someone got on first base and it was my first time to pitch from the stretch in a game situation, and i forgot out. I physically could not pitch the ball. My brain would say pitch, and my body would pick off. After 4 pick offs in a fall team scrimmage my coach yelled, "ok enough, throw the ball." He didnt get it, i forgot how. i had to step off again and take a breather. I toed the rubber again, made a pitch and it felt 100% awkward. It literally felt like i had never pitched from the stretch before, even though i just did it in the bullpen warming up. First pitch went about half way, same velo lol, imagine 85 mph going 35 feet. I eventually got it back and got out of the inning. Coaches asked a lot of questions that i could not answer. It took about 3 or 4 more outtings before it felt normal again.

[@mikeyg6631]

I think my son went through this when he was a pitcher in AAA (minor league in my city Toronto) he was amazing at his craft and he had the gift. But all it took was a few bad games and he couldn't pitch no more he was only 14 and hey $hit happens in The game of confidence.

[@ducc764]

It’s a really crazy thing to experience. It’s your brain like legit on overkill. As soon as it starts and happens consecutive times, you’re already in your own head.

[@wildsmiley]

It's ironic that Bard would stage his comeback here, in Colorado, to pitch in a ballpark that doesn't do pitchers any favors, to put it mildly.

[@bobbyb6861]

The irony of a video about mental health containing an ad for gambling is next level.

[@DwayneIsKing]

As a Cards fan, it was heartbreaking seeing Rick Ankiel throwing all those wild pitches. It's so damn dope that he was able to thrive at another position to where he's a beloved player of our historic franchise

[@dennislodermeier1741]

and a proven PED user

[@FrankTruslow]

Love your videos...Catcher Mackey Sasser got the yips and had issues throwing back to the pitcher...drove managers (and pitchers) nuts.

[@tombeh]

Thank you so much for this video. I thought it was just going to be about pros and the pressures on them but no, this can affect people in regular life rec leagues. I'm all teared up thinking about this and that it's exactly what happened to me in my rec league softball. 😢 I was a pretty good pitcher until suddenly I was awful. I couldn't get it over the plate, or sometimes not even to the plate. The final game before quitting was just emotionally terrible. Walk after walk after walk...and many times I couldn't let go of the ball and I lobbed it straight up into the air. I was so embarrassed and frankly angry because my coach wouldn't put anyone in to replace me until he finally did after it was way too late for our team(20+ runs given up) or for my mental state. And weighing on me always was...WTF HAPPENED? I didn't want to play anymore, but they convinced me at to try at 1st base and I was much better there. Problem was it was already a position taken by someone else. All in a simple, fun rec league. I had no idea watching this video would take me back to that and explain something I never could. I've not played in years, mostly because of injuries, but also the fear of it happening again. At least now I know it wasn't "me", but it was the Yips.

[@inconnu4961]

Wow, how terrible! I cant imagine how cruel it is to have it rob you of an enjoyable past time. Does this plague you in other areas of life too? Hope life is generally better for you & thanks for sharing your story!

[@victorosborn3348]

Check my comments that small grade of TOS may be the underlying cause for yips.

[@jarrettborkowski8658]

The tips ended my time in baseball. I always prided myself on my defense. I had a cannon of an arm, would go full out for each play, and was smooth as butter. With this, I spent most of high school at third. Come my Junior year, something broke down. Felt like I was pushing the ball to first. Coach moved me to short full time as I could handle the range it demanded, and the throw could be shorter. Still was wild to first. Eventually moved me to second, still no luck. Wasn’t until I was moved to right field that I had some sense of normalcy. I guess the idea of chucking the ball as hard as you can from the outfield really does help with accuracy. Spent most of my time in the outfield corners before graduating but it’s a shame I didn’t even try to go play in college. I was good enough to, especially at the D-3 school I went to, but because of what happened, I just ended up throwing baseball away, afraid of the yips showing up again.

