Symptoms and risk factors of Yips

Posted by editor2 on Monday 06 Apr 2009

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Yips are a type of nervous tension that causes an athlete to fail particularly causes golfers to miss short putts. This is a frustrating problem for many affected golfers. In most of the serious golfers, the yips develop sudden, involuntary jerks, tremors or freezing in the hands and wrists that interrupts a putting stroke. The yips might seem like a psychological issue, while observing it. Certain cases of yips are associated with a neurological dysfunction affecting specific muscles, called a focal dystonia.

Symptoms

Golfers can suffer the yips in different ways. The yips may develop as you address the ball to take your stroke just when you are ready to draw the club back to begin the putt, you start to shake or simply freeze in place. Your muscles can hold up your planned stroke.

In certain other occasions, your hand or wrist may unexpectedly jerk in the middle of your stroke, sending the ball off course.

Even though it tends to come and go, it is less likely to occur during longer shots like drives. The problem is most noticeable during putting, particularly on short, fast or downhill putts although some golfers experience symptoms during chipping as well.

Anxiety can worsen yips, so while yips may crop up occasionally during practice, it affects more often during competitive play and it is severe in high pressure situations, like when you are leading a tournament.

Risk factors

The yips usually affect serious senior golfers who have been in the field for many years. Especially, risk factor for developing type I yips are lower handicap, more than 20 years playing golf and older age. Yet, these risk factors do not apply to the form of yips associated with performance anxiety.

Type II yips, or choking, can be affected at any age and experience level. When you begin to have episodes of the yips, you lose confidence, worry about repetition and feel anxious whenever you have to putt. These reactions can eternize the cycle; your increased yips related anxiety can worsen your yips symptoms.