The Yips

The Yips are associated with golf. The yips are supposedly uncontrollable movements that mess up even the easiest of putts. According to the link, the yips have been linked to a neurological problem while others have linked it to anxiety that comes from pressure situations. Lord knows I have experienced the yips. Heck, I experience the yips at the tee of a par 5 straightaway with no hazards!

Are the yips are a more common phenomenon in sports? Marty Schottenheimer can't win the big one. He's come to the brink many times with three different teams, and can't make the big dance. In the playoff game against the Jets, Schottenheimer had a meltdown that may be indicative of a man under intense pressure to take the next step Bill Cowher has had his difficulties too. Stormin' Norm Stewart, legendary coach of the Missouri Tiger basketball program for 32 years, never made the Final Four.

There are many factors at play in these instances. But if the yips are a psychological phenomenon and are related to performance anxiety in espeically pressured situations, then the yips may be a factor in the inability of these coaches to claim the top prize.