A Comprehensive Answer to the Yips

Life is like an ice cream cone. You have to learn to lick it...

Yesterday's post had the thoughts of 3 experts on overcoming the service yips. Their solutions were each somewhat one-dimensional without looking beyond one aspect of the serve. As usual, Sarah Ansboury takes a more comprehensive view in her RV Pickler article Oh Sh?%: Lost Your Serve.

I have seen many cases of the ball shooting in one direction or another. At times, it may land in the middle of the net. The next shot nearly sails over the fence. It lands in the neighboring court on the left, then the right. Frankly, for those that have had the serving yips, they don’t have any idea where the next ball will land. 

As always we want to be aware of where our paddle starts and finishes. So the very first thing to check, if this happens to you, is your finish position. Regardless of your level of embarrassment or frustration, hold your finish position and analyze where it is. Your paddle should be extended flat toward our target.

• You want to swing from your shoulder, not your wrist, not our elbow;
• You want to extend out away from your body…to often we become cramped, too close to our body;
• You want to be fairly upright so your hips and shoulders can naturally rotate into the shot.

Your goal is to allow your body to move effortlessly. Allow your body to turn naturally. Increase your range of motion. 

It’s All in Your Head 

There are times, particularly with new players, where they need to learn the correct paddle position and stroke. Their sole problem with serving may be they have not learned simple stroke mechanics. However, if you have been playing for months or years and getting your serve in regularly then suddenly lost your serve…we need to

look at more than mechanics. Your sudden poor service motion is likely not the fault of your body but your mind. 

It is no different than the golfer that can hit a high arching 9-iron 100 yards or more on the driving range, or from the middle of the fairway…but dribbles it 30 yards directly into the lake in front of them when aiming for an island green. They see the water, their anxiety rises, and they hit it to what they focused on …. the water. In these cases, you should stop concentrating on your mechanics and instead focus on your preparation. 

• First, you need to adopt a pickleball mindset. All competitive athletes have the ability to stay in the present. They develop selective amnesia. They know that what happened the last time they served has absolutely no impact on what they will do next. What happened, happened. The only thing that matters now is this shot.
• Next, take your time. Too often when the service yips occur, the player hurries to hit their serve too quickly. They just want to get it over with. As the game progresses, you can see them taking less time with every serve. Stop, take a breath.  Consciously relax your neck, your shoulders, and your arms. Inhale and exhale fully.
• Focus on your pre-shot routine. Sometimes simply creating a new pre-shot routine, and focusing on executing it (rather than the shot) is all that is needed. We all know that the top players execute a pre-shot routine before serving a tennis ball, hitting a golf ball, or sinking a free-throw. Create your own preshot routine, and commit to only focus on it as you prepare to serve. 

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