Yips are gone

WTH are the yips? Sorry if I am displaying my ignorance here.

When you can't throw a ball accurately to save your life.  The term comes from golf, where it describes being unable to sink the easy putt.

Jim T. posted:

Just thought I'd share some good news and offer perhaps a little encouragement to anyone who is struggling with the Yips.  My son had nearly ended his career due to the Yips but has gotten through it albeit not without tremendous emotional pain.  Much of it was completely unnecessary.  

One of several observations I made while he struggled with it is how many people in baseball have it from time to time.  Nearly every teammate or former player who talked to him had beaten it but yet we mostly hear about the negative outcomes as you search for a cure.  Given that it is so commonplace in baseball, I'm puzzled why coaches at the collegiate and professional levels are more in tune with helping the player get through it.  

That said, anyone who may be struggling with this should know that the Yips are very beatable.  Hearing the number of success stories along with help from friends in specific drills was the key.  Feel free to reach out if you know someone struggling with this.  If we can help someone else, it would be a pleasure to give back as so many helped my son.  

Please enlighten us.  Never know when we'll need some help. 

SanDiegoRealist posted:

WTH are the yips? Sorry if I am displaying my ignorance here.

Think of a catcher who cannot throw the ball back to his pitcher.

many well known cases of the yips in MLB.  Blass, Ankiel, Knaubloch (sp?),  for example.

pabaseballdad posted:

many well known cases of the yips in MLB.  Blass, Ankiel, Knaubloch (sp?),  for example.

Steve Sax

Here's the cure.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDlUis3Ouy0

Jim T. posted:

Just thought I'd share some good news and offer perhaps a little encouragement to anyone who is struggling with the Yips.  My son had nearly ended his career due to the Yips but has gotten through it albeit not without tremendous emotional pain.  Much of it was completely unnecessary.  

One of several observations I made while he struggled with it is how many people in baseball have it from time to time.  Nearly every teammate or former player who talked to him had beaten it but yet we mostly hear about the negative outcomes as you search for a cure.  Given that it is so commonplace in baseball, I'm puzzled why coaches at the collegiate and professional levels are more in tune with helping the player get through it.  

That said, anyone who may be struggling with this should know that the Yips are very beatable.  Hearing the number of success stories along with help from friends in specific drills was the key.  Feel free to reach out if you know someone struggling with this.  If we can help someone else, it would be a pleasure to give back as so many helped my son.  

Most of the time a true case of yips in baseball proceeds an injury. It usually takes a well trained coach to recognize symptoms, then he tries to figure out the cause. In many cases it gets out of control so then counseling prescribed.  

JMO

TPM posted:

Jim T. posted:

Just thought I'd share some good news and offer perhaps a little encouragement to anyone who is struggling with the Yips.  My son had nearly ended his career due to the Yips but has gotten through it albeit not without tremendous emotional pain.  Much of it was completely unnecessary.  

One of several observations I made while he struggled with it is how many people in baseball have it from time to time.  Nearly every teammate or former player who talked to him had beaten it but yet we mostly hear about the negative outcomes as you search for a cure.  Given that it is so commonplace in baseball, I'm puzzled why coaches at the collegiate and professional levels are more in tune with helping the player get through it.  

That said, anyone who may be struggling with this should know that the Yips are very beatable.  Hearing the number of success stories along with help from friends in specific drills was the key.  Feel free to reach out if you know someone struggling with this.  If we can help someone else, it would be a pleasure to give back as so many helped my son.  

Most of the time a true case of yips in baseball proceeds an injury. It usually takes a well trained coach to recognize symptoms, then he tries to figure out the cause. In many cases it gets out of control so then counseling prescribed.  

JMO

I disagree with the use of the term "most of the time".  There are triggers that can include an injury but there's almost always underlying stress or pressures that eventually manifests itself into the Yips.  In every case or story we've encountered, not a single one was proceeded by an injury. 

Jim T. posted:

TPM posted:

Jim T. posted:

Just thought I'd share some good news and offer perhaps a little encouragement to anyone who is struggling with the Yips.  My son had nearly ended his career due to the Yips but has gotten through it albeit not without tremendous emotional pain.  Much of it was completely unnecessary.  

