Yips (Noun)
Meaning
Nervous tension that causes an athlete to fail (especially causes golfers to miss short putts); "to avoid the yips he changed his style of putting".
Classification
Nouns denoting natural processes.
Examples
- After years of struggling with the yips, the golfer decided to switch to a longer putter to regain his confidence.
- The yips had been plaguing the baseball player all season, causing him to make several critical errors when it mattered most.
- Changing her grip was the only way the tennis player could finally overcome the yips that had been affecting her serves.
- As the pressure mounted, the yips started to creep into the golfer's game, causing him to miss several easy putts.
- The goalkeeper had been dealing with the yips for months, struggling to make even the most routine saves, until he finally worked with a sports psychologist.