The Dreaded Yips

[Ramon]

Two things can happen when we are tense that are not the yips. The first is to grip the cue too tight and take the cue inside the true shot line when we pull the cue back, the second being to open the hand too much and take the cue outside the shot line in a jerky fashion. Both can result in us cueing across the ball on the fore stroke and missing long pots all day long. I've seen one guy take the cue back with his hand very cocked (not opening his fingers much) outside the shot line, then correct the cue on the fore stroke, so that the cue is back on the shot line when he hits the ball. To be able to do this is a rare skill. He's a very good potter. Most can't get away with that but he's done it for 30yrs so I don't believe he should change now.

The yips is more like taking the cue back and having that horrible feeling at the end of the travel and pausing too long. Hendry had this so there's no shame in it at all. I think me old mucker shockz is brave to say it. Hope he finds a solution to whatever is bugging him.

it is indeed remarkable how many players can play well despite of one/few bad habits in their technique.

[Shockerz]

Is it the yips you definitely have Shockerz or are you just snatching slightly under pressure? To me the yips is not being able to release the cue forward. Could it just be a timing thing for you ?

I basically have 2 problems that I struggle to control nowadays.

1. As I bring the cue tip to the cueball for the last time and pause I get an involuntary sideways movement of the tip to the left which totally throws any concentration prior to the last back swing (this is occasional).

2. As I take the cue back to the final pause, at the point when It's time to release the cue and push forward just stall and don't release the cue. When it finally goes you get what you get which can be a cue jerk, head movement, push then even a sideways movement, it's just a devastating effect on the shot.

It's not often, it just crops up. I few weeks ago I thought I'd shook it, had 5x 60's and an 80 among lots of smaller breaks and felt like there was a decent break coming then bang, here we go again and I'm back to rebuilding which I'm used to, to be fair.

If you saw the Barry Hawkins video, I had a blue to the middle pocket which I had a little rhs on, I cued and could feel it building up and just hit it as I could feel I was struggling to let go. I missed the pit by a country mile and it you look at my cue coming forward it actually went to the right!

I'm pretty philosophical about it nowadays as I've had a lot of fun in my sports over the years and I still get to play a little decent snooker here and now so try to enjoy it rather than give the game up.

I think it's a great game and glad I picked a cue up again so at 53 I accept good and bad days and have revisited what I want out of it, that way, when you get a good day it feels great.

When I played Barry I played terrible but still had a smile on my face!

[itsnoteasy]

Good post Shockerz, I know exactly what you mean about your cueing.

[Shockerz]

Good post Shockerz, I know exactly what you mean about your cueing.

I was single figure golfer for the years I didn't play snooker and struggled to take the club away at the beginning and also struggled to bring the putter forward at the end of the back swing so it's certainly in that fragile brain of mine!

In the putting I just rocked my shoulders in the end and putted pretty well but it was a different story when trying to take the club away......there's worse things in life so concentrate on what you can do!

[Cue crafty]

I was single figure golfer for the years I didn't play snooker and struggled to take the club away at the beginning and also struggled to bring the putter forward at the end of the back swing so it's certainly in that fragile brain of mine!

In the putting I just rocked my shoulders in the end and putted pretty well but it was a different story when trying to take the club away......there's worse things in life so concentrate on what you can do!

Sodding golfs got a lot to answer for, when I played snooker as a kid, I turned up without a care in the world not expecting or hoping for those nice numbers. Having played golf only from age 30 improving then chasing a nice card only to get a bite on the butt, I feel some of this leaked into my return to snooker. I'm intent on finding that lad who turned up for fun, sometimes played average but sometimes played great and took it all as good stuff because, well, I was playing snooker! How could that be bad??

Funny thing is, I'm pretty uninterested in golf presently but I'm fairly sure just because of that if I went and played a couple of times just to hook up with mates I won't see otherwise (due to location - not like you drive 50 miles to have a coffee with a mate is it) I would play pretty decent because I've left my expectations behind....

In sport if you love it, you want it, you chase it, it normally bites your butt. The genius is to let go, just a little, to really release your best. love is ok, obsession is damage.

[Shockerz]

Sodding golfs got a lot to answer for, when I played snooker as a kid, I turned up without a care in the world not expecting or hoping for those nice numbers. Having played golf only from age 30 improving then chasing a nice card only to get a bite on the butt, I feel some of this leaked into my return to snooker. I'm intent on finding that lad who turned up for fun, sometimes played average but sometimes played great and took it all as good stuff because, well, I was playing snooker! How could that be bad??

Funny thing is, I'm pretty uninterested in golf presently but I'm fairly sure just because of that if I went and played a couple of times just to hook up with mates I won't see otherwise (due to location - not like you drive 50 miles to have a coffee with a mate is it) I would play pretty decent because I've left my expectations behind....

In sport if you love it, you want it, you chase it, it normally bites your butt. The genius is to let go, just a little, to really release your best. love is ok, obsession is damage.

Totally right mate.

I've always been obsessive in everything I do even if it's to do nothing for long periods!

Golf is another great dead ball game where it's all in the head. Football was the easiest to play for me as you just did it and reacted to the constantly changing play.

I started golf at around 30 like you when I broke my leg and it was a nice transition as you have lots of mickey taking and a few drinks afterwards, not too dissimilar to snooker apart from you don't get wet!