(S)Tumbling Blocks
Making Sense of and Creating a Model for Mental Blocks in Sport
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 13049321 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Nicole Butterbaugh (The University of Texas at Austin), Ashley K Barrett (0000-0003-3518-501X, Baylor University, corresponding author), Blair Browning (Baylor University) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 14 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 91-115 |
| Publication date | 2024-10-14 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Communication & Sport (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2167-4795 • E-ISSN: 2167-4809 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/21674795241292043 |
| OpenAlex | W4403442029 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 24 |
The yips are a complex phenomenon that leaves athletes unable to perform previously mastered athletic skills. Here, we coin the term athletic skills mental blocks (ASMBs) to collectively define the phenomenon, which has garnered several terms across scholarship and media outlets. Previous ASMBs literature is often post-positivist in nature, offers minimal insight into complex firsthand experiences, includes small sample sizes, and/or analyzes one or two sports. Through a pilot study of 12 tumbling athletes, and a primary study including 16 collegiate and professional athletes and coaches from baseball, golf, and tumbling, this study offers an in-depth understanding of ASMBs that highlights shared ASMB rationalizations across multiple sports. Guided by sensemaking theory, we use a rigorous thematic analysis to draw out themes within four aspects of the experience: phenomenon, perceived causes, strategies to overcome, and consequences. We highlight the role communication plays in ASMBs sensemaking through revealing the importance of internal dialogue and communication with coach, family, and teammates. We offer theoretical implications by illuminating how naming/labeling processes and identity are vital components to ASMB sensemaking and generating an ASMB sensemaking model that can be used in future research. Practically, this research serves sports organizations by expanding the vocabulary surrounding ASMBs and helps destigmatize the mental health complexities inherent in ASMBs across sports
Cognitive science · Common sense · Epistemology · Mental model · Sense (electronics · Computer Science · Engineering · Gambling Behavior and Treatments · Motivation and Self-Concept in Sports · Philosophy · Psychology · Sport Psychology and Performance
Sensemaking in organizations
Healthcare workers' communicative constitution of health information technology (HIT) resilience
Division-I Student-Athletes’ Affective and Cognitive Responses to Receiving Confirmation From Their Head Coach
Setting the Agenda
Making sense of sensemaking narratives
Difference in Personality Traits and Symptom Intensity According to the Trigger-Based Classification of Throwing Yips in Baseball Players
How Many Interviews Are Enough
| Citations per year | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2025 - 2026 (2) |
| Highly cited | No |