North Texas sports psychologist discusses Brett Maher’s repeated kicks
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) – Maybe it was just a bad game. In a week, everything will be forgotten. Everyone from golfers to baseball players, however, may have thought of another explanation for Brett Maher’s repeated kicks in Monday’s game against the Dallas Cowboys.
“Yips,” may come out of nowhere. A catcher who throws once in the bucket finds himself paralyzed by the prospect of throwing it again in the future. A golfer who misses a two-foot putt hits the next one from the green.
Lack of control is debilitating, explained Dr. Matt Johnson, sports psychologist in Fort Worth. You often see athletes who have been struggling to break the yips for several months, only to get deeper and deeper into the problem.
“If our minds are thinking, ‘Oh my God, I’ve got to win this, don’t miss this,’ that takes our minds off of what we’ve done a million times. first,” said Dr. Johnson.
Whether it is what millions of people saw on Monday of the athlete, he will not say. He is reluctant to put a label on a problem when he sees it, preferring to help athletes focus and deal with it.
Thinking too much mistakenly only causes an increase in high-frequency brain waves—interfering with once-reliable signals to the muscles regarding the timing of firing, energy use, and focus on the goal. .
Getting back on schedule, and reducing distractions, is often the most important thing to regain control.
The correction has no timetable.
Dr. Patrick Cohn often tells athletes that he feels it’s not like catching a cold. They must focus on regaining control percentage, and working their way back.
At his practice in Central Florida, he has created programs for young baseball players to hit the yips, which he said they often compare to feeling like an alien has taken control of their arm.
Getting an athlete to regain confidence in their abilities, routine, and freedom of movement can often get them back on track over time.
“If it’s just one sport where the athlete had a lot of anxiety, or anxiety, or overcontrol, then I think it’s faster to get the athlete back on track,” Dr. Cohn said.
He also didn’t want to conclude that frequent missed kicks signaled any diagnosis of a serious problem. He said only an athlete knows exactly what they need to get back on target.
Jason, a native of Southern California, came to North Texas after working as a journalist for four years in Orlando. He earned his bachelor’s degree in communications from Trinity Christian College in Palos Heights, Illinois, and began his career as a producer/reporter at Primary Focus. Jason went on to work as a reporter/anchor at KTWO-TV in Casper, Wyoming, and later as a reporter at WBAY-TV in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Create your free account or log in for more features.
Please enter an email address to continue
Please enter an email address to continue
