Podcast Summary: Unexplainable – "When Talent Vanishes Overnight"

Vox | Release Date: October 20, 2025

Overview

This episode of Unexplainable dives deep into the mysterious phenomenon known as "the yips"—the sudden, unexplainable loss of ability in a highly trained skill that can upend the careers of top performers in sports, music, and beyond. Host Noam Hassenfeld explores the science, lived experiences, and lingering mysteries behind why some talented people wake up one day unable to do the thing they do best, focusing on the harrowing journey of MLB pitcher Rick Ankiel. The episode explores both psychological and neurological explanations, addressing what happens when automaticity breaks down and what, if anything, can be done to recover.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Yips: When Skill Suddenly Disappears

• Introduction to the Phenomenon
  • The yips are described as a sudden, often permanent loss of "superpowers"—skills that define people’s careers and identities.
  • Notable examples include Simone Biles (gymnastics), Eric Bristow (darts), Leon Fleischer (piano), and Diane Rehm (broadcasting) [02:26–02:53].
  • Rick Ankiel’s journey becomes the central case study for the episode.

"It's one of the loneliest places you ever want to be."
— Rick Ankiel [03:37]

2. Rick Ankiel's Story: From Phenom to the Yips

• Meteoric Rise

  • Ankiel was the top pitching prospect, threw multiple no-hitters in high school, and reached the majors at age 20 [04:02–04:15].
  • Given the ball for a high-stakes playoff game as a rookie [04:26–04:49].

• Collapse on the Mound

  • Started well, then suddenly lost control—wild pitches, uncontrollable muscle tensing, and a total breakdown of automatic pitching skill [05:08–06:27].

"It was like everything I had ever done in the past from a pitching standpoint was gone. And I had no idea how to throw baseball."
— Rick Ankiel [06:27]

• Aftermath and Stigma
  • Ankiel repeatedly tried to fix the problem through hard work and overanalysis, but nothing worked.
  • Teammates avoided discussing the yips entirely, treating it as a curse.
  • The experience brought isolation, nightmares, and mental distress [11:00–12:18].

3. The Science of 'Choking' vs. the Yips

• Psychological Difference
  • Choking under pressure involves failed performance but with retained control, whereas the yips feature a fundamental, often involuntary loss of control [07:04–07:28].

"When we've spoken to athletes who have experienced yips, they talk about that just loss of control. That is almost just a different level."
— Sally Akerst, sports psychologist [07:04]

• Automaticity and Breakdown
  • High-level performance is based on "automaticity." When trust in oneself collapses, the skill degrades by becoming overly conscious and jerky.
  • The more one tries to force automaticity to return, the less attainable it becomes [07:58–08:27].

4. Attempts at Recovery and Accepting the Mystery

• Ankiel's Efforts
  • He sought every possible remedy, from altering mechanics to distraction techniques—even playing catch with kids—but nothing stuck [10:04–11:00].
  • Therapy and sports psychology provided partial relief by changing his mindset, but the problem persisted.
  • Ultimately, Ankiel could not pitch again and decided to walk away, feeling both failure and relief [13:08–13:45].

"It took almost everything I had to retire, to quit, to whatever you want to call it, because I still felt like a failure... but I just felt like this giant weight was taken off my shoulders."
— Rick Ankiel [13:23–13:45]

5. Reinvention: From Pitcher to Outfielder

• A New Chapter
  • Ankiel’s agent unexpectedly proposed a switch to outfielder, an exceedingly rare dual-role transition [14:00–19:38].
  • Returning to baseball with a new role, Ankiel made a dramatic comeback, capped by a three-run homer in his first game back in St. Louis [20:12–21:24].
  • The crowd’s reaction and Ankiel’s emotions — triumph and redemption.

"I could feel the ground shaking from the people in St. Louis... fans going crazy, the explosion of emotions. I don't even—I felt like I floated around the bases on a magic carpet."
— Rick Ankiel [21:36]

6. The Roots of the Yips: Not Just Psychological

• Neurological Investigation
  • Neurologist Steve Frucht introduces focal dystonia, a movement disorder causing involuntary muscle contractions during specialized tasks [23:39–24:34].
  • Studies show abnormal muscle activation in yipped athletes, suggesting a physiological—not purely mental—cause for some cases.
  • Focal dystonia and task specificity: e.g., a musician developing problems with only one instrument.

"Dystonia is a very unusual disorder in which involuntary movements are triggered by a very specific task. That's not just a performance anxiety. That's an actual movement disorder."
— Steve Frucht [24:34]

"Now how could that be psychological? No, come on. This is a physiologic disorder."
— Steve Frucht [26:12]

• Treatment and Limits
  • Physical therapies may blunt symptoms but don’t cure the underlying brain disorder [26:52–27:10].
  • The science remains humble: “It’s just humbling how little we know about this, really... I think 50 years from now, people will look back derisively” [27:10].

7. The Yips as a Window Into Human Talent

• Motor Learning and Talent
  • Studying dystonia offers insights into how the brain manages learned skills and talent itself [28:01–28:37].
  • The yips challenge our understanding of what talent is, why it emerges—and vanishes.

"There isn't another disorder that I know of that gives you a window into talent and cognition and motor learning, the way task-specific dystonia can do so well."
— Steve Frucht [28:37]

• Philosophical Takeaway
  • Sometimes, the mystery can't be solved; acceptance becomes part of recovery.
  • The real marvel might not be that the yips happen, but that people can ever perform such feats in the first place [29:32].

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Loneliness of the Yips:
  "It's one of the loneliest places you ever want to be." (Rick Ankiel, [03:37])
• On Loss of Control:
  "It was like I blacked out... Oh God, where'd the ball go?" (Rick Ankiel, [06:12–06:13])
• On Sporting Stigma:
  "People feel like it can be contagious. You know, nobody wants to talk about it." (Rick Ankiel, [11:28])
• On Recovery & Acceptance:
  “Sometimes we don’t always get to know why. There’s not always a why. I think that’s a powerful lesson too.” (Rick Ankiel, [22:26])
• On Neurological Humility:
  “Neurology has lots of therapeutics, but it doesn’t have a lot of cures. It’s just humbling how little we know about this, really.” (Steve Frucht, [27:10])

Important Timestamps

• [03:08–06:37] – Rick Ankiel’s playoff breakdown and onset of the yips
• [07:04–08:27] – Psychological explanation: Choking vs. the yips and the breakdown of automaticity
• [10:04–11:00] – Ankiel's varied and desperate attempts to recover
• [13:08–13:45] – Decision to retire and emotional acceptance
• [19:38–21:24] – Return as an outfielder, game highlight, and emotional redemption
• [23:39–24:34] – Dr. Steve Frucht’s explanation of focal dystonia
• [26:52–28:37] – Limits of treatment and the yips as a window into learning and talent

Episode Takeaway

This episode reveals that when talent vanishes overnight, it can be devastating—and often unexplainable. Both psychological pressures and physiological malfunctions (like focal dystonia) may be at play, but science still can’t answer all the questions. Rick Ankiel’s journey from prodigious pitcher to outfielder and back to faith in himself speaks to the resilience—and mystery—of human skill and identity. The yips remind us that mastery is miraculous, and to lose it is not always something we can explain, only adapt to.