Please help me get rid of the yips! (video included)

[Agent4125]

I played snooker as a teenager/early 20s to quite a high level (lots of centuries), but had a break from the game due to life's other committments (work/kids/etc), and I'm now 40 and started to play again...

After a few weeks I've managed a 69 break, a couple of 50+ breaks, and a few 40s here and there. More often than not the break ends on a yip!

I seem to have developed the yips somewhat, it's not all the time, but today was particularly bad so I took a video...

Sometimes I can feel a yip coming on even as I'm cueing up to the ball... I think its confidence related, but I don't really know.

I can still play pretty well on some days (here's me cueing quite nicely last week and almost clearing the line ups until I yip on the final pink!!):

Anyone have any advice on helping me eradicate the yipping from my game? Pleeaaaassse... its so frustrating

Thanks

[itsnoteasy]

Second video looks very good Agent.
Do you feel it coming on or is it right out of the blue if you know what I mean.
Had another look, and this is only my opinion, but you might just be clutching the cue, (closing the fingers on the grip a bit early)pulling it a wee bit up into your chest, forcing the hand out and around the chest to complete the stroke, as I say just my opinion and is just a guess really.

[jrc750]

I like your unusual snooker room lol, some sort of warehouse is it ???

[svendh]

I like your unusual snooker room lol, some sort of warehouse is it ???

yes could fit a few tables there

[tedisbill]

Is this the yips or are you just "twitching" on the shot.

I thought the yips mainly was when people CAN'T hit the ball. Or they can't let the cue go.

You seem to be cuing up fine, but as you deliver the cue, you twitch because you don't fancy the shot.

I mean, we all do that. Play 5 or 6 nice shots, then twitch one and say "come on now, keep still next time". The more you play, the more confidence you'll have and you won't twitch as much.

Just my take on it.

[golferson123]

Your a typical chest thumper. have a look at Ronnie's stroke and let it go.exaggerate your follow through and try to be more side on.been there and got the t shirt.

[guernseygooner]

Your a typical chest thumper. have a look at Ronnie's stroke and let it go.exaggerate your follow through and try to be more side on.been there and got the t shirt.

What would you say to get more side on to the shot golferson?

[itsnoteasy]

It would be nice to see it in normal speed, I'm just wondering if the twitchy ones are faster than the rest.

[golferson123]

I'm not sure if it's a technical problem.take a bunch of balls and bang them into a pocket no pots just direct into a pocket and no pause either if your still snatching it's technique if your not,well then it's upstairs and then it's uncertainty of the outcome.by the way I don't think that you've got the yips.

[golferson123]

He just looks a little cramped,to square on

[golferson123]

Sorry didn't see bottom video.if I didn't know better I would say it was two different people.ignore what I said about technique .

[DeanH]

Please help me get rid of the yips! (video included)

looks very similar to how I used to play, although I was never this bad
the problem I had was I would unconsciously move the grip hand outward to go round the side of my body so the thumb knuckle didn't hit the body.
to solve this I did two things: 1) have the thumb straight to point vertically to the floor giving me a nice wrist cock. 2) twist my hips slightly to the left (I am right handed) so the grip hand would not impact the body.
Also as well I have my front slightly more forward and further out to the side which also helps give a straighter line for the grip hand to deliver the cue.
not sure if this will help

[Agent4125]

Second video looks very good Agent.
Do you feel it coming on or is it right out of the blue if you know what I mean.
Had another look, and this is only my opinion, but you might just be clutching the cue, (closing the fingers on the grip a bit early)pulling it a wee bit up into your chest, forcing the hand out and around the chest to complete the stroke, as I say just my opinion and is just a guess really.

Hi... yeah most of the time I can feel it coming on which leads me to believe it is mental and not a technical fault. I'm trying to "pot with the elbow" which has helped somewhat and kept me from gripping too early.

I like your unusual snooker room lol, some sort of warehouse is it ???

Heh, yeah its in a warehouse at work A bit noisy sometimes but going to build a stud walled room around it soon.

Is this the yips or are you just "twitching" on the shot.
I thought the yips mainly was when people CAN'T hit the ball. Or they can't let the cue go.
You seem to be cuing up fine, but as you deliver the cue, you twitch because you don't fancy the shot.

Yeah ok I think twitch is a better word, and I think you might be on to something with the bit in bold above. I'm curious why I feel the twitches coming on a lot some days, and hardly ever on others.

I'm not sure if it's a technical problem.take a bunch of balls and bang them into a pocket no pots just direct into a pocket and no pause either if your still snatching it's technique if your not,well then it's upstairs and then it's uncertainty of the outcome.by the way I don't think that you've got the yips.

Thanks - yeah it only happens when I try to pot balls, so as you say, probably upstairs. Something I forgot to mention is that it happens more on screw shots (where I have to hit it a little harder) than stun or run through shots. Also it happens a fair bit more (for some reason) on shots where the pocket is to the left, and the cueball is then going off to the right. I've no idea why but again probably mental.

[DeanH]

Please help me get rid of the yips! (video included)

as you say these affects - yips/shakes tend to be mental/psychological and not technical.
you mention they tend to appear when doing screw and you say you try harder on the shot, I have found that I get better screwback when I try less and "let the cue do the work" ie strike through the cue ball.
I look forward to reading the other coaches on TSF comments.

[cyberheater]

Sorry. I can't help you. But good luck. I hope you get you get over it.