One of several observations I made while he struggled with it is how many people in baseball have it from time to time.  Nearly every teammate or former player who talked to him had beaten it but yet we mostly hear about the negative outcomes as you search for a cure.  Given that it is so commonplace in baseball, I'm puzzled why coaches at the collegiate and professional levels are more in tune with helping the player get through it.  

That said, anyone who may be struggling with this should know that the Yips are very beatable.  Hearing the number of success stories along with help from friends in specific drills was the key.  Feel free to reach out if you know someone struggling with this.  If we can help someone else, it would be a pleasure to give back as so many helped my son.  

Most of the time a true case of yips in baseball proceeds an injury. It usually takes a well trained coach to recognize symptoms, then he tries to figure out the cause. In many cases it gets out of control so then counseling prescribed.  

JMO

I disagree with the use of the term "most of the time".  There are triggers that can include an injury but there's almost always underlying stress or pressures that eventually manifests itself into the Yips.  In every case or story we've encountered, not a single one was proceeded by an injury. 

How many have you encountered. True yips in any sport is usually incurable, perhaps they may have just hit a slump.

I am still going with the injury theory, I did mean for pitchers.

TPM posted:

Jim T. posted:

TPM posted:

Jim T. posted:

Just thought I'd share some good news and offer perhaps a little encouragement to anyone who is struggling with the Yips.  My son had nearly ended his career due to the Yips but has gotten through it albeit not without tremendous emotional pain.  Much of it was completely unnecessary.  

One of several observations I made while he struggled with it is how many people in baseball have it from time to time.  Nearly every teammate or former player who talked to him had beaten it but yet we mostly hear about the negative outcomes as you search for a cure.  Given that it is so commonplace in baseball, I'm puzzled why coaches at the collegiate and professional levels are more in tune with helping the player get through it.  

That said, anyone who may be struggling with this should know that the Yips are very beatable.  Hearing the number of success stories along with help from friends in specific drills was the key.  Feel free to reach out if you know someone struggling with this.  If we can help someone else, it would be a pleasure to give back as so many helped my son.  

Most of the time a true case of yips in baseball proceeds an injury. It usually takes a well trained coach to recognize symptoms, then he tries to figure out the cause. In many cases it gets out of control so then counseling prescribed.  

JMO

I disagree with the use of the term "most of the time".  There are triggers that can include an injury but there's almost always underlying stress or pressures that eventually manifests itself into the Yips.  In every case or story we've encountered, not a single one was proceeded by an injury. 

How many have you encountered. True yips in any sport is usually incurable, perhaps they may have just hit a slump.

I am still going with the injury theory, I did mean for pitchers.

Then your definition of "True Yips" are the Yips which have not been successfully addressed.  You are old school.  I can tell you my friend is a MLB rehab coach and it's something he sees everyday.  Too many unfortunate souls get caught up believing nonsense like you stated.  True Yips or whatever you call are formed in your imagination and they can indeed be cured.  The coach who helped my son also helped dozens and dozens of players.  You don't know what you're talking about and you shouldn't tell people it's "incurable".  I doubt you'll accept your wrong though.  I've seen plenty of your posts to know that.  

Right. You seem to really have a chip on your shoulder, there was no reason to be nasty, please state where I addressed you in that way. 

So you live in Florida, is your MLB trainer down this way, like to speak to him. Get the opinion straight from him. The reason I say this is because at one point when son was getting over surgery, he had issues and thought he had the Yips. His team had him discuss with sports psych, and it was not the Yips but a slump ( you know all players go into slumps and right away someone says it's the yips). A lot of times an injury plays with your head, causes issues.

That's not necessarily the yips. Sorry if that's too old school for ya.

My reaction was to your statement that "True yips in any sport is usually incurable".  People come to the website often seeking help or counsel.  Telling parents or young players that what they are going through is "incurable" is nonsense.  It's simply not true.  That's what I'm referring to as being old school.  

Yips is a vague word that just describes an inability to perform certain activities in certain sports.  There are many theories on why it occurs.  

