The Yips/shanks and how to beat them

[Jaybird]

Going off what Sark and Arch have said in their media availabilities, it seems they’ve basically confirmed the mental plague that is the yips. When Arch compared it to flushing a 60-degree wedge, it immediately made me think about my own golf swing going sideways from time to time. For reference, I’m a single-digit handicapper who has played competitively, but I’ve still caught the shanks—and in Arch’s case, the “yips”—that remind me of Tin Cup.

Instead of obsessing over what’s going wrong or how to “fix” the motion, sometimes the best move is to take a step back. Play with your buddies, clear your head, or in Tin Cup’s case, “look like an idiot” but stripe it pure. That ties right into what Sark said after the game—basically, he just needs Arch to go out there and play instead of drowning in over-analysis.

Golf teaches the same lesson: you can’t obsess over the outcome; you can only focus on the next shot. For Arch, that means the next play. And just like in golf, those moments of panic—the shanks, the yips—can disappear as fast as they showed up. It’s usually darkest before the dawn, and often the breakthrough comes right after the ugliest stretch.

 

Would love to hear how other people think the best way to get the confidence going again is. 

[CJ Vogel]

The yips are weird.

The less you have to think about something, the better it is. That's why it is so dangerous for putts in golf, or throw backs from the catcher. You don't notice the yips on drives off the tee or on throw downs to 2nd base because you are moving without thinking. It becomes second nature. 

You have to find a way to get your mind off of the movement and begin to play without thinking. It's very bizarre to explain, and unless you've experienced it, this likely won't make a lick of sense.

[diegozanna20]

1) Mixing in a good dose a running game for Arch is essential. If he's not lighting it up in the air he needs to feel like he is doing something to help the team win.
2) Go back to the basics and focus on every play on doing everything right, even something as simple as handing the ball of to the RB. If you're concentrating on every detail then doubt has no time to settle in. So in some ways, focus on the process, not the outcome. 
3) Confidence and self worth HAS to come from within: even if Arch doesn't feel like he deserves to praise himself he needs to. You can't play the position if you're not confident in yourself as a player.
4) Sark HAS to make an effort to make Arch feel like he is NOT the centerpiece of the offense. Not sure specifically how but he gets paid 10 million a year to figure it out.

[Jaybird]

1 minute ago, CJ Vogel said:

The yips are weird.

The less you have to think about something, the better it is. That's why it is so dangerous for putts in golf, or throw backs from the catcher. You don't notice the yips on drives off the tee or on throw downs to 2nd base because you are moving without thinking. It becomes second nature. 

You have to find a way to get your mind off of the movement and begin to play without thinking. It's very bizarre to explain, and unless you've experienced it, this likely won't make a lick of sense.

Yips off the tee are very common. Look up Kevin Na at the Players or more recently Nick Dunlap, to some degree Spieth got the yips off the tee. In a way it starts with some aspect and then permeates to the others. Golf seems like it has a higher success ate of recovery than baseball. My guess is that Arch is overly focusing on mechanics, same goes with the golf swing. I think some hardcore visualization of execution pre-play similar to a reshot routine would work wonders.

[diegozanna20]

2 minutes ago, Jaybird said:

Yips off the tee are very common. Look up Kevin Na at the Players or more recently Nick Dunlap, to some degree Spieth got the yips off the tee. In a way it starts with some aspect and then permeates to the others. Golf seems like it has a higher success ate of recovery than baseball. My guess is that Arch is overly focusing on mechanics, same goes with the golf swing. I think some hardcore visualization of execution pre-play similar to a reshot routine would work wonders.

There's too many things that a QB needs to do pre-snap and post-snap to be worrying about what the outcome of a play needs to be.
That's what Arch is doing in my opinion.
That's why the errant throws always come when he's throwing to Wingo (who he wants badly to form a connection with) or in the redzone, or after a series of negative plays.

I think he knows it, and that's why his main answer to his problem is "I need to play my game"... That's his way of saying that he just needs to shake of all the thoughts of the outcome and just focus on the process, while playing loose and having fun.

[4thandFive]

“Dont have the yips when you drive from the tee”

 

Speak for yourself lol.

