The yips in sport: A systematic review

Abstract

The yips are a psycho-neuromuscular movement disorder, which\ud affects sports in which fine motor precision skills are required for\ud success. This review aims to examine key components of the yips\ud within sport literature using a systematic approach. Twenty-five\ud published studies were used in the systematic review, the majority\ud of which focused on the yips in golf (n = 18); case studies were the\ud most popular methodological approach (n = 12). Four components\ud of the yips were identified: psychological, physiological,\ud neurological and performance. This review describes evidence\ud associated with each component according to research design,\ud sample characteristics and main findings. Key findings associated\ud with each component are evaluated and gaps within the existent\ud literature are highlighted. It is concluded that future research\ud incorporates a multi-discipline theory-driven approach on a wider\ud range of sports using a more precise definition of yips types in\ud order to enhance our understanding of the predictors and\ud mechanisms of the yips which, in turn, will allow practitioners to\ud develop effective interventions for athletes

Personality Predictors of Yips and Choking Susceptibility

“…To date, only two yips studies have reported a difference between yips-affected and unaffected golfers; Adler et al (2011) and Stinear et al (2006) reported that yips-affected athletes were significantly older than those unaffected athletes, suggesting that experience may be a pathway for yips development, and specifically that overuse of motor skills may act as one possible mechanism (Smith et al, 2003). However, analysis of the demographics also revealed no significant difference in experience or handicap, in golfers, between the two groups within each paradoxical performance, supporting that individuals of all levels and experience can suffer with these symptoms (Clarke et al, 2015). Only golfers' current handicaps were recorded which may not be the best indicator of ability as Adler et al (2011) reported that those golfers who reported experiencing the yips had a significantly lower best handicap than those non-affected.…”

“…For instance, predictors of both the yips and choking stemmed from social origins, but the specific traits were different in both. As the current study was based on subjective responses to having experienced paradoxical performance, further experimental testing of these paradoxical experiences is warranted in laboratory or ecologically valid (competition) settings under different social manipulations to see their role in yips and choking susceptibility (Lobinger et al, 2014;Clarke et al, 2015).…”

“…The yips have been defined as "a psycho-neuromuscular impediment affecting the execution of fine motor skills during sporting performance" (Clarke et al, 2015, p. 177). Clarke et al (2015) expanded on Smith et al's (2000) model to propose a two-dimensional yips model (see Figure 1). The updated model includes athletes who predominantly experience physical symptoms of the yips as type-I (focal-dystonia); those who predominantly experience psychological symptoms of the yips as type-II (performance anxiety); and those who experience both psychological and physical symptoms of the yips as type-III (focal-dystonia and performance anxiety).…”

“…Recent reviews of choking (Hill et al, 2010) and the yips (Clarke et al, 2015) suggest that more research investigating the role of personality traits as potential predictors, is warranted to identify those individuals more susceptible to yips and choking. To date, limited research has assessed the role of the bigfive and paradoxical performance; with only one paper, to the author's knowledge, investigating this in relation to choking only (Byrne et al, 2015).…”

“…The predictive factor that has received the most attention in the paradoxical performance literature is anxiety (Lobinger et al, 2014). Performance anxiety has been highlighted as an important contributor to the three yips types in the two-dimensional mode (Clarke et al, 2015) and the occurrence of choking (Lobinger et al, 2014). Athletes who have high levels of trait anxiety have also been identified as being more susceptible to choking (e.g., Wilson, 2008), however, this was not the case in those who experienced the yips (e.g., Klämpfl et al, 2013a).…”