Dr Phil Clarke is a performance psychologist and researcher.
Why do athletes lose control of skills they’ve mastered for years? Why does pressure turn automatic movements into chaos? And can you actually train your way out of the yips?
Expect to learn what the yips really are (and how they differ from choking), why perfectionism and fear of judgement make athletes more vulnerable, how psychological and physiological systems interact under pressure, why your internal narrative determines how severe the yips become, how teammates can help or worsen the problem, why pressure training needs to be personalised, how athletes can build a mental “utility belt” to stay composed, and why the yips appear not just in sport, and much more.
00:00 What Are the Yips? Full Explanation
01:15 The Psychology and Neurology Behind the Yips
02:55 Types of Yips: Type 1, Type 2 & Type 3
05:10 Why the First Yips Episode Is So Important
06:55 How Overthinking Causes Skill Breakdown
09:27 Choking vs The Yips: Key Differences
12:55 Panic, Trauma and Loss of Motor Control
14:33 Perfectionism and Fear of Judgement in Athletes
18:06 Who Gets the Yips? Pros vs Amateurs
20:05 How Your Internal Story Creates Anxiety
22:33 Socially Prescribed Perfectionism Explained
29:15 How Expectations Increase Pressure in Sport
31:57 Can You Recover From the Yips?
35:17 Best Coping Strategies for the Yips
36:41 EMDR Therapy: Does It Work for the Yips?
38:57 Mental Skills That Reduce Performance Anxiety
42:08 How Teammates and Coaches Should Support the Yips
49:45 Challenge vs Threat: Performing Under Pressure
55:35 Why “Be Fearless” Is Bad Advice for Athletes
1:00:36 How to Train Under Pressure (Yips Simulation)
1:12:13 Personalised Pressure Training for Athletes
1:21:33 The Yips Outside Sport (Music, Speaking, Aviation)
Try my app:
Get 20% of MindStrong Sport app subscriptions
mindstrongsport.com/checkout
(Use code mindstrongpodcast)
Get in Touch:
Instagram: @lewishatchett
TikTok: @lewis_hatchett
To sponsor or contact the show visit: lewishatchett.com/podcast