You didnt come here to help parents of young players to learn, you only stated your sons yips were gone. No background on what occurred, how it was treated, or what may have been a factor in cause. You have not come forward with any educational information. Maybe thats why people dont know much about it. But you want us to pass the word on it that its beatable. How?  

So please dont call me out,  I would tell everyone that is not familiar with the term to do their homework.  

There are different theories in what causes this condition and how to treat it. Some claim their isnt such a thing but rather factors such as severe fatigue. Mike Reinold  had a theory it was related to TOS. Psychologists have different theories on how to treat, as do coaches. 

Some will agree it is limited to only college and professional players.

Anyway, glad your son is better, however be careful how you use the word old school when someone gives their opinion.

JMO

Jim T. posted:

Just thought I'd share some good news and offer perhaps a little encouragement to anyone who is struggling with the Yips.  My son had nearly ended his career due to the Yips but has gotten through it albeit not without tremendous emotional pain.  Much of it was completely unnecessary.  

One of several observations I made while he struggled with it is how many people in baseball have it from time to time.  Nearly every teammate or former player who talked to him had beaten it but yet we mostly hear about the negative outcomes as you search for a cure.  Given that it is so commonplace in baseball, I'm puzzled why coaches at the collegiate and professional levels are more in tune with helping the player get through it.  

That said, anyone who may be struggling with this should know that the Yips are very beatable.  Hearing the number of success stories along with help from friends in specific drills was the key.  Feel free to reach out if you know someone struggling with this.  If we can help someone else, it would be a pleasure to give back as so many helped my son.  

Thank you for sharing your story.

How can i contact you to get some more information?  

"The rose goes in the front, big guy."

Marie posted:

Jim T. posted:

Just thought I'd share some good news and offer perhaps a little encouragement to anyone who is struggling with the Yips.  My son had nearly ended his career due to the Yips but has gotten through it albeit not without tremendous emotional pain.  Much of it was completely unnecessary.  

One of several observations I made while he struggled with it is how many people in baseball have it from time to time.  Nearly every teammate or former player who talked to him had beaten it but yet we mostly hear about the negative outcomes as you search for a cure.  Given that it is so commonplace in baseball, I'm puzzled why coaches at the collegiate and professional levels are more in tune with helping the player get through it.  

That said, anyone who may be struggling with this should know that the Yips are very beatable.  Hearing the number of success stories along with help from friends in specific drills was the key.  Feel free to reach out if you know someone struggling with this.  If we can help someone else, it would be a pleasure to give back as so many helped my son.  

Thank you for sharing your story.

How can i contact you to get some more information?  

PM me and I'll provide you with my number

Could we talk to you re your story?  Sent you a PM.

@Nikki posted:

My son is struggling with this.  He is a catcher.  You mention success stories and specific drills.  I would love to hear about those.

How old is your son? My son is a 2023 C and was the starting catcher on varsity. He developed the yips pretty bad a week before the season started. At first he couldn't throw the ball anywhere close to his target, then it improved to only the pitcher. We tried just about everything you could ever imagine. He still struggles, but has made adjustments to get the ball back consistently. It is the strangest thing. He can throw to bases with no problems. He can throw a bucket of balls to me on the mound with no issues. He's even doing it now with his eyes closed to get the feel of the muscle memory. As soon as you put another player there though, he loses control. He can still pitch and hit his spots with ease. 

You'd be amazed at how common this is. Watch some college and MLB games and you'll see catchers doing a bunch of different routines or awkward looking throws. We run into a lot of college and pro catchers with my son's hitting coach. Just about all of them have funny stories about the yips at some point in their career. 

Some things we've done: sports psychologist, a series of warm up drills (backspin drill, facing target with feet planted, rocker drills, etc), plays catch with me a ton. 

@Nikki, I've never heard of a single solution that worked for lots of people, but I always thought this was an interesting approach.

http://community.hsbaseballweb...14#29875661668703214

There is usually a "common denominator"!

One year on our travel team one our 3 catchers [father a former Double A Minor League catcher] had this problem.

