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*machine translation, inaccuracies exist*   2013.09.11   Source: https://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXZZO59195440S3A900C1000000/ Archived: https://web.archive.org/web/20130913025215/https://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXZZO59195440S3A900C1000000/     Aiming for His Best Performance at the Olympics – Hanyu’s Fulfilling Days with Three Coaches   Four seasons ago, for a third-year junior high school student from Sendai who had swept all the junior titles in figure skating, the Olympics were nothing more than a "dream world." Now, after three seasons as a senior skater, Yuzuru Hanyu (18, ANA) has become a World Championship bronze medalist (March 2012) and the All-Japan Champion (December of the same year). And now, in Toronto, Canada, he is training hard for the Olympics—something he says, "I never thought would come into view so soon."   ■Online Classes in the Morning, Three-Part Training in the Afternoon   About 30 minutes from downtown Toronto by subway and bus, Yuzuru Hanyu arrives at the Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club, which has been his training base since last season. It's a fully private club surrounded by greenery, featuring tennis courts, a gym, and even a café overlooking a grassy lawn.   This spring, Hanyu enrolled at Waseda University. He wakes up a little after 8 a.m. and takes university lectures through an online “e-school.” In the afternoon, his training is structured in three parts: two 90-minute on-ice sessions and one off-ice training session. After returning home, he goes to bed by midnight.   Visualization training before sleep is also part of his routine. He recalls the Sochi Olympic venue he experienced during last season’s Grand Prix Final and envisions himself performing there. "I’ve even started finding eating out a hassle," Hanyu says. But his days, spent just going back and forth between home and the rink, feel fulfilling so he doesn’t mind at all.     ■Program Decisions Prioritize the Skater's Intentions   Until August, the focus was on fundamental training. Skating full programs to music without emphasizing detailed skating or jumps. Jumps were practiced separately, with a particular focus on the quadruple jump.   Coach Brian Orser says, “I point out anything I notice technically, but this time of year, the main job is to build motivation. The Olympics are such a huge undertaking, so I want him to enjoy every part of the process. If you love what you're doing, it’s fun, and if it’s fun, you become absorbed in it.”   That’s why, whenever a decision needs to be made, it’s always discussed together with the skater. Program selection, in particular, gives top priority to the skater’s wishes. If it’s music they like, daily training becomes more enjoyable. As a result, the short program (SP) remained the same as last season’s. “Yuzuru wanted music with the same feel as last season. We searched, but he kept coming back to ‘Parisian Walkways.’ It scored well too, so we decided to keep using it. I’ve skated the same program two years in a row myself, and Patrick Chan (Canada) still does that often,” says Coach Orser.   The free program, Romeo and Juliet by Nino Rota, is a classic choice in figure skating, and other options had been considered. Still, since Hanyu had skated to a different composer’s Romeo and Juliet during the season of the Great East Japan Earthquake, and holds a deep emotional connection to the story, his opinion was respected.   ■All Three Coaches Agree: “Stamina Is the Issue”   It has been a year since Yuzuru Hanyu began training under a three-coach system with Brian Orser, Tracy Wilson, and choreographer David Wilson. All three unanimously point to “stamina” as his main challenge. At 18, Hanyu has only just developed an adult physique, so it’s somewhat understandable. Still, even he acknowledges that he often fades toward the end of his performances, or makes mistakes due to mental fatigue.   Hanyu is widely recognized as the “hardest worker on the ice.” However, this isn’t entirely a compliment. There are concerns he could burn out mid-season or push himself too hard and get injured. In fact, he injured his left knee in March of this year.   “Figure skaters are like racehorses. Push them too hard and they get injured. They need a strong physical foundation,” says Coach Tracy. She sometimes has Hanyu skate while holding dumbbells or balancing on a stability ball, training designed to help him engage his weight properly over the blades and skate more efficiently.   Coach Tracy, who won a bronze medal in ice dance at the 1988 Calgary Olympics, is known for her open and warm demeanor. However, Hanyu says, “She makes me do the toughest things with a smile. I know she’s trying to help me build stamina, but still…” On the day of the interview, she wrapped up the session by saying, “Cool down,” and had him skate in a crouched position with his left foot crossed over his right. Hanyu later lamented, “It was as hard as strength training.”   ■Quadruple Toe Loop, Now Landed Almost Without Mistakes   Hanyu's skating has improved, and the accuracy of his jumps—something he always enjoyed—has also reached a higher level. “Thanks to Brian’s advice, I hardly ever miss the quadruple toe loop anymore. But the salchow is completely different in takeoff technique from the toe loop, so it’s difficult.” When he's not in top form, he says he sometimes can’t land the salchow at all. Still, he plans to include both types of quads in his programs this season.   “After all, they’re major scoring elements. Even if you do two quads, if they’re different types, the judges now recognize the added risk and technical difficulty, and that’s reflected in the scores,” explains Coach Orser.   In any case, the coordination among the three coaches is exceptional. There’s no rigid assignment like “this part is Coach Tracy’s,” or “this part is Coach David’s.” Besides Hanyu, they also coach others, including Javier Fernández of Spain, who won bronze at last season’s World Championships. Even so, they rotate in and out seamlessly, appearing in front of each skater in turn, providing one-on-one instruction with impressive efficiency.   ■Receiving Advice from Coaches Who Step In One After Another   After giving Hanyu some jump advice at the center of the rink, Coach Orser steps off to the side. When Hanyu repeats his jumps a few more times, he hears a loud “Bravo!” The three coaches clap together, hyping him up like it’s a college sports club. After a little while, Coach Tracy steps in next.   “The few steps before a jump—the transitions into the elements—are my area,” she explains. “Not long ago, even if you did something difficult in the transitions, it didn’t affect your score much. But now, those efforts are rewarded. That’s why things are tougher for skaters compared to four years ago. There’s no time to rest, and if you make a mistake, it’s hard to recover,” says Coach Tracy.   How beautifully can he perform these difficult transitions? When the music starts playing, Coach Tracy steps back and Coach David steps forward. “Juliet is on the balcony. If your gaze isn’t angled upward, it won’t reach her.”   With advice coming from each coach in turn, Hanyu says there are times when it can be confusing. “But they’re all experts in their own fields. When I understand what each of them is saying and manage to bring it all together, the sense of completion and accomplishment is incredible,” he says with optimism.   ■ Long-Standing Relationship Among the Three Coaches Creates Unspoken Harmony   According to Coach Orser, although it may look like the three coaches approach the skaters at random, “The timing is carefully coordinated. That’s really important. We have this strange chemistry,” he says. They instinctively know, without needing to say anything, whose turn it is to step in. Coaches Orser and Tracy, who led Canadian figure skating in the 1980s, have known each other since their early teens—nearly 40 years. Coach David, who is the same age as them, has also choreographed for both. Their lessons have a certain brightness to them, as if they still carry the energy of their youth in a positive way.   The trio began seriously coaching together about seven years ago, and they led Kim Yuna of South Korea to a gold medal at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. At that time, the weight of public expectation in South Korea and the intense media attention surrounding Kim was so overwhelming that the pressure on Japan’s Mao Asada (Chukyo University) seemed moderate by comparison.   ■ Protecting Olympic Champion Kim Yuna from Media Onslaught Coach Brian Orser, who won a silver medal at the 1984 Sarajevo Olympics, served as flag bearer for Canada at the following Calgary Games. Competing in a home Olympics with an enthusiastic nation behind him, he narrowly missed the gold. Reflecting back, he says, “I spent too much energy managing the pressure. I think I did well under that kind of stress, but maybe I should’ve focused more on raising my level and stayed more aggressive.”   Orser, who became something of a “PR manager” to shield Kim Yuna from the intense media pressure, says, “It’s also our job to make sure Yuzuru can stay grounded and be himself.” On the other hand, he doesn’t interfere much once the skater is on the ice. As soon as the music starts, only the athlete can take responsibility for what happens out there.   “Brian? He doesn’t say much,” Hanyu says. “He just adjusts to my pace. I can focus easily, but sometimes I lose control of my emotions. When that happens, he helps me out by trying to make me laugh or something.”   ■ A Performance Like Magic At the Olympics   The Sochi Olympics, set for February next year, will be fiercely competitive in men’s figure skating. Coach Orser and his team, who never try to predict results, just want their athletes to enjoy the Olympics to the fullest. “It’s truly an incredible event. We’ll use that excitement to create a magic moment.”   Even top skaters can’t deliver perfect performances every time. And the kind of “magic moment” that transforms the atmosphere of the entire arena, captivating both the judges and the audience like a spell, might happen only once a year—if that. “We want to give him the tools to make that moment happen at the Olympics, and show him the path to get there. Each week, we set small goals, clear them, and keep moving forward... First, it’s the All-Japan Championships. That’s tough as Japan is a deep field,” says Coach Orser.   Hanyu checks out his rivals' performances online and is motivated by them, saying, "I can't afford to let my guard down." Coach Orser said this with a laugh: "Don't look at things like social media. If you start worrying about things other than yourself, it'll only drive you crazy."

*Machine translation. Inaccuracies exist*   Source: Figure Skating Life Extra "Life on Ice Yuzuru Hanyu"     Message from Skaters: Tanaka Keiji   Skaters with a deep connection to Yuzuru Hanyu and junior skaters who look up to him shared their memories of Hanyu and messages for his new beginning.    

Source: Elle Japan August issue Credits to LGeogin: https://x.com/LGeorgin/status/1675171490206191616      Exclusive interview with Akutagawa Prize-winning author Machiya Ryohei