Can someone explain what “ Twisties” is in gymnastics and is there a similar occurrence in running?

outabounds wrote:

Curious if someone who is knowledgeable can explain and if this seemingly neurological disorder occurs in running?

It definitely has an equivalent in baseball.

Rick Ankiel and Chuck Knoblauch are examples. Ankiel was a pitcher (top rookie and potential future ace) who suddenly couldn't control where he was throwing the ball and had to quit pitching. Knoblauch was a top fielder who also suddenly had issues throwing the ball where he wanted.

Technically speaking, it pretty much happens when your muscle memory gets screwed up in your brain.

I think it would be way more likely to happen to a field athlete than a runner.

With gymnasts they pretty much have to execute those moves off muscle memory... each move is executed as one action in the gymnasts brain. If you start breaking it down into individual twist, turns, and spins while executing your brain can't keep up and things go bad.

Easier to quit than to push through. That is an indisputable fact. Biles sat on the side watching. That took mush physical effort and mental focus than to push through. Try running a 10k all out and then try again quitting after 1 mile. Check your watch to see how many calories you burned. If you don't understand that it is easier to quit than to push through, then I guess you should not admire anyone who has success in sports because you are claiming that it is harder to quit than to push through and finish. I plan to tell my runners at practice today that I have had it wrong all of these years. Quit, quit, quit. That is the more difficult path which means it is more admirable than their opponents who push through that 5k and are exhausted at the line.

Easy Quit wrote:

Easier to quit than to push through. That is an indisputable fact. Biles sat on the side watching. That took mush physical effort and mental focus than to push through. Try running a 10k all out and then try again quitting after 1 mile. Check your watch to see how many calories you burned. If you don't understand that it is easier to quit than to push through, then I guess you should not admire anyone who has success in sports because you are claiming that it is harder to quit than to push through and finish. I plan to tell my runners at practice today that I have had it wrong all of these years. Quit, quit, quit. That is the more difficult path which means it is more admirable than their opponents who push through that 5k and are exhausted at the line.

I genuinely believe there are people who know that little about sport that they genuinely don't know what 'the yips' are (or the twisties as I've recently learned they're called in gymnastics).

But to still have the confidence to come out and write stuff like this despite your clear and obvious ignorance of sport.

I blame the parents. They've failed.

trollism wrote:

I genuinely believe there are people who know that little about sport that they genuinely don't know what 'the yips' are (or the twisties as I've recently learned they're called in gymnastics).

Well, I'm definitely not one of them. In fact, I have a conference call at work today and I haven't been as productive this past week, and it's not because I've been watching the Olympics, and I plan on blaming it on the yips. So, the yips is a serious issue nation-wide and I'm fully in support of Simone. I might even try for paid time off due to Mental Health Issues (until the Closing Ceremony).

The guy from Free Solo is the best analogy. He quits his first attempt because he is too in his head and thinks he will fall and realized that on the way up. Just like biles realized on the vault. Stakes a bit higher for free solo dude but it's what's going on. Not a mental health issue. Just a normal athletic mental battle issue.

You have no understanding of energy systems. Your $100 watch can tell you how many calories you burned during a 15 minute 5k race. It can tell you how many calories you burned during rest. Then walk 15 minutes and see that calories burned is somewhere in between. It is simple indisputable science that proves it is easer to rest than to walk than to run. It is easier to rest than to do a gymnastics routine. Biles' teammates probably burned 1000 calories while she sat watching. Their activity was harder. Her activity was easier. You are trying to argue a basic fact. You can sit and watch gymnastics but you can't complete the routines because it is 1000 times harder than watching.

doingthistopost wrote:

The guy from Free Solo is the best analogy. He quits his first attempt because he is too in his head and thinks he will fall and realized that on the way up. Just like biles realized on the vault. Stakes a bit higher for free solo dude but it's what's going on. Not a mental health issue. Just a normal athletic mental battle issue.

Simone qualified Number 1 in the world in the all-around just two days before. So, no yips then.

Sounds more like she simply could not handle the pressure, which is basically what she said. I can't blame her. I'm sure I could not handle it either.

Twisties are not related to 5000m to ultra running at all. Nothing like golf putting. I wouldn't even correlate twisties with pole vault. I am sure there are divers, swim & dive divers who may want to comment. I am sure some runners are former ballerinas who also may want to comment. There are only a few activities that an athlete does or attempts to do a 720 degree mid-air spin, ballet, gymnastics and competitive diving.