This young 17 year old catcher, strong arm, average runner and hitter, hard worker, however he had difficulty throwing the "warm up" pitches back to the pitcher.

Father is a "good friend" - I assign the father to left field seats, not behind home plate. Also the catcher wore "contacts" and I could not catch him under the lights. He became a one inning relief pitcher and was effective. I told him during his warm ups to throw the ball high up on the backstop fence.

He did not play College baseball, but is now an International Rugby player.

"Keep the faith"

Bob

I don't have drills but I do have a success story. A former teammate of my son's developed the yips playing 3B in HS. He was having a terrible time throwing to first base.  His coach moved him to the OF, where he did fine.  His college coach moved him to a different IF position, where he did so well that he was drafted this year - to play at his original position.

Dale Murphy was a catcher who got the yips. He was moved to the outfield where he could just cut loose his throws without thinking. The rest is history.

My son, also a catcher, developed yips the summer going into HS.  He lost the feel of throwing the ball back to the pitcher, everything else was fine.  Who knows what caused it - maybe nothing, maybe pressure from his travel coach or his high-expectations dad, or pressure on himself, who knows.  He tried to work through it, lobbing the ball back to the pitcher, but for that summer the game became no fun, something he dreaded.  

Around this time he complained about shoulder tightness and elbow soreness.  In retrospect I should have shut him down.  He was going through a massive growth spurt and grew 5-6" in a year.  Everything in his body was changing weekly it seemed.  He ended up fracturing his medial epicondyle and having shoulder tendonitis. I think it was TPM who said that yips are often the result of injury.  I think she was probably right.

A lot of things changed after this.  I told him it was ok if he didn't want to play anymore. He needed to know I was ok with this.  He took a break from baseball and played HS football in the fall.  He hit the weight room.  I backed off and transformed into a supportive dad.  He kind of put baseball in perspective and realized there were other things.

The following season he decided to play.  He played with a chip on his shoulder, like he had something to prove yet nothing to lose.  The yips were there in the mental sense (i.e., the worry), but he was able to throw.  He was more conscious in bullpens to practice throwing the ball back the same way he would in a game.  When things got shakey, he changed his arm slot or grip to mix things up.  He maintained his PT stretching and warmup routines.  Maybe most importantly, he was able to talk about it (with me, teammates, his HS coach).  He had his "oh no, is it coming back" moments, but they faded over time.  Like a lot of things, once you survive something traumatic  (and getting yips during WWBA or USA Baseball is traumatic!) it isn't as traumatic the next time you face it.

He's playing in college now.  Not to brag, but he's tearing it up.  He still seeks out the guy who has trouble throwing and offers suggestions - it seems every team has someone, and he can see it no matter how they try to hide it.

@TerribleBPthrower posted:

How old is your son? My son is a 2023 C and was the starting catcher on varsity. He developed the yips pretty bad a week before the season started. At first he couldn't throw the ball anywhere close to his target, then it improved to only the pitcher. We tried just about everything you could ever imagine. He still struggles, but has made adjustments to get the ball back consistently. It is the strangest thing. He can throw to bases with no problems. He can throw a bucket of balls to me on the mound with no issues. He's even doing it now with his eyes closed to get the feel of the muscle memory. As soon as you put another player there though, he loses control. He can still pitch and hit his spots with ease. 

You'd be amazed at how common this is. Watch some college and MLB games and you'll see catchers doing a bunch of different routines or awkward looking throws. We run into a lot of college and pro catchers with my son's hitting coach. Just about all of them have funny stories about the yips at some point in their career. 

Some things we've done: sports psychologist, a series of warm up drills (backspin drill, facing target with feet planted, rocker drills, etc), plays catch with me a ton. 

 

My son is a 2024 Catcher.  This started a couple of weeks ago with a few overthrows to first and has spiraled into all of his throws.  He can get it there if he lobs it, but has lost the ability to throw hard and accurate.  Throwing from his knees helps.  How did the sports psychologist work out?  I have heard positives and negatives on that--I do not mind spending the money--but many of the posts say that didn't help.  I think we will try the drills first.

