Athletes & Performance Blocks

By Cassidy Gaillard • Licensed Professional Counselor

Many athletes who are struggling with their performance come to therapy for what they call a “mental block.” When asked to describe their experience, they say things like, “I’m choking,” “I’m in a slump,” “I keep freezing up,” or “I just can’t make myself do it.” These athletes are frustrated, confused, and disheartened because they don’t know what’s happening or how to fix it.

What they are describing is a performance block, most commonly known as the “yips” or the “twisties” in sports like cheerleading and gymnastics.

Performance blocks, like the yips, occur when you lose the ability to perform a skill that you once executed automatically and easily. Because you used to do it without thinking, the sudden inability to execute is baffling.

Here are some common examples of the yips and twisties across sports:

● In baseball and softball, you might be a catcher who suddenly can’t throw the ball back to the pitcher. You can throw to first base just fine, but you find yourself double-clutching and ultimately having to toss the ball back.

● Or perhaps you’re a pitcher with the yips who is double, even triple clutching, only for the throw to lose speed and accuracy.

● In golf, the yips often manifest in the short game. You might miss three-foot putts by coming up short or by using far too much force.

● In gymnastics and cheerleading, the twisties can look like losing awareness of your body position in the air (disorientation), bailing out of a skill before completion, throwing the wrong skill, or not being able to throw it at all.

● In basketball, you might struggle with free throws. In soccer, you may find yourself unable to shoot on goal.

As you can see, the yips show up across all sports and are more common than most people think. So what’s really happening here?

Performance blocks develop from emotional and physical trauma that has accumulated over the course of the athlete’s life. Unresolved past experiences can remain “stuck” in the body and get triggered by present-day events. When the nervous system is triggered and overwhelmed, it shifts into fight/flight/freeze mode, taking the athlete out of their zone. Performance no longer feels smooth, strong, and automatic because there is a disconnect between your brain and body.

Many athletes may not consider any of their experiences to be “traumatic.” Trauma is subjective, and it includes any experience that was too much for your nervous system to handle at the time. You may feel like you’ve mentally moved on, but parts of the experience can remain unconsciously stored in the body.

Let’s take a look at some common experiences that can result in performance blocks.

● Physical injury- ranging from mild to severe, occurring on or off the field (including near misses or witnessing another athlete’s injury)

● Critical coach who yells at use or mistreats you

● Toxic team culture

● Bullying within or outside of sports

● Failure or mistakes that lead to personal or team losses

● Acute embarrassment or humiliation

● Difficult or painful life experiences (assault, car accident, loss of loved one, divorces, moving schools, etc)

Many athletes mistakenly believe that a performance block is purely “mental,” leading to the misconception that it’s “all in your head” and something you should be able to “just get over.” In an attempt to fix it, you may increase practice time (“If I just try harder, this will get better”) or take a break (“Maybe this will go away if I stop thinking about it”). You may have even been told by others that you don’t want it enough, lack motivation, or will never improve. While these responses are common, they are often ineffective at best and damaging at worst.

The most effective approach to treating performance blocks is to understand them for what they are: a response from a triggered and overwhelmed nervous system. Many approaches focus on positive thinking and coping skills, which can be helpful. However, deeper and more lasting change often requires body-based healing through approaches such as EMDR and HRV training.

If you or someone you know would like to start sports performance therapy, reach out to our clinician, Cassidy Gaillard, who specializes in working with athletes on performance blocks and injury recovery.