the yips
Last edited 10/2019
The yips
- defined as the occurrence of involuntary movements during the execution
of a fine motor skill (1)
- common phenomenon, with a reported prevalence ranging from 28 to 48%
(2,3)
- common phenomenon, with a reported prevalence ranging from 28 to 48%
(2,3)
- these involuntary movements, usually twisting and jerks of the wrist and lower arm shortly before hitting the ball, disturb the execution of a smooth, controlled putt, resulting in poor performance (1,2,3)
Aetiology:
- predominant model is Smith et al. (4) continuum model, which places yips
on a continuum anchored by a neurological and a psychological origin
- assumes that both neurological and psychological mechanisms have explanatory
power, but their proportion of contribution to the occurrence of the yips
can vary within the affected athlete, and this determines the type of
yips
- Type I describes athletes who exhibit mainly neurological symptoms
associated with task-specific focal dystonia
- neurological movement disorder is defined as involuntary muscular
contractions that lead to repetitive movements or abnormal postures
of one body part, which occur exclusively during the execution
of one specific task (5)
- neurological movement disorder is defined as involuntary muscular
contractions that lead to repetitive movements or abnormal postures
of one body part, which occur exclusively during the execution
of one specific task (5)
- Type II characterizes the yips driven by mainly psychological mechanisms
related to choking under pressure (choking)
- choking is defined as the "process, whereby the individual
perceives their resources are insufficient to meet the demands
of the situation, and concludes with a significant drop in performance-a
choke" (6)
- choking is defined as the "process, whereby the individual
perceives their resources are insufficient to meet the demands
of the situation, and concludes with a significant drop in performance-a
choke" (6)
- Type I describes athletes who exhibit mainly neurological symptoms
associated with task-specific focal dystonia
-
a small study showed that Quantitative methods were identified that appear to identify golfers with a dystonic aetiology for the yips (7)
- assumes that both neurological and psychological mechanisms have explanatory
power, but their proportion of contribution to the occurrence of the yips
can vary within the affected athlete, and this determines the type of
yips
Reference:
- McDaniel KD, Cummings JL, Shain S.The yips: A focal dystonia of golfers. Neurology 1989;9:192-195.
- Smith AM, Malo SA, Laskowski ER, Sabick M, Cooney WP III et al. A multidisciplinary study of the "yips" phenomenon in golf: An exploratory analysis. Sports Med 2000;30: 423-437.
- Sachdev P. Golfers' cramp: Clinical characteristics and evidence against it being an anxiety disorder. Mov Disord 1992;7:326-332.
- Smith AM, Adler CH, Crews D, Wharen RE, Laskowski ER et al.The "yips" in golf: A continuum between a focal dystonia and choking. Sports Med 2003;33:13-31.
- Pont-Sunyer C et al. E. Focal limb dystonia. European Journal of Neurology 2001;17:22-27.
- Hill DM et al. A re-examination of choking in sport. European Journal of Sport Science 2009; 9: 203-212.
- Alder CH et al. The Yips: Methods to Identify Golfers with a Dystonic Etiology / Golfer's Cramp.Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2018 Nov;50(11):2226-22