[@mattsupachat5962]

No one cares. Everything doesn’t have to be about you

[@jakeh_13]

the yips ruined my love for lacrosse my favorite sports growing up

[@mattsupachat5962]

@@jakeh_13 no one cares

[@Lightsaglowllc]

I was at the playoff game where Ankiel broke the mlb record for wild pitches AND at the game 7 years later where he hit a HR in his first game with the Cards as an outfielder. The return was incredible.

[@donnymcjonny6531]

Yo, this was a solid video. I enjoy when you make content like this

[@upchurch231]

I got The Yips in high school football. Played quarterback all through middle school and all through High School senior year starts second game of the year a receiver on-the-go pattern which is just like a straight streek down the field. It was on my left side I'm right handed and when I threw it it was like the worst Ducks row ever in life for some reason it didn't feel like right and I just floated in the air and intercepted unbelievably easy. From that moment forward I could never throw to the left side of my body again. The best way I can describe it as this The Yips is basically where you lose the function of your dominant like arm or foot like you feel like you're throwing with your off hand but it's your good hand and you don't know why it happens you look and you try to get your stand right and your footwork right and everything but when you go to move your arm you just can't move your arm in the correct ways it's weird and then it becomes a psychological thing

[@sammyssportscards1862]

Fun fact my dad was actually friends with chuck as a kid and used to bike with him and go to astroworld a water park. They once were on a little league team and he said that he was by far the best player he saw in 8th grade.

[@victorosborn3348]

I have thousands of hours of tennis under my belt I have been there with yips. Having no control of your wrists and arms in tennis that requires very fine motor skills. Your arm is staccato, lost feelings in the arm, wrist, and the movement of the swing. You start overthinking, looking over your mechanics, losing what was automatic, and thinking the problem is subconscious. When it is happening it is embarrassing, shameful and creates anxiety. It is devastating and takes all the fun out of the game and you're likely to quit with no confidence in the game. For many it is career-ending. After years of discovering my problem, I found it was not in my head. It's not bad psyche or anything to do with mental toughness. My answer was a small grade of TOS. A TOS you never notice in your daily life. Nervousness causes muscle tension that makes the symptoms of TOS worse and then you're in a bad loop with a feeling of shame, embarrassment, and anxiety losing even more motor skills. You can not breathe slowly out of that. The solutions are therapy over time with trigger point release and stretching where TOS usually are caused. There are tons of KZbin videos of this. 8 places in your body, working from your SCM and Scalenes, 1 rib to your elbows and wrists. How did I figure out? Yips from professional baseball players who solved their "mental" and yips issues with a 1 rib surgery operation for TOS, fixed just like that overnight. Why should players suddenly lose a skill that has been done millions of times before and get fixed after an operation? It only happens to people that have done the mechanics thousands of times. It is caused by straining your body to a grade of TOS. So I started releasing muscles in my neck tight SCM and Scalenes etc. Afterwards I Have not experienced yips since. I sometimes get nervous, but I don't go jelly in my arms and wrists and loose total control. I think that is the cause and could help musicians, players in golf, tennis, baseball etc, and surgeons. Psychiatrists, NLP coaches, TFT therapists etc could help, changing mechanics etc, but not solve it from the ground up. There is very little research on this and I think the professionals in white coats are not even close to fixing this problem. That is my these and I hope someone will research this. Even TOS itself is vastly misunderstood. You can have a grade of it. It is not binary. Ref: msk neurology.

[@bowlersunanimous1983]

I never had a shot at playing college baseball after multiple rotator cuff tears. I was a pitcher that wasn’t properly progressed through high school. I got ahead of myself and developed a 5-pitch arsenal and three way too frequently. So, I began to golf. After two years, I got my handicap down to 5 playing a few times a week and even more during the summer. Before a round, on the putting green, I stuttered before I began to move the stroke forward. I wasn’t really worried about it until I did the same thing on the tee box. I lasted 3 holes before I packed it up and went home to forget about it. I never forgot about it. I tried to go to the range to work it out, but I just couldn’t shake the yips. 3-4 years later, a topgolf was built in my area. I decided it had been long enough and that maybe it’d worked itself outta my system. By the Grace of God or whatever there is out there, I could swing with no stutter and the weight on my shoulders was just gone. The more you stress about it, the worse it is.