I am a mom with no athletic ability--so can you please describe the drills to me (backspin drill, facing target with feet planted, rocker drills).  Thanks!

@Nikki posted:

My son is a 2024 Catcher.  This started a couple of weeks ago with a few overthrows to first and has spiraled into all of his throws.  He can get it there if he lobs it, but has lost the ability to throw hard and accurate.  Throwing from his knees helps.  How did the sports psychologist work out?  I have heard positives and negatives on that--I do not mind spending the money--but many of the posts say that didn't help.  I think we will try the drills first.

I am a mom with no athletic ability--so can you please describe the drills to me (backspin drill, facing target with feet planted, rocker drills).  Thanks!

The throws to first is the same thing that got my son off track. The way my son explains it is he can't feel the ball in his hand when it's acting up. Having mental tools and different drills to get him back on track (at least partially) will be helpful. 

Honestly, the psychologist was kind of a waste. I think it helped from a mental standpoint as it gave him someone to talk to, but it didn't help with the results. As others have mentioned, talking about it openly with his team and coaches will help the most from a mental standpoint. It's a weird thing where people avoid talking about it, yet everyone can see what's happening. Make sure he knows it is VERY common. One of the guys my son hit with a few weeks ago said he started cracking jokes about it and his team loosened up and relieved stress on everyone. He said on a drop third to end the game he rolled the ball to first to get the out!

Here is the backspin drill. This will help him get the feel for releasing the ball out front again: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UP7sXH8z_Sc

Can't find a link/video for this drill, but he faces the target and gets in an athletic position. Then basically turns his torso to make a regular throw while keeping his feet planted. He can flex his knees and hips as needed. The key here for my son is to get his glove hand fully extended to the target to make sure his shoulders get lined up properly.

Rocker drill: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qs8NhAWrOig

Another thing that helped him get the feel to be able to play catch with me again (it was really bad, I mean he wouldn't have been able to hit water if he fell out of a boat) was throwing with a 3 oz ball. He started very slow with it just to get the feel for the ball in his hand again. Then we switched to a regular ball and it was instant success. I'll never forget the smile on his face when he let it rip and right to me. 

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions about this. It is painful as a parent to watch your kid agonize over a game they love to play. This has been going on with my son for 4 months. This weekend he caught 2 games, threw out 3 runners, made some great throws to 1st, and got all but one throw back to the pitcher. 

BTW, Major League 2 is a funny movie to watch for a C with yips. There are some great scenes my son and I joke about all the time now.

@Smitty28 posted:

My son, also a catcher, developed yips the summer going into HS.  He lost the feel of throwing the ball back to the pitcher, everything else was fine.  Who knows what caused it - maybe nothing, maybe pressure from his travel coach or his high-expectations dad, or pressure on himself, who knows.  He tried to work through it, lobbing the ball back to the pitcher, but for that summer the game became no fun, something he dreaded.  

Around this time he complained about shoulder tightness and elbow soreness.  In retrospect I should have shut him down.  He was going through a massive growth spurt and grew 5-6" in a year.  Everything in his body was changing weekly it seemed.  He ended up fracturing his medial epicondyle and having shoulder tendonitis. I think it was TPM who said that yips are often the result of injury.  I think she was probably right.

A lot of things changed after this.  I told him it was ok if he didn't want to play anymore. He needed to know I was ok with this.  He took a break from baseball and played HS football in the fall.  He hit the weight room.  I backed off and transformed into a supportive dad.  He kind of put baseball in perspective and realized there were other things.

The following season he decided to play.  He played with a chip on his shoulder, like he had something to prove yet nothing to lose.  The yips were there in the mental sense (i.e., the worry), but he was able to throw.  He was more conscious in bullpens to practice throwing the ball back the same way he would in a game.  When things got shakey, he changed his arm slot or grip to mix things up.  He maintained his PT stretching and warmup routines.  Maybe most importantly, he was able to talk about it (with me, teammates, his HS coach).  He had his "oh no, is it coming back" moments, but they faded over time.  Like a lot of things, once you survive something traumatic  (and getting yips during WWBA or USA Baseball is traumatic!) it isn't as traumatic the next time you face it.

