How Speed of Play Affects the Yips
In our survey, we’ve had a ton of questions about how to overcome the yips.
One golfer who has been struggling with the yips recently commented:
“I am an ex-hockey player. I consider myself an athlete. The yips have hit me hard in a place where I am struggling to find an answer of how to be happy and win, rather than being afraid of losing.”
The yips are a problems that affects amateur and professional golfers. The yips do not discriminate, and they afflict golfers of every level. With that being said, know that you are not the only one who has faced this challenging problem.
What Are the Yips?
When you have the putting to chipping yips, you feel a sudden jerk, twitch or spasm, usually of the arms or hands that interferes with your ability to perform a smooth stroke.
For example, you are faced with a five-foot putt, you take back the putter and as you move the putter forward, you feel a sudden uncontrollable twitch in your arms causing you to just stab at the ball and leave the putt 2-feet short of the hole or miss wide badly.
However, the yips are not reserved for just putting. You can have the yips in any part of your game: driver, full shots, pitching, chipping or putting.
What mental game challenges contribute to the yips?
The yips are grounded in overthinking and over-analyzing. The yips worsen the more you think of the outcome of your swing, the mechanics of your swing, past misses, bad tournaments dominated by your yips, fear of the yips affecting future rounds, etc.
Recall a round when you felt the yips over-powered your game…
How much time during that round was dominated by some aspect of the yips? Chances are yips were at the forefront of your mind the majority of the time. Over thinking about your stroke keeps you entrenched in the yips battle.
You are not alone in your mental struggle with the yips. PGA golfer Brendon Todd, who had a well-documented battle with the yips, commented how an over-focus on his swing contributed to his yips and, now that he no longer is searching for the perfect swing, they have subsided and he was able to overcome the yips.
“Really, ever since 2010, I was kind of playing more in the golf swing-focused state. That eventually snowballed into making the wrong decisions with my swing and kind of going down the wrong path. The beauty of it now is I don’t have to try to improve my swing or become some fancy ball-striker,” Todd said
Hockey and the Golf Yips
Why would the yips show up in your hockey game? You may think that is an odd question but rarely does any hockey player talk about the yips.
Hockey is such a fast-paced sport, there is not much time to think. When you played hockey, you never over thought of your mechanics as you shot the puck.
How to Overcome the Yips
The yips start with the fear of missing based on past rounds. The fear leads to over thinking your stroke and mechanics.
This over thinking creates a brain freeze where you body becomes confused with too many outcome and technical thoughts.
First, you have to know that it’s not a disease you catch one day. You can improve:
1. Work on the drills to free up your putting.
2. Let go of the need to look like a good golfer to others.
3. Train yourself to let of the outcome and focus on your routine.
I have a couple good options for you if you want the personal touch with over coming the yips…
(1) Check out Breaking the Yips Cycle program.
(2) Contact me about personal coaching for the yips.
Related Golf Psychology Articles:
- How to Manage the Yips in Golf
- How a Preputt Routine Can Improve Putting
- How to Focus on The Process, Not Mechanics
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