[@chrismac5560]

I wouldn't say I was ever an amazing golfer to the point that I could have pursued it as a career but when I was in high school I golfed a ton, often multiple rounds a day and I was borderline a single digit handicap golfer shooting +7 to +11 (shooting 78-82) nearly every round, when I shot worse than that (always only a stroke or two worse) I would get incredibly pissed off, a few times I would shoot better including my best round ever of -3 (68). When I was 20 mid summer I came down with what would best be described as the yips and basically completely forgot how to golf; I was suddenly worse than a beginner. All of a sudden I started shooting off rounds of +60 to [phone]) including one round where I lost 12 balls on the third hole and shot a 31 on just that single hole. The crazy thing is it all started about a week and a half after I got my only ever eagle. It was a 348 yard par 4 which I drove the green and had a foot and a half tap in putt for the eagle. So to go from that to completely forgetting how to golf in less than two weeks was incredibly frustrating and it completely turned me off of golf. After that I didn't play a single round for three years. Finally one of my best friends convinced me to play as I had two 'half off a round' coupons that I was given for free. That day (my first round in three years) I shot +8 and that was after being +5 thru 5 and this was on a course I had never played before which cost me a lost ball penalty as I didn't know on one hole you have to aim farther left to avoid the water (if I knew that the round would have been even better). I even beat my friend who was still playing at least five times a week by three strokes (which kinda pissed him off lol). In the four years since then I have only played maybe 18 rounds and almost all of them have been +10 to +15 (82-87) and I have started to enjoy playing again. I definitely need to get out and play more often so I can shave off 4 or so strokes to get back to where I was back in high school and hopefully what happened to me when I was 20 doesn't happen again

[@pathutchison7688]

Always think of Rick Ankiel whenever we talk about getting the yips. It was an extreme case. And church Knoblock being unable to make the throw from second to first. That was another ridiculous some.

[@pathutchison7688]

Guess I shoulda watched the vid before commenting 😢

[@ryleighrage]

I’m surprised Dontrelle Willis didn’t get mentioned. He was so fun to watch before he lost the ability to find the strike zone.

[@pk7422]

As a person who suffers from the yips regularly, it's fucking awful. I may not have been the greatest baseball player but i used to be dependable and could be counted on to make the play. Then one day, every single ball that left my hand went where the fuck ever it wanted. To this day i still haven't recovered.

[@Getawhale]

Mackey Sasser's name has been mentioned, a catcher who stopped being able to throw back to the pitcher in the 80s, and I wanted to let people know that the 30 For 30 short documentary about him and his career, was FANTASTICALLY done, and is a FASCINATING look at the idea of yips, with one of the most prominent early examples. If you can find it, it's a super good watch. An intimate, up-front look at this type of mental block.

[@petercoquillette5202]

The thing that sparked my yips was hitting three batters in a row and getting yelled at by the other fans, followed by me blowing up and not being able to hit the catcher in a later appearance in a playoff game with my whole school watching. The craziest part was that in between these two outings (which were the beginning of a longer struggle with the yips) was that I closed out a one run game against our rivals and was brought in with runners on base. I didn't throw a single strike in these warmups but got lucky and threw a strike first pitch, and it was almost like that allowed my body to relax and let the ball go. Having the yips feels like someone is grabbing your arm while you are trying to throw, like you are in fight or flight mode and your body tenses to the point it forgets how to naturally move. I relate to Rick Ankiel because even at my worst moments on the mound where I couldn't even hit the catcher, I could throw a perfect strike from the outfield. It truly is bizarre

[@mattsupachat5962]

No one cares. Everything doesn’t have to be about you

[@dingerboi4]

I played baseball at a JuCo then D2 , I got the yips and it basically destroyed my career. I did mentally training with a specialist from California over the phone. It’s tied to anxiety and the exercises he had me do were wild. I happen to remember them fairly well, and with reps they work. If anyone is struggling with this nightmare I can probably help.