He's playing in college now.  Not to brag, but he's tearing it up.  He still seeks out the guy who has trouble throwing and offers suggestions - it seems every team has someone, and he can see it no matter how they try to hide it.

Great to hear that your son overcame this, is playing in college and most of all that he is tearing it up!  It is awesome that he is helping others who are going through it because in the moment it feels huge and potentially baseball-ending.  I am also glad to hear that the "Oh no it is coming back" is fading.   

@MidAtlanticDad posted:

@Nikki, I've never heard of a single solution that worked for lots of people, but I always thought this was an interesting approach.

http://community.hsbaseballweb...14#29875661668703214

I will say that my son has not hidden this from his team or coach.  At this point, the whole organization knows because my son was (or should I say still is) a star and the change has been dramatic.  I do need him to quit playing it safe though and go for it!

@TerribleBPthrower posted:

The throws to first is the same thing that got my son off track. The way my son explains it is he can't feel the ball in his hand when it's acting up. Having mental tools and different drills to get him back on track (at least partially) will be helpful. 

Honestly, the psychologist was kind of a waste. I think it helped from a mental standpoint as it gave him someone to talk to, but it didn't help with the results. As others have mentioned, talking about it openly with his team and coaches will help the most from a mental standpoint. It's a weird thing where people avoid talking about it, yet everyone can see what's happening. Make sure he knows it is VERY common. One of the guys my son hit with a few weeks ago said he started cracking jokes about it and his team loosened up and relieved stress on everyone. He said on a drop third to end the game he rolled the ball to first to get the out!

Here is the backspin drill. This will help him get the feel for releasing the ball out front again: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UP7sXH8z_Sc

Can't find a link/video for this drill, but he faces the target and gets in an athletic position. Then basically turns his torso to make a regular throw while keeping his feet planted. He can flex his knees and hips as needed. The key here for my son is to get his glove hand fully extended to the target to make sure his shoulders get lined up properly.

Rocker drill: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qs8NhAWrOig

Another thing that helped him get the feel to be able to play catch with me again (it was really bad, I mean he wouldn't have been able to hit water if he fell out of a boat) was throwing with a 3 oz ball. He started very slow with it just to get the feel for the ball in his hand again. Then we switched to a regular ball and it was instant success. I'll never forget the smile on his face when he let it rip and right to me. 

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions about this. It is painful as a parent to watch your kid agonize over a game they love to play. This has been going on with my son for 4 months. This weekend he caught 2 games, threw out 3 runners, made some great throws to 1st, and got all but one throw back to the pitcher. 

 

I am so glad to hear of your sons success.  It sounds like he has come a long way.   I will definitely PM you with questions along the way in this.  It is nice to hear from someone who has been through it successfully and gets how hard it is to watch.  

ESPN 30 for 30 did a great job profiling  Mackey Sasser the former Mets C who left baseball because of the yips. The treatment called brainspotting was was a cutting edge therapy at the time and is not an invasive procedure as the name is misleading but more of a counseling session.

http://www.espn.com/30for30/film/_/page/fieldsoffear

https://brainspotting.com/about-bsp/

Interesting link. The one thing the psychologist mentioned that was useful was one part of the brain was preventing the other part from working correctly. If you can distract your brain and let your movement take over you are fine. Sounds similar to the brain spotting. 

Personally, I’m not convinced that the yips are always (or even usually) “mental”. Seems like most people jump to that conclusion. I’ve read countless yips stories, and very often the story begins with an injury.

Think about how physiologically complex the act of throwing a baseball is. A good reminder is when you watch gifted athletes from other sports throw out a first pitch. Many look absolutely ridiculous. Those people don't have "mental blocks", their bodies don't have the imprinted muscle memory that allows a smooth throw. IMO, an injury could be the trigger that disrupts that complex system in the first place.

@TerribleBPthrower posted:

Interesting link. The one thing the psychologist mentioned that was useful was one part of the brain was preventing the other part from working correctly. If you can distract your brain and let your movement take over you are fine. Sounds similar to the brain spotting. 

