The Bowling Yips

[Cain0]

Hello everyone. Something has recently come to my attention that has really got me worried. This thing is called the bowling yips.

Whoever plays cricket at village level will occasionally come across someone who is really really bad (bowling triple bounces and floating the ball over the keepers head). When you enquire to why this person is bowling to one of the players on the other team, they say that he never used to be like that or he bowls unbelievable in the nets, he just looses it in a game. I did not know what this was but I dismissed it and thought nothing more of it and got on with my bowling.

Just recently however, these bowling yips have crippled three bowlers that I know, one of which is a good friend and team mate. The others I know as people I ahave played with for the county. I was playing in the game when the yips first occured to my friend. He is usually a very good bowler, he bowls at a decent pace and gets the ball to swing away from the right hander. One day though, he turned up and he literally could not bowl. He was litterally floating the ball out of his hand and he kept bowling triple bouncers and balls that went way up and went over the keeper (who was standing back). Anyways, I just thought what on earth has he been eating this morning. I thought that he would be fine the next game but he did it again the game after. He has been doing this repeatedly every time he bowls in a match for 2 years. He bowls brilliantly in the nets (he gets me out every time he bowls at me), but he just cant do it in a match.

The other two cases are people I know from when I used to play for the county. One of them is a fast bowler who I always considered better than me and the other is a left arm spinner. Both have the same problem, they literally cant bowl at all, they have completely lost the plot.

I have just discovered this week that they are all suffering from something called the yips and it has got me scared. The last time I bowled was on tuesday (4 days ago) and I bowled perfectly normal. This was before I found out about this thing. Since I have found out about it, I am worried that the next time I bowl, it will happen to me.

Has anyone got any information about the yips (what causes it ect)so I can stop it from ever happening to myself. I also want to try and help my friends who have been affected by this nightmare.

Thanks for any help

 

[Son Of Coco]

One of my friends had this problem. He used to bowl well in the nets and then in a game he'd stutter hopelessly in his run up and end up coming in off 3 or 4 steps. Of course, we used to piss ourselves laughing in the slips, which didn't help the situation at all.

So my first tip would be:

1) Don't laugh at them.

Although a bit of humour often helps to loosen people up, so my second tip would be:

2) Make light of the situation and laugh WITH them.

This website might offer you some help with this: Laughter Therapy Homepage

As far as I can see, your friends are suffering from a fear of bowling. Whether that be due to over-thinking the situation and forgetting to just run in and bowl, or because they're so good they're worried they'll kill someone, I don't know.

I'd recommend working a bit with this:

Phobias and Fears: Symptoms, Treatment, and Self-Help

or this: http://yipsbegone.com/yips-basics/

To get them through the tough times.

If all of this fails and you're left at your wits end trying to escape this malady then I reckon you should just relax, look at a spot on the pitch, run in, and try to hit it. You should be too busy trying to either get the batsman out or make him wish he was never born to worry about how you're going to do it...

I hope this helps.

Dr S.O.Coco

 

[weeman27bob]

Whilst I've got very little information to help, I'd like to point out that I have the opposite. I bowl a hell of a lot better on a pitch than in the nets. I always seem to hit a better lenght.

And also I'd like to post this.

 

[Cain0]

I only ever laughed when I thought that it was a one off, but when I realised that it was something more sinister, I stop laughing and tried to help him. I already feel really bad about this and I hope I didnt contribute to it. I always went out with him before a game with the wickey and him bowl and it always used to be fine, but as soon as a match situation, he went to pot.

That article thats you linked me to was very insightful. This whole yips thing definately sounds like a phobia of bowling. I read that it is caused by involutary muscle spasms and these spasm are caused by fear or nerves. i just dont know what causes this fear in the first place.

 

[Cain0]

Whilst I've got very little information to help, I'd like to point out that I have the opposite. I bowl a hell of a lot better on a pitch than in the nets. I always seem to hit a better lenght.

And also I'd like to post this.

I think everyone has had the net yips before. I know the plan all too well.

Enjoy batting in the nets -> Bowl a load of ****e in the nets -> Say that your loosing confidence by bowling in the nets -> Stop Bowling -> Relax and enjoy the sun with a cool energy drink

 

[vcs]

Ask a guy called Steve Harmison. I believe he had this problem once.

 

[kiwiviktor81]

Just do a Mark Richardson and reinvent yourself as a world-class Test opener.

 

[Son Of Coco]

I think everyone has had the net yips before. I know the plan all too well.

Enjoy batting in the nets -> Bowl a load of ****e in the nets -> Say that your loosing confidence by bowling in the nets -> Stop Bowling -> Relax and enjoy the sun with a cool energy drink

I'd never heard of them until you mentioned it, and have only rarely seen someone with them. Have seen people bowl a heap of ****, but it wasn't the yips

Maybe it's a case of getting too focused on the crease/batsman and not focused enough on the spot you want to hit on the pitch.

 

[zaremba]

It's happened to lots of bowlers, and has ended careers. Seems to have affected lots of SLA bowlers in particular (eg Keith Medlycott). Worst instance I recall though was poor Scott Boswell falling apart in the Lord's final - bowling at no more than medium pace, he couldn't land the ball on the pitch and his figures were (very roughly) 1-0-76-0.

 

[Top_Cat]

Someone with the yips is such a horrifying thing to see.....So let's watch Scott Boswell's infamous over.

YouTube - ‪The Worst Over Ever???‬‏

The worst part about it is that getting the yips is usually the culmination of that gnawing (and increasing) feeling over the previous few days/weeks/months that you're losing control of your body and what it does with the ball so you have a long time to dread that day when it all goes spectacularly wrong and you're left wondering how you're going to get two balls in a row on the straight let alone assemble an entire over.

 

[_Ed_]

That's dreadful! Poor bloke.

 

[Manee]

Someone with the yips is such a horrifying thing to see.....So let's watch Scott Boswell's infamous over.

YouTube - ‪The Worst Over Ever???‬‏

The worst part about it is that getting the yips is usually the culmination of that gnawing (and increasing) feeling over the previous few days/weeks/months that you're losing control of your body and what it does with the ball so you have a long time to dread that day when it all goes spectacularly wrong and you're left wondering how you're going to get two balls in a row on the straight let alone assemble an entire over.

Ball 4 was pretty funny but Ball 5 has to be one of the funniest moments that I've witnessed. Just so short and wide and slow. Ball 11 had a bit of venom behind it but was also bloody wide.

 

[Top_Cat]

AWTA. Wide bother?