What are the pitching yips in baseball or softball? Throwing yips are another variety of “yips”. I have worked with many players who had problems with golf yips and throwing yips. Pitching yips, while rare in baseball, are very difficult to shake because players get stuck in a “yip cycle.”

When you’re having trouble shooting, you simply can’t release the ball freely or send it home easily. Most ballplayers with throwing or throwing yips lose control of their accuracy and are unable to hit their target. Some players may pause or freeze during the pitch motion.

Others may start with a full swing and when they do swing their arm forward. Throwing problems can affect pitchers, catchers, and infielders alike.

What are throwable yips?

The Mayo Clinic has done some research on yips and reports that the problem is both psychological and neurological. Performance anxiety about the result leads to muscle spasms, making athletes feel out of control. They also report that athletes with yips have a neurological problem called “focal dystonia.”

Yips primarily affect golfers, tennis players, and baseball players. The Mayo Clinic tested Botox injections in athletes to relieve the symptoms of yips, but this therapy did not completely cure them.

In my opinion, after working with several athletes on the yips, the main problem is performance anxiety and fear of failure. Ballplayers who get a bad start can also start messing with their mechanics and make things worse. In many cases, they begin to worry about the outcome and how others view the problem.

One case of the pitching problems I worked with was a high school pitcher who couldn’t accurately return the ball to the pitcher. Please note that returning the ball to the pitcher does not affect the outcome of the game. He would stand up and throw the ball back to the pitcher and miss the mark, often throwing a blooper.

The interesting thing is that he could throw to second base well with little to no trouble when it counted! Is this a physical problem with the mechanics of it? Or is it a mind game problem?

My philosophy is that a bad start can lead to yips for some players. And when you start labeling yourself as someone who yips, you start to think that you have an incurable disease. Some players try to be more perfect with their throw. And when you want to make the perfect pitch, you push yourself too hard and control your movement too much.

First, you have to simplify your throwing motion again, not make it more complex or perfect. Second, you have to regain the freedom of the throw, just like you played catch as a kid. Third, as you gain confidence, your freedom and precision begin to recover.