Chapter 1061 Psychological Burden
In professional sports, there has always been a special phenomenon where one seems to lose all of their professional skills overnight.
The professional movements that were once so simple and easy, and that I had repeated tens of thousands of times, suddenly disappeared, and I couldn’t play or kick a ball anymore! There is a professional term for this, “YIPS”.
Originally, this originated from golf terminology, referring to the phenomenon that professional players experience symptoms such as twitching, tremors and stiffness during crucial games, which leads to difficulty or errors in putting. These symptoms mostly occur in the wrists and fingers, making it impossible for players to make smooth putting movements.
Similar phenomena often occur in many sports that require high concentration and precision, such as cricket, tennis, darts, etc. In fact, it is not limited to sports. Some people also experience similar situations when typing or playing musical instruments. Later, it generally refers to the loss of professional skills.
So, what exactly is the cause of Yip syndrome?
At present, medical research is still in the exploratory stage, but overall, it can be divided into two parts:
Physical and psychological.
One is the physical level.
Dyskinetic Yip syndrome stems from a physiological condition called dystonia, which refers to how tight your muscles are when they are at rest or inactive.
For most people, even when they are relaxed or resting, their muscles will maintain a certain degree of tension in order to maintain the alignment of their bones.
For patients with dystonia, muscle tension will fluctuate, which can cause involuntary contractions and even muscle deformation.
Naturally, in activities that require professional skills, including playing music, sports, etc., it is easy to have deviations if you cannot control your muscles voluntarily.
One is psychological.
It is mainly caused by anxiety under stressful conditions. Related brain wave studies have also found that when players with Yip syndrome feel anxious during the putting process or at the moment of hitting the ball, the left brain will be overactivated, which in turn affects the control of details. This is the common anxious Yip syndrome.
It can be understood that poor performance is caused by pressure. Informal competitions often perform better than formal competitions. Of course, there are more serious situations, where professional skills are lost even in informal competitions, as if they have never played or hit the ball and have completely forgotten it.
Gradually, this phenomenon has occurred in more and more areas. It is not only closely related to "hands", but also includes baseball, football, basketball and other sports. The same symptoms have also appeared.
So, how to treat it?
Movement disorder-type Yip syndrome requires professional treatment, and there is currently no guarantee of a 100% cure; anxiety-type Yip syndrome is somewhat unpredictable. Some people may completely lose their professional skills, while others may wake up and return to their original state.
Why is Yips mentioned here? It is not to say that Dimitrov suffers from Yips, but to emphasize that professional players are likely to lose their skills under unbalanced pressure.
In other words, even the simplest batting action suddenly became difficult to perform.
Dimitrov does not suffer from Yips.
But the fact is that he is troubled by the layers of pressure. From Rotterdam to Acapulco, things have not improved. Not only that, but they are also getting worse.
This was the case in the deciding set against Harrison. Dimitrov seemed to have no idea how to play the game, let alone layout and strategy. Even the most basic forehand and backhand shots were all off the mark. His judgment of rotation, landing point, and feel of the ball all failed, and the whole game was a complete loss.
He is standing on the court, but he can't play.
In fact, under such circumstances, continuing to force yourself to participate will not help at all, and may even cause the situation to slide further into the abyss.
The best way is to stay away from the arena completely, calm down completely, slow down, and slowly find yourself in a stress-free environment.
But things are obviously not that simple.
Firstly, in the tennis season, one tournament follows another, leaving no room to breathe. If you stay away from the court for a little while, you may be left far behind.
Dimitrov is only 24 years old, and his career is entering a period of full growth. Every second he wastes is golden time. Does he have the capital to waste?
Secondly, even if Dimitrov is determined to stay away from the court for a while, he needs to stay away from pressure and also needs psychological support.
The problem is that the relationship between Dimitrov and Sharapova is precisely the fuse of the whole thing. If Dimitrov chooses to press the pause button, will Sharapova be willing to stay with him? Or will it intensify the conflict, leading to the two people parting ways, and then things will deteriorate further? Dimitrov himself is resisting this.
Tobias carefully mentioned it to Dimitrov, but Dimitrov refused without even thinking about it.
“I want to play ball.”
There is still fighting spirit and murderous intent in Dimitrov's eyes. Although he is confused and lost, he still hopes to stand on the court and fight.
He doesn't want to surrender.
Because of Sharapova and his true love for tennis, Dimitrov still expects to achieve more glory.
escape?
Backing off? That's not an option for Dimitrov.
Therefore, Dimitrov decided to go to Indian Wells. After being eliminated in Acapulco, he did not return to Miami, but flew directly to California and went to the desert early to prepare for the game.
but……
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The situation is not good.
When Gawain was still in Oakland, he noticed something unusual about Dimitrov, and then asked Tobias about it.
Although Tobias told Gawain not to worry and kept emphasizing that Dimitrov was fine, Gawain still wanted to help his friend.
So, Gao Wen made an invitation: doubles.
Unlike singles, the entire atmosphere and rhythm of doubles matches are different. Perhaps saying this is a little disrespectful to the players who specialize in doubles, but Gao Wen definitely does not mean to disrespect them. It's just that when singles players step onto the doubles court, they can really let go of their burdens and enjoy the game.
For Dimitrov, it is not only about regaining his touch through doubles, but also about temporarily forgetting the pressure and burden and starting to enjoy tennis.
A key to healing anxious Yips is to let go of the stress and start enjoying your professional skills again, just like you did as a child.
Dimitrov's condition is not that serious right now, but he does need some moments to "relax, play and enjoy the game."
Dimitrov also knew that Gawain cared about him, but he didn't want to drag Gawain down.
If Gao Wen participates in doubles, Dimitrov naturally hopes that Gao Wen can advance to the deep rounds, just like in Doha, or even compete for the championship, and then help Gao Wen go further in the singles arena.
He felt like a burden.
Therefore, Dimitrov did not agree directly.
Gao Wen did not force him, but said by phone in Oakland, "I also want to enjoy the game and put aside those expectations and pressures. Believe me, I am sincere."
Then, Gao Wen hung up the phone, not knowing what Dimitrov was thinking now.
(End of this chapter)