Examining Movement-Specific Reinvestment and the Yips in Professional Baseball

Authors

Lazaro Gutierrez MBA, MA, PhD, Nova Southeastern UniversityFollow
Pradeep R. Vanguri PhD, LAT, ATC, Nova Southeastern UniversityFollow

Abstract

The sudden inability of a professional baseball player to throw the baseball accurately, a condition known as the “yips”, is considered a motor movement disruption. Movement-specific reinvestment, including movement self-consciousness (MS-C) and conscious motor processing (CMP), explains the disruption of well-learned motor movements in different performance domains such as throwing. The purpose of this quantitative, causal-comparative study is to examine movement-specific reinvestment level differences between self-reported yips-afflicted and non-afflicted professional baseball players in the United States as measured by the Movement Specific Reinvestment Scale (MSRS). A total of 130 professional baseball players (65 yips-afflicted and 65 non-afflicted) participated in the study. The findings demonstrated that significant differences in movement-specific reinvestment levels existed between the yips-afflicted group and the non-afflicted group. Movement-specific reinvestment total levels were higher in yips-afflicted participants (M = 43.60, SD= 9.28) than in non-afflicted participants (M = 33.98, SD = 8.71), U = 922, z = -5.55, p < .001. MS-C scores were higher in yips-afflicted participants (M = 19.30, SD = 5.82) than in non-afflicted participants (M = 13.61, SD = 5.01), U = 969.5, z = -5.33, p < .001. CMP scores were higher in yips-afflicted participants (M = 24.29, SD = 4.79) than in non-afflicted participants (M = 20.37, SD = 4.84), U = 1073, z = -4.85, p < .001.

Recommended Citation

Gutierrez, Lazaro MBA, MA, PhD and Vanguri, Pradeep R. PhD, LAT, ATC (2023) "Examining Movement-Specific Reinvestment and the Yips in Professional Baseball," Journal for Sports Neuroscience: Vol. 1: Iss. 2, Article 9.
Available at: https://nsuworks.nova.edu/neurosports/vol1/iss2/9