The Yips

How it shows up

The yips describe a sudden, seemingly unexplainable loss of a motor skill an athlete has performed reliably for years, most famously a pitcher who can’t find the plate or a catcher who freezes up throwing the ball back to the mound. Golfers experience a version of it in putting, where the grip suddenly feels wrong and doubt creeps into every short putt.

It’s usually driven by stress and frustration rather than any physical change. Each time the player feels threatened by the moment, the mind freezes and the throw or swing gets less accurate, which creates more distress and more doubt, and the cycle feeds itself. The condition is well known in professional sports; MLB pitcher Steve Blass and Yankees infielder Chuck Knoblauch are among the most cited cases of players whose performance was affected by it at the highest level. It can happen to any player, at any level, without warning.

How hypnotherapy helps

Pattie Freeman, a NESTA-certified Sports Mind Coach, works with athletes affected by the yips using a Mental Training Program built around hypnosis and focused visualization. The work addresses the mental, emotional, and physical components together: the fear of releasing the ball or making the swing, the stress response that freezes the body, and the physical execution that follows from a calmer mind.

Athletes who’ve worked through this program describe regaining the focus and confidence they had before the yips took hold, without needing to change their underlying mechanics.

What a session looks like

Every new client starts with a free 20-minute consultation, in person at Pattie’s Scottsdale office or by phone or Zoom, to talk through how and when the yips show up for you. From there, sessions run $150 each.

Common questions

Can the yips really be fixed, or do I just have to play through it? The yips are treatable. Because the root cause is a stress and fear pattern rather than a physical skill loss, mental training can help athletes regain their prior form.

Does this only apply to baseball? No. The yips affect golfers, and can show up in other precision sports as well; sessions are customized to your specific sport and situation.

How soon should I get help once I notice it? Reaching out early can help prevent the cycle from deepening, but the program has helped athletes at all stages of dealing with the yips.