Moving Past Mistakes in Baseball
There are so many baseball players affected by the yips (even though you may feel that you are the only one who can’t consistently make accurate throws).
If you were to google the “yips,” you will find that it affects many different athletes and games-men:
- dart throwers
- baseball players
- golfers
- cricket
- tennis players
- basketball players, etc.
Can you relate to the following experience?
In LSU’s Game One match up against TCU at the 2015 College World Series, LSU pitcher Jared Poche inexplicably had difficulty throwing to first on two routine grounders.
Poche retired the first nine batters he faced before his two errors eventually leading to poor command of his pitches.
POCHE: “I was throwing each side of the plate — fastball, curveball through the first time through the order. I was definitely in command of my pitches and one thing led to another and I kind of lost command.”
Poche’s two throwing errors were out of character since he previously only made two errors all season.
After the game, LSU head coach Paul Mainieri talked about how the yips and the mental aspect.
MAINIERI: “I’ve been in this game a long time, seen it happen to a lot of great players. It’s more psychological than anything else.”
On his first yipped throw, Poche fielder a grounder and attempted to soft toss the ball to the first baseman but instead lobbed the ball well over his teammate’s head.
The very next batter sent a comebacker to Poche who yipped again pulling the first baseman off the bag for his second throwing error.
Poche’s teammate and fellow starting pitcher Preston Morrison was shocked by Poche’s errant throws because of the amount of repetitions the pitcher take in practice.
MORRISON: “We never lob throw. Even when you have time, either run it over, nice underhand flip or get your feet underneath you and make a strong 80-percent throw.”
So if you want to get over the yips, you need to get over the fact that the yips are mostly mental.
It is that mental component that causes you to jerk or twitch as you are in the middle of your throwing motion.
Just because there is a mental block when some baseball players throw the ball, doesn’t mean they are “mental.”
The yips are a product of a mental inference that got in the way of you making an effective throw.
If you can re-tune your focus, you can get rid of that mental static that causes errant throws.
You need to understand that the yips are a blip in your thinking.
Instead of fielding and just throwing, you field the ball and think about the throw while you are throwing the ball.
Basically, you are trying to throw the ball instead of relying on your natural ability to throw.
Strategy to Beat the Yips:
Understand that your throw does not need to be perfect. You don’t need to throw it perfectly in the glove… there is an acceptance zone that will allow your teammate to field the ball.
Concentrate on the natural pace of your throw. You throw should be quick with some pace instead of hesitant and deliberate. Focus on the pace of your throw instead of guiding the ball to the target.
The yips are beatable if you take the right mental approach.
Related Baseball Articles:
- One Mental Key to Beat The Throwing Yips
- Is Missing Throws a Mental or Physical Problem?
- Your Mental Game And Solving The Yips
Breaking The Yips Cycle Audio
Breaking The Yips Cycle AudioIf you can throw well when alone, but can’t take it to games, this is a mental game issue and not a physical challenge!
The Yips Cycle is a vicious cycle that causes ball players to stay trapped in overthinking and over control…
Learn to throw or pitch freely again with my proven audio and workbook program!
I’m about to start my senior year and have recently been having the “yips” I play second base and can turn a double play and throw the runner out at first because I’m not thinking about it but throwing it around and in between innings sees to be the problem I feel like before I could pick my spot in the first baseman and hit it now I have no clue where the ball is going . What could I do to rebuild confidence
To rebuild your confidence, you must begin to throw freely and not over control. The over control is often about worrying about what others think about your game.