Cricket is a game of the mind. How else can you explain calm, rational people suddenly going to pieces when they try and bowl? They have the dreaded yips.

If you have ever had them you know how baffling the yips can be. One moment you have the ball on a piece of invisible string, the next you can’t even let go of the ball. Yet it’s not just restricted to the club game. Internationals like Phil Edmonds and Phil Tufnell have both suffered.

Recent research on the yips in golfers has found that there is something even the worst case can do to help themselves.

Imagery clears up the yips

Imagery is simply focussing on a successful outcome in your mind. So for a bowler you would visualise yourself bowling with accuracy and turn (or pace).

You would picture the scene is as much detail as you can, remembering successes of the past and even exaggerating them for the purpose of the exercise. Imagine your feelings and how others would respond to your success.

Additionally you can imagine how you would respond to failure or a bad ball. Imagine steeling yourself to do even better, staying relaxed and confident and getting back to where you were with the minimum of fuss.

Using this imagery method, researchers were able to cut a golfers average of 9.2 yips per round to just 0.2 yips per round.

Take just a few minutes a day to copy this method and you will reduce your anxiety and with it the yips.