Distracting the brain does make sense.  He definitely throws better when he is not trying to throw or has to throw fast without time to think (his throws to make an out are better than throwing to the pitcher or throwing to 3rd after a strike out--throws to 3rd look comical).  However, his throws to make outs used to be bullets and now they are weak.  Last night he threw hard to his dad for the first time in weeks--came in and said--I think it is over--I'm working out of it.  It is certainly our first sign of hard throws in a while--but throwing in the yard does not have the pressure of the game--so we will see.  

@MidAtlanticDad posted:

Personally, I’m not convinced that the yips are always (or even usually) “mental”. Seems like most people jump to that conclusion. I’ve read countless yips stories, and very often the story begins with an injury.

Think about how physiologically complex the act of throwing a baseball is. A good reminder is when you watch gifted athletes from other sports throw out a first pitch. Many look absolutely ridiculous. Those people don't have "mental blocks", their bodies don't have the imprinted muscle memory that allows a smooth throw. IMO, an injury could be the trigger that disrupts that complex system in the first place.

I agree.  I have been researching the subject and here is what I have so far:

It can be an injury, sudden growth, mechanical, or mental.  The injury, growth or mechanical can turn mental though if it goes on long enough.

If you simply google the yips--then the primary hits that you get are from Sports Psychologists, all who claim it is totally mental and cannot be fixed without addressing the mental issue.  I do think there may be some value in some of their techniques for overall maximizing your performance in any high pressure sport, but the yips are definitely not a one size fits all situation--and none of these guys actually have a cure--they simply use their anxiety-reducing techniques to try to help the person work their way out of it.  I also believe that the longer the yips go on, the more likely that the mental aspect is developed--the longer you do not throw well--the stronger that you believe that you can't.  That is why we are trying to play this as low-key as possible.  I have read that many try to hid it or not admit it since it is kind of taboo in baseball--that didn't happen for us--the difference in his throwing is huge--for him to throw a rainbow that far off target--is weird--for him to repeatedly do it--unheard of--everyone was shocked--everyone knows--that part has turned out to be a blessing.  His team has been awesome.  

My thoughts on how to address this at the onset:

1) Make sure the kid knows how common it is and unlike what the internet states--most kids work out of it--the career-ending stories really are the exceptions not the rule.  If at all possible, admit it right off the bat to your coach and teammates that throwing is off (way off).

2)  Check for injury.

3)  If the kid just went through a big growth spurt--that is likely part of it.  

4) Use throwing drills--not just throw downs or playing catch.  Usually it is not a fear of throwing--it is a fear of throwing hard.  You have to throw hard anyway.  Lobbing it  creates bad habits (I understand that you may need to lob back to the pitcher to get through a crucial game--but don't do it otherwise).

Just my thoughts on the subject so far.  We have a couple weeks off before our next tourney so we have some time to work!

@MidAtlanticDad posted:

Personally, I’m not convinced that the yips are always (or even usually) “mental”. Seems like most people jump to that conclusion. I’ve read countless yips stories, and very often the story begins with an injury.

Think about how physiologically complex the act of throwing a baseball is. A good reminder is when you watch gifted athletes from other sports throw out a first pitch. Many look absolutely ridiculous. Those people don't have "mental blocks", their bodies don't have the imprinted muscle memory that allows a smooth throw. IMO, an injury could be the trigger that disrupts that complex system in the first place.

I would say it is more commonly mental, but I can also see it being physical. I just haven't seen as many examples as you have with it starting after an injury. With teens you often have a period of significant growth. My son grew over 6 inches his freshman year. In his case though, something happened (a "trauma") that made his brain block his physical ability or kinetic chain to throw a baseball. Honestly, when it first happened I would have thought he was a lefty throwing with the wrong arm.

@Nikki posted:

Distracting the brain does make sense.  He definitely throws better when he is not trying to throw or has to throw fast without time to think (his throws to make an out are better than throwing to the pitcher or throwing to 3rd after a strike out--throws to 3rd look comical).  However, his throws to make outs used to be bullets and now they are weak.  Last night he threw hard to his dad for the first time in weeks--came in and said--I think it is over--I'm working out of it.  It is certainly our first sign of hard throws in a while--but throwing in the yard does not have the pressure of the game--so we will see.  