[@michaelpowell3204]

Definitely think of Mark Wohlers whenever this comes up. Poor guy was a star closer on a team that was famous for its incredible pitching, and then everything collapsed.

[@Mythical01]

I had the yips in football, it’s what stopped me from playing late in high school and college. I literally could not handle the snap, I could for so long and then one day I struggled with it and never got it back

[@AussBosss]

Mackie Sasser syndrome. He had issues throwing back to the pitcher which ruined his career as a catcher. Had the pleasure of him being my head coach at Wallace Community College in Dothan, AL.

[@TrevelyanP26]

I had the yips horribly two years ago couldn’t make it half way to the pitchers mound, the ball just feels strange in the hands and you feel helpless. It was difficult to overcome so when they started to come back 3 weeks ago I thought it was over. But my old strategy worked again What I did was go to a fence or open field close your eyes and fire it do it over and over again with no regard for where the ball goes, then when you start playing catch celebrate all the little wins I made it to him it was on the right line etc. just like when you miss a put in golf and your friend tries to cheer you up. Do this to the point of it being silly I would litterally say to myself your the best in the game if i lobbed it anywhere close him, it will come back and then it is just a mental battle. Also keep a ball in your hand and flip it into your glove when not playing anything to bring back the muscle memory

[@madelinebarraza1408]

I got the yips, as a catcher, throwing the ball back to the pitcher. I was an elite player, looking at D1 colleges. I stopped playing for awhile, then started playing third. Finally, when I was able to get past it, I was never the same. It was such an embarrassing experience

[@dylanbrown4831]

Wild stuff. Going through a slump is what all this describes. But the not being able to throw to first base is so wild to me. Losing your stuff in pitching and missing by a couple inches is one thing. It’s wild how a pro can suddenly not be able to throw straight

[@dudeguy2946]

Lmao. A gambling ad in the middle of a video about mental illness. Poetic almost.

[@akasilkyslim]

"Guzzling beer's before bullpen sessions" is crazy 😂 but that's not the first time I've heard of a pitcher doing something like that

[@EvanP-gn4en]

I had a strange case of the yips once. When I was on the mound I could throw strikes and everything was normal. When a ground ball was hit to me, I could NOT throw it to first. It was the strangest thing.

[@DR4GONCYD3]

Hayden Hurst is a good example of "when a door closes, a window opens." got the yips after being drafted to the mlb (17th rd) out of high school. he had turned down a scholarship to pitch at florida state. tried for a couple years with no success. but was able to pivot to football and walk on at south carolina to play tight end. got drafted in the 1st rd and has had a modestly successful career in the nfl since.

[@gregthompson3785]

The YIPS also show up for musicians. I've played drums for 35 years,and all of a sudden,they show up. You can no longer count to 4.Incredibly frustrating.

[@johns.8220]

I lost my ability to play the trumpet. VERY suddenly. Trying to articulate a note and my face just spasms. The medical term is focal dystonia.

[@inconnu4961]

Thats either the yips, or Common Core math! LOL

[@bullfrogger1208]

I got the yips in high school in the early 70s as a catcher. It absolutely ruined the game for me. At that time, this problem didn't even exist from what I've seen. The reason guys move to the outfield is because they can wing every throw. I could fire bullets to second because the throw is an all out motion. My problem was getting it back to the pitcher. At the end, I had to walk half way to the mound and toss the ball under hand. You think you're losing your mind and no one is telling you you're not. I had to quit and joined the golf team. I was so bad at golf, you couldn't tell if it was yips or just my crappy game. I'm almost 70 and have figured it all out. Problem is that the whole thing is so strange that no one will listen long enough to understand, so I just keep it to myself rather than being called a nut job for trying to help someone. I will say that it is a very real physical condition that manifests itself mentally. It affects our entire body and is responsible for many conditions and illnesses that all get blamed on something else. This is where eyes roll and the crazy looks start so I'll just leave it at that .