T&F club dad and S&D club dad wrote:

There are only a few activities that an athlete does or attempts to do a 720 degree mid-air spin, ballet, gymnastics and competitive diving.

That's true. But Simone did all that stuff quite well two days before when she qualified first in the world. So, clearly no yips. Just pressure.

Yes, energy systems are all that matters in sport. Wow, you really are that much of an idiot. I feel bad for anyone you actually coach. They would be better off just reading some books or watching youtube videos.

Anyway, I would love to hear how you think a person becomes one of the greatest athletes of all time, what that process is like in your mind.

Obviously we can only speculate what is going on with Biles. But seems pretty reasonable to assume this was likely an issue that has been building up and her decision was not taken lightly. For someone with the competitive drive to be the greatest that has ever lived in their sport, quitting while perhaps from the outside looking in seems like an easy way out is not always so. I mean I am a nobody at running, and DNF'ing a race is 'easier' in the physical sense that yes, I do not need to continue running can be extremely mentally/emotionally challenging.

vertigo wrote:

But seems pretty reasonable to assume this was likely an issue that has been building up and her decision was not taken lightly.

She qualified number one in the world two days before she dropped out. It could not have been "building up" for long.

Bound4Glory wrote:

T&F club dad and S&D club dad wrote:

There are only a few activities that an athlete does or attempts to do a 720 degree mid-air spin, ballet, gymnastics and competitive diving.

That's true. But Simone did all that stuff quite well two days before when she qualified first in the world. So, clearly no yips. Just pressure.

I do not think anything is clear at this time. There is a reason there is an age minimum in gymnastics. It would not be difficult to gather a group of 12 year old gymnasts to beat Power 5 Conference college gymnasts. Simone Biles may have just aged out in front of the entire world.

So, what, for you, is the appropriate amount of time for this to build up before it's legitimate? Because clearly you have a timeline in mind.

Bound4Glory wrote:

doingthistopost wrote:

The guy from Free Solo is the best analogy. He quits his first attempt because he is too in his head and thinks he will fall and realized that on the way up. Just like biles realized on the vault. Stakes a bit higher for free solo dude but it's what's going on. Not a mental health issue. Just a normal athletic mental battle issue.

Simone qualified Number 1 in the world in the all-around just two days before. So, no yips then.

Sounds more like she simply could not handle the pressure, which is basically what she said. I can't blame her. I'm sure I could not handle it either.

If you read on the yips at all, sudden appearance is part of the picture. Sounds like she may have had an issue with the twisties notably in the vault.

I was an above high school runner, 4:15 and 1:55 guy. My competitive career was pretty much ended by pre race anxiety. There were several meets I couldn’t even attend because I was petrified to start, it’s a feeling I could never recreate now that I’m mid 20’s and no longer competing. I was wildly inconsistent because of it, some races I would feel great and others I would struggle before I even got on the line. I tried all sorts of solutions from athletic counseling to medication, none really helped.

I always thought part of what made elites that level was the fact they could deal with the nerves. I never ran in college because of this problem, but I also haven’t met many runners who had it as bad as me. Just my anecdote.

Bound4Glory wrote:

vertigo wrote:

But seems pretty reasonable to assume this was likely an issue that has been building up and her decision was not taken lightly.

She qualified number one in the world two days before she dropped out. It could not have been "building up" for long.

And how would you know that? If someone snaps and has a mental breakdown one day, you would say something must have occurred on that day and there is no relation to anything preceding it? Most mental issues are not like that. It could be months or even years in the making. I mean, unless Biles comes out and says it just came out of nowhere, sure I would take her word for it, its possible. Just seems unlikely to me. She is the greatest in the world, of course she would be able to perform even if she were going through a rough time emotionally/mentally, until something tips her over the edge which is what this seems like.

Bound4Glory wrote:

vertigo wrote:

But seems pretty reasonable to assume this was likely an issue that has been building up and her decision was not taken lightly.

She qualified number one in the world two days before she dropped out. It could not have been "building up" for long.

I love how idiots like you don't let your ignorance stop you from being the most prolific commentator on a thread and repeating your stupidity over and over and over. Good job. Did you watch the qualifying rounds? How about, did you even read any of the multiple threads started about endless errors she made in the qualifying rounds? Even rojo started one. What was "the big news" before she dropped out was how many errors she was making in every event. She 100% looked off the entire Olympics, far before she dropped out. People were questioning how she could score so well still when she kept making mistake after mistake after mistake - that was the news. But hey, you just wade in here and keep declaring your stupidity, loud and proud, because that's what idiots like you do.