User:Samwk04/Yips

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The exact cause of the yips is still not fully understood, but it's largely seen as a mix of task-specific focal dystonia (type I yips) and choking (type II yips) in most existing literature. Task-specific focal dystonia involves involuntary movements during well-practiced tasks (putting, pitching, vaulting), whereas choking refers to performance failure under pressure. A yips episode may last a short time before the athlete regains their abilities or it can require longer term adjustments to technique before recovery occurs. The worst cases are those where the athlete does not recover at all, forcing the player to abandon the sport at the highest level.

There have been a plethora of treatment options tested to help with cases of the yips, including clinical sport psychology therapy, motor imagery, pre-performance routines, medication, botulinum toxin, acupuncture, and emotional freedom technique. With that being said, the success of the aforementioned treatments is primarily based on personal experiences rather than well-founded research evidence and there is little to no formal evidence to regarding the effectiveness. Early intervention with a complete and thorough treatment plan is imperative for the ideal recovery of athletes with yips.

Brain Activity and the Yips
A specific 2021 study using EEG recordings to measure found that athletes with the yips showed increased brain activity in the alpha band when initiating movements, especially when increasing force output to match a target. In this particular study, increased brain activity in the alpha and beta bands for the treatment group after the movement compared to the control group, suggested that heightened brain activity might indicate problems with inhibitory systems or increased focus on the body part involved in the task. Further research must be conducted with a larger sample size, more diverse populations, and more than two EEG electrodes in order to further establish the validity of this claim.

In Other Areas
The yips also affects players in other sports. Examples include Markelle Fultz and Chuck Hayes's respective free throw shots in basketball. In darts, the yips are known as dartitis, with five-time world champion Eric Bristow an example of a sufferer. In the National Football League (NFL), a normally reliable placekicker who starts struggling is also said to have the yips.

Stephen Hendry, seven times snooker World Champion, said after his loss to Mark Williams in the 2010 UK Championship that he had been suffering from the yips for ten years, and that the condition had affected his ability to cue through the ball, causing him great difficulty in regaining his old form.

The yips also occur in areas outside of sports, such as with musicians and writers. A yips event in one of these fields is the result of type I yips with focal dystonia occuring.