[@mattsupachat5962]

No one cares. Everything doesn’t have to be about you

[@danielhresko4900]

If you do a follow up, please include former Mets catcher Mackey Sasser, who developed an inability to throw the ball back to the pitcher without double clutching or tossing a high lob.

[@User-gs1dk]

I'm not sure if this is exactly what people experience with YIPS but I had a similar situation occur with learning gymnastics/acrobatics as a teen. I had got to the point where I could do a backwards full twist (backflip with a 360 twist in the air). I had it down for a few weeks and had performed it likely hundreds if not a thousand times in that span. And then one day mid flip I it's like my brain detached from the action and I had literally no idea what was going on. I crash landed uninjured but that was it. I had completely lost the ability and never regained it. It was as if the motor pattern file in my brain for that movement had been completely deleted.

[@kaysguy]

Steve Blass was one of the best pitchers in the NL until 1973 when he started hitting batters. Then, to avoid hitting batters, he started giving up a lot of walks. No one could figure out why, and his career was done.

[@trapez77]

I got the yips when I was a kid in the 90’s and I thought I was the only one that ever happened to because it was so weird and I never heard about it at the time

[@NealB123]

I was a big Braves fan back in the day. I had never heard of the baseball yips until I saw Wohlers almost overnight go from being the best closer in the game to being unable to throw a decent pitch. Damnest thing I've ever seen in baseball.

[@CornedWalls]

Playing a disc golf league round a couple weeks ago. Was fine with my round. Putting for -6 on a decent course on 18. Maybe 15 feet out. Three straight airballs. Finished with a double bogey and ended -3. Not sure where it came from or why, but it's a hell of a thing. You can play well for months and one moment of some light yips can snowball into months of depression and continued failure. It's awesome.

[@m33nboy]

I had (still have, sometimes) the yips. Baseball was my entire life and one day my brain forgot how to throw a ball. Worst feeling ever, it's like having a panic attack in front of a bunch of people. I'm still not back to 100% and probably never will be. Glad people are talking about it though, when I had the yips in the early 2000's I was not confident enough to mention it to any coaches or anything.

[@victorosborn3348]

Check my comments that small grade of TOS may be the underlying cause for yips.

[@mrlafayette1964]

It starts as mental after making a bad play, it stays on the mind and in the second opportunity you're thinking of not doing it again rather than the regular thought..it happens again then the mental travels into the physical and disrupts the normal flow. It's the same thing as a hitter in a slump going to the plate thinking 'don't strike out" instead of solely thinking of hitting the ball. The yips is negativity overtaking the positive energy flow. Like a game where the whole team gets hot and "hitting becomes contagious" guys going up to the plate know they're going to hit the ball before they even step in, positive energy...and on the other side everyone's striking out ,confidence is gone and the negative thoughts creep in.

[@joshuapatrick682]

Theres a reason Draft Kings can pay you 5 figures for a minute long ad and its because mofos be losing like crazy. Can no one see how allowing this level of sports betting is going to corrupt sports? Or are you blinded by the fact that your partnership with them will make you a millionaire at the expense of your subscribers.

[@luisreyes8903]

Great vid. I was however SO HOPING that you would have mentioned Mackey Sasser. Catcher for the Mets back in the early 90’s. He had the yips but his was so strange. He began tapping the ball into his mitt over and over before simply tossing back to the pitcher. It got so bad that I remember Vince Coleman I believe stealing second and then third during those tap taps into the mitt that sasser was doing. So strange. I was barely a teenager but I remember.

