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.
[1] There have been a plethora of treatment options tested to ameliorate the yips, including clinical sport psychology therapy, motor imagery, pre-performance routines, medication, botulinum toxin, acupuncture, and emotional freedom techniques.
[3] 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.
[8] Professional golfers seriously afflicted by the yips include Ernie Els, David Duval, Pádraig Harrington, Bernhard Langer, Ben Hogan, Harry Vardon, Sam Snead, Ian Baker-Finch and Keegan Bradley, who missed a four-foot putt in the final round of the 2013 HP Byron Nelson Championship due to the condition (although he may also have been suffering from strabismus).
[citation needed] At the 2015 Waste Management Open, golf analyst Nick Faldo suggested that Tiger Woods could be suffering from the yips.
Several top players have been affected by the yips in recent years, most notably Alexander Zverev in 2019,[12] and Aryna Sabalenka in the beginning of 2022.
[15] Another player, Gavin Hamilton, having played a Test as an all-rounder, largely abandoned his right-arm medium pace bowling, following the yips.
Collins Obuya was one of the stars of Kenya's 2003 World Cup—he gained a contract with Warwickshire on the back of it—but after injury he encountered difficulty with his bowling action, later going through a phase of appearing as a specialist batsman in international matches.
[17] Other players to have experienced similar problems include Ian Folley of Lancashire,[18] and the West Indies test cricketer Roger Harper.
Sax's problems began in his 3rd season in the majors, but he continued to play in the league and seemingly recovered by 1989, going on to finish his career in 1994.
Pittsburgh Pirates minor league pitching prospect Hayden Hurst was so badly affected by the yips that he left baseball and went to the University of South Carolina to play football instead.
This loss of air awareness increases the chance of a serious or critical injury occurring if the gymnast forgets in the moment how to land the maneuver safely.
During the 2020 Olympic qualifications, American gymnast Simone Biles flew out of bounds twice on the floor and failed to stick her landing on the vault.
During the Olympic events, Biles was unable to complete her skills and popularized the term "twisties," causing her to withdraw from competition after the women's team all-around final.
[35] American gymnasts Laurie Hernandez and Aleah Finnegan both stated that they have experienced a loss of air awareness during their career and spoke out in support of Biles during the games in 2021.
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.