I can’t recall where I came across it, but I’ve definitely read something which used that phrase. Might have been an English author.
Everything I’ve seen with an extensive (at least 1 minute) internet search is the term was coined by Tommy Armour. He was a golf champion and later coach in the 1920s. I don’t doubt you when you say it’s used in music but I’ve only ever heard it with regards to sports.
Apparently it’s pretty common in the theater for an actor who happens to be off stage during a certain part during a play to try to corpse those on stage with antics only they can see. Apparently Dame Judy Dench is infamous for this. There are several Graham Norton clips with actors telling stories about it.
Tim Conway didn’t play fair because he never told anyone what he was going to do and in rehearsals he played everything flat without any of the schtick.
And the result was some of the most hilarious TV EVAH.
I recall the little Hitler doll he brought out.
I was going to suggest Madonna’s acting career went off a cliff after Evita, but after reviewing her earlier movies it seems that her performances never consistently “had it” so that one could say she lost it.
Madonna’s main problem as an actress is she doesn’t seem to want to totally get into character. It’s like she doesn’t want the audience to forget it’s really her.
I love Evita, and Madonna, so I can’t give an unbiased review. I do however remember Desperately Seeking Susan to be pretty good.
I wish she had played herself in the Weird Al biopic.
That is basically true, but in the case of Evita she was a lot like the character Eva Peron. She knew what it meant to use her sexuality in a man’s world in order to achieve power and fame, and to have a sincere heart for the fans, and to be Catholic. In so many ways she embodied that character which is why I think she played it well. And why she was desperate to be in the movie.
I don’t believe I’ve ever said anything bad about A League Of Their Own, and I see no reason to start now.
Oh yeah. I totally forgot she was in that. That was a good role for her.
A few years ago I might have volunteered Nic Cage (one of my favorite actors) because he was in so many terrible movies, but he’s had something of a comeback.
Interesting. Yeah, it’s definitely used in music and I’m pretty sure I read about a jazz musician from long ago having “the yips”. More recently, I think Simone Biles used the term for her temporary problems.
She talked about having “the twisties,” which is the gymnastics term for a similar sort of mental block while competing.
It started with golf but it’s more commonly used in baseball. The shortest and easiest throw for an out in baseball is from the second baseman to first. Both Steve Sax and Chuck Knoblach got the yips throwing to first. Even worse, catcher Mackey Sasser started having trouble throwing back to the pitcher after a pitch. He had no problem throwing to second on a steal.
Ah, right. I stand corrected.
Jon Lester with the Cubs was sort-of infamous a few years back (IIRC, during the Cubs 2016 World Series run) of at least twice throw the ball, glove and all, to the first baseman for the out, as he had a serious case of the yips throwing to first. (I personally think “golf” when I hear “yips” first, even though I don’t follow golf at all. Not sure why that is.)
(Looks like this example was from the 2015 season. Pretty sure he did it again in 2016):
You may or may not enjoy Todd in the Shadows’ CINEMADONNA series. On the one hand he does not like Madonna much, definitely not her acting. On the other he’s pretty amusing - he’s better known for his reviews of pop music, including One Hit Wonders and Trainwreck Records.
As a musician, I never heard the term “yips” applied to music, only sports. Then again, I’ve never heard of the yips referred to as a form of focal dystonia until you mentioned it, which I confirmed to be accurate online. There are many examples of focal dystonia in the music world. Renowned bassist Victor Wooten immediately comes to mind. His condition was particularly debilitating, although he has made a lot of progress in recent years.
It appears to be a combination of mental and neurological issues. I would be surprised if there is a version in the acting world.
A yip by any other name. . . 
That’s where it showed up on Curb Your Enthusiasm:
I wonder if certain actors who get famous for their style (Christopher Walken, Nicolas Cage, Joe Pesci, etc.) and then are relentlessly impersonated by numerous others for comedy’s sake have problems in future roles as they may feel they are now doing bad parodies of themselves.
When people point out specific tics or mannerisms you have I wonder of you become self conscious of them.