Edited yesterday at 07:31 PM by 4thandFive

[Jaybird]

5 minutes ago, diegozanna20 said:

There's too many things that a QB needs to do pre-snap and post-snap to be worrying about what the outcome of a play needs to be.
That's what Arch is doing in my opinion.
That's why the errant throws always come when he's throwing to Wingo (who he wants badly to form a connection with) or in the redzone, or after a series of negative plays.

I think he knows it, and that's why his main answer to his problem is "I need to play my game"... That's his way of saying that he just needs to shake of all the thoughts of the outcome and just focus on the process, while playing loose and having fun.

That makes sense, wasn't trying to say he needs to be actively thinking of it. It's hard to putt it into words but Jason Day kind of talks about it especially when he was world number 1. It is more so like a deep breath after breaking the huddle and prior to getting under center or in shotgun solely thinking positive thoughts and about success. 

[Roy Hinojosa]

I know this may sound silly, but going out there with a smile on your face while you're playing is helpful. Take in the moment, look at your teammates and friends, and just take it all in. Arch gets to do something most people don't have the ability to do, which is be the quarterback for the University of Texas. That's special, and once he internalizes that the faster he'll get over this slump. 

Also, meditation helps. Clear your mind, thinking about the past is a recipe for depression and thinking about the future is a recipe for anxiety. Be in the moment and enjoy it.

Edited yesterday at 07:42 PM by Roy Hinojosa

[diegozanna20]

38 minutes ago, Roy Hinojosa said:

I know this may sound silly, but going out there with a smile on your face while you're playing is helpful. Take in the moment, look at your teammates and friends, and just take it all in. Arch gets to do something most people don't have the ability to do, which is be the quarterback for the University of Texas. That's special, and once he internalizes that the faster he'll get over this slump. 

Also, meditation helps. Clear your mind, thinking about the past is a recipe for depression and thinking about the future is a recipe for anxiety. Be in the moment and enjoy it.

Truth is we may never know what he does/is going to do but I've said multiple times on this site that, other than obviously talking to a sports psychologist, meditation would help Arch so much, just staying grounded and in the moment, feeling appreciation for the position he's in etc.

If it's anxiety he's feeling (again, we're probably never gonna know so I don't want to speculate) meditation is scientifically proven to help so much with it.

[Jaybird]

17 minutes ago, diegozanna20 said:

Truth is we may never know what he does/is going to do but I've said multiple times on this site that, other than obviously talking to a sports psychologist, meditation would help Arch so much, just staying grounded and in the moment, feeling appreciation for the position he's in etc.

If it's anxiety he's feeling (again, we're probably never gonna know so I don't want to speculate) meditation is scientifically proven to help so much with it.

If it's full-blown performance anxiety, get my boy on the Ricky Williams program! Tiger and Phill chewed CBD gum in their last major victories. 

[CHorn427]

Maybe Arch and Sark are just waiting to pull out this meme vs OU

[SueVide]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8e8vSiLrVU

[diegozanna20]

1 hour ago, Jaybird said:

If it's full-blown performance anxiety, get my boy on the Ricky Williams program! Tiger and Phill chewed CBD gum in their last major victories. 

I'm sure he can ask Nick Brooks or Wardell Mack about it

Maybe Wardell Mack is better cause Brooks' gonna snitch again

Edited 21 hours ago by diegozanna20

[Jaybird]

@CJ Vogel 

 

Driver yips are no joke 🤣

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRKH4nIWRUg

[Jaybird]

28 minutes ago, SueVide said:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8e8vSiLrVU

Going to hit like crack when Arch completes the deep ball to Wingo for a touchdown!

 

[diegozanna20]

12 minutes ago, Jaybird said:

Going to hit like crack when Arch completes the deep ball to Wingo for a touchdown!

 

I know that quote has become a meme but that is genuinely that mindset that Arch needs to have especially this week against SHSU

Lagway threw 5 picks against LSU... F-I-V-E !
You think Arch would EVER throw that many? He throws one or even misses a throw and completely melts down! I think on saturday if he threw a second pick he might've benched himself!
You gotta and you're gonna make mistakes in football so don't worry about that, just focus on fixing them after the game...