[@skiprockjr.6881]

I was looking for Mackey to be in the video too. I remember McCarver and Kiner getting all frustrated having to talk about it after every pitch, sometimes counting the taps. Those early 90's Mets teams were just cursed. Plain and simple. Up and down, they were cursed. From '85-'92 I would watch 100+ Mets games a year and I finally tapped out after they traded Cone and didn't start watching again until they got Piazza.

[@ryanlittle5457]

Back in high school I picked up pitching snd very quickly developed a great changeup and curveball that made me a pretty good pitcher. I went on vacation for a week and didnt throw. That movement on the changeup never came back.

[@mattbcameron]

I was diagnosed with dystonia several years ago - it was music for me... I couldn't do simple tasks like threading a bolt into a threaded hole for example - let alone specific chordings or progressions.. doctor said the only way to "cure" the yips is to start over from scratch to rewire your brain - which is likely not completely true.. but it does show it is not fully understood... fyi I never would be able to start from scratch again. I will say it made me reflect on more than music though.. which then made me realize I did not enjoy it at all... so I simply stopped and never missed it. started taking it up again 6 years later and it seems easier again.

[@UmadBro88]

Pirates pitcher Steve Blass might be the most amazing example. Also, Yips ended my high school career. Couldn’t warm up without someone ducking!!!!!

[@brendan9868]

I didn’t know there was a term for this, I had it really bad for baseball. I was always a good pitcher and infielder with decent hitting, one year I just started making random errors like missing soft ground balls or suddenly not being able to make throws from short to first. Hitting I went from a lock at the 1 or 2 spot to me basically having to pray for walks cause I just could not hit the ball. Only thing I could still do well was pitch, but me just not being able to do anything else I normally did with ease made it really stressful. Come practice everything would be fine, I’d be back to fielding as normal and hitting well. Just something about the actual games had me stumped out of nowhere. It was just embarrassing and frustrating as I had always been consistent and cool under pressure before. Ended up just quitting and hating the sport for years afterwards

[@bobbest8627]

Your story sounds so familiar… Especially about being OK during practice and in my case, I was new to my high school as a junior and excelled when I had to try out. I’m probably a lot older than you… This was in the 70s and I still think about it from time to time. I was an all-star second baseman in Little League but when we moved up to the bigger diamond, if I had to play shortstop or second base, I was petrified. You know” please don’t hit it to me.” A scout came to one of our games to check out one of our pitchers, I was playing shortstop. During infield practice before the game, I was picking up everything, I had a bullet arm. Then the game started. I made five errors in the first two innings, three of them throwing. I’ll never forget the way our pitcher glared at me from the mound. I got comfortable at third base as long as I could play in. They were bang bang plays and didn’t have enough time to think. Made a lot of diving stops and looked incredible. But When the coach moved me back or over toward shortstop, the anxiety came back. Also did not like to play in front of my parents or relatives. By the way, I never had the yipps at the plate only in the field. Anyway… I just came to believe I wasn’t good enough. Back in those days they use the word choke… Or he choked and you could get stuck with that label. Sometimes I wish I could go back and rethink all that. Here’s to hoping that some kid with the ability won’t let something like this stop them.

[@crashburn3292]

In college our #1 catcher had a *huge* bat, cannon arm and could pick off base stealers in impressive fashion, but for about a month during the season every single pitch he threw back to the pitcher either sailed over his head or landed 5 feet short. It got so bad that the SS and 2nd baseman knew to back up the throws back to the pitcher. Eventually, despite how much we needed his huge bat out coach decided to bench him for 2-3 games. It worked. One day at practice he could throw back to the pitcher perfectly and it was never a problem again. The human brain is a strange place.

[@DukesMusic84]

Remember what I said on Twitter, when a man is able to talk about mental health, incredible things will happen.

[@johngoldsworthy7135]

Great video on the yips. Most interesting thing in baseball because mental health is way too taboo