Glad to hear he threw well with dad! That is a HUGE step. Now he knows he can physically still throw. I will caution you though, it is likely not over. Have him meet up with a couple of good friends as much as he can over the next couple of weeks and play catch with them. He will gradually go from throwing great with dad, to friends, and eventually kids on his team. 

A couple of tips to help him manage it when the games start:

1. ALWAYS be the kid going out during warm ups and not standing on the line. This way if he makes a bad throw the other kid just walks to the fence to pick it up. The more his throwing partner has to chase, the more embarrassing it becomes. It will give him more confidence to throw hard and not worry about where the ball goes

2. Have him watch other teams warm up before games. There are TONS of bad throws. My son has always had great control (5 bb in over 30 innings pitching last summer and fall). To him if the ball isn't in the chest its a bad throw. Seeing how other kids normally throw who don't have yips makes him chuckle now.

3. He will likely be nervous or anxious before his next practice or game. Just remind him to keep trying and remind him about all these stories about how many people go through it and get over it. There is a reason MIF kids are taught at a young age to back up the pitcher. 

@TerribleBPthrower posted:

Glad to hear he threw well with dad! That is a HUGE step. Now he knows he can physically still throw. I will caution you though, it is likely not over. Have him meet up with a couple of good friends as much as he can over the next couple of weeks and play catch with them. He will gradually go from throwing great with dad, to friends, and eventually kids on his team. 

A couple of tips to help him manage it when the games start:

1. ALWAYS be the kid going out during warm ups and not standing on the line. This way if he makes a bad throw the other kid just walks to the fence to pick it up. The more his throwing partner has to chase, the more embarrassing it becomes. It will give him more confidence to throw hard and not worry about where the ball goes

2. Have him watch other teams warm up before games. There are TONS of bad throws. My son has always had great control (5 bb in over 30 innings pitching last summer and fall). To him if the ball isn't in the chest its a bad throw. Seeing how other kids normally throw who don't have yips makes him chuckle now.

3. He will likely be nervous or anxious before his next practice or game. Just remind him to keep trying and remind him about all these stories about how many people go through it and get over it. There is a reason MIF kids are taught at a young age to back up the pitcher. 

Thank you for the tips.  They make a lot of sense.  I agree that it most likely is not over.  What what I have read it definitely takes time and we are only a couple of weeks into it.  He did tell me last night that he did not want to talk about it--as if he can simply believe it is gone.  I definitely agree that the next step is to throw with friends--but he will throw with the team in practice Thursday night--ready or not!

I've never thought of our experience as the yips.  We were playing in Florida in a big world series when middle son on his 12th birthday went from being one of the best in the tournament to not being able to throw to home plate.  We were in semis and I had been able to save him.  He had pitched earlier in the week and played first fine.  That day he could not get the ball to home plate with any power.  He hit a shot to the fence and could not even get to second running.  We ended up losing and I showed my butt.  I thought he was just frustrated he had to play on his birthday and we had not bought the bike he wanted because of the tournament.  His buddies were playing in a different world series at home.  Since he had not pitched a complete inning and me still thinking it was attitude not physical we drove home.  They were in finals of a world series.  He thought he could pitch and everything would be okay.  I told the coach about what had happened and he said he'll be fine.  he got on the mound to warm-up and could not get the ball to home plate.  Started crying on the mound.  We pulled him before he ever threw a game pitch.  Went straight to the doctor.  They did an exam and found nothing wrong.  He said I think he is having a growth spurt but if not we need to do some test.  Give it a week or so.  The next day we were going somewhere and he went to put on  his new shoes that we had bought the week before.  Would not fit.  Over the next couple of weeks he grew as you were watching almost.  Grew 6 inches in 4 months and went up 4 shoe sizes.  Hurt all the time.  The pitching came back better than ever.  Never thought of it being the yips because to me the yips are a mental ability to throw, not physical but we learn new things all the time.