rockstaryuzu

So I'm currently in an Irish country town where the GAA reign supreme and I think the nearest ice rink is 100 km away. Suddenly I find myself wondering what it would be like if Yuzu and a handful of Olympic medallists were to be plunked down here.

Sorry for the double post!

I understand this, and it seemed to me he was saying that he's somehow created a kind of public image for himself that he feels represents the ideal 'Yuzuru Hanyu' , which he wanted to live up to. So at least some of the pressure he's feeling comes from within.

Somewhere between and

Well, my own feelings on the matter are that if he's going to try and fumble through English for our sake, then it's only appropriate that I try and pick up some Japanese too, however poorly I do at it. Just for politeness if nothing else.

Same, Yuzu, same. Every time I watch one of his interviews in Japanese, I wish I could understand him directly without having to rely on translations. Also, regarding his comments re: fans: Wow. He really treasures all the people who support him so, so much, including us... it's kind of humbling to think that all our silly fan antics mean such a lot to such a great man.

For me that's like, 'Yay! The two sports I watch rolled into one!'

THIS! This is what Shoma needs.

Or maybe I didn't know all that about Raf just yet. I agree, that's more jerky than I thought.

Apology accepted...please be assured that I was indeed making an observation. My own personal reaction to Shoma's coach search is basically "what on earth is he thinking?" And not to undermine my earlier comments, but, you never can tell what will work for an athlete. If Eteri and Shoma can strike the right kind of rapport, maybe it'll be great for him. But who knows. I do know that no coach should encourage a skater to skate through pain and injury without getting it checked out or treated, however. That's what worries me the most about Shoma right now, that he'll end up with a coach who does that.

This was not the question you asked me originally. And you're twisting my words to fit your bias. To put it bluntly, it's pretty observable that Eteri is what we in the West would term 'an @$$hole' to her skaters. Whereas Raf, whom I know has a reputation for being a jerk, strikes me more as someone who is gruff and willing to push his skaters hard, but is not intentionally being a jerk. There is a difference. I'm not 'concern-trolling' in regards to Shoma. I am genuinely concerned. He is a great skater, and he could ruin all that by making the wrong coaching choice. So yes, there is reason to be concerned for him. You seem to be making the mistake of thinking that I equate a coach's personality with their coaching ability. That is false. It's been my good fortune to observe, however, that coaches who are overly strict, cold and toxic are usually covering up for a lack of coaching ability with a strict attitude in order to prevent their skaters from questioning them. Then, when a skater fails, it's never the coach's fault but the skater's. Even if the coach never taught the skater correctly. The reason why a coach can be warm with their athletes is because they have mutual respect, understanding, and trust. And those three things are the best foundation for growth and learning in sport. That's where warmth comes from and why it matters. Coldness, on the other hand, comes from fear. Is it good for an elite athlete to fear rather than trust their coach? I strongly believe it is not. So yeah, what I see is Shoma going from an environment of respect and trust, to an environment that potentially will never have those things for him. That is concerning for any fan. Of course we don't know what goes on behind the scenes. That doesn't mean that what has been seen in public isn't reflective of what goes on in private. On the other hand, for most people, the way they do one thing is the way they do everything, which means that their behaviour is indicative of larger trends in their personality. I don't know why you think it's 'reactionary' to say that if Shoma doesn't have discipline now, he'll never have it. I think it's entirely reasonable to take it as a given that an Olympic silver medalist has self-discipline and a work ethic already. But whatever you want to believe, feel free. Bottom line: I don't think Eteri is the coach she's cracked up to be and there's a strong possibility that Shoma is making a huge mistake, but time will tell.

Well I'm not the only one who mentions it, so if anyone else wants to weigh in, feel free! On to the matter at hand: 1. Is Shoma looking for a strict disciplinarian? Has he said this? As far as I know, he's looking for growth and improvement. The most common perception of Eteri and her methods at this point is that she's basically running a military-style clone factory in which all her students are expected to drill jumps daily, hundreds of more times than necessary, with questionable technique, risking injury, and when they do get injured she has no use for them anymore and replaces them with the next clone. How is that going to help Shoma, who has already had an injury that limited his performance this year? 2. A coach can be strict and still be good for their skaters, or they can be strict and toxic. The difference is in attitude. Are they 'my way or the highway' types, or do they just want their skaters to be serious about the job at hand? The strict and toxic types have a tendency to cause harm because their egos get in the way of everything else. 3. Switching from a softer coach/ environment to a tougher one can be a shock to the system that disrupts performance. And vice versa. Last thing Shoma needs is a disruption to his performance right now. 4. Reward is a big part of performance psychology...a cold coach that doesn't at least notice and react when one of their skaters skates well and has a good result is going to eventually crush that skater's spirit. 5. If Shoma is looking to a coach, any coach, to instill discipline or a work ethic in him from the outside, he's barking up the wrong tree. At this point in his career, with all the success he's already achieved, he should have internalized discipline to such a point that he'd train hard either with or without a coach. If he doesn't have that by now, he'll never have it no matter who coaches him. 6. Ergo, Shoma is looking for someone who can advance his skills. As is abundantly clear when you look at her skaters, Eteri is not that person. I'd say Shoma's skill are pretty much already on the same level as most of all or her girls, and definitely miles ahead of Kvitalashvili. So I don't know what he's looking for at Sambo, but I don't think he'll find it.

He gets picked on for technique already, although having seen him skate live I don't think that it's warranted. My point about the coaches is that you couldn't possibly imagine a bigger contrast between the two if you tried. And my comment is based on whatever observations of their behaviour I'm able to make by watching them in K&C during competitions, which is all anyone has to go on anyway. I don't think I'm at all unjustified in making it. I don't understand why you're trying to drag some kind of cultural bias into it and claim it's something only Westerners are seeing. If you go by Japanese standards, Shoma's coach is unusually kind and demonstrative with him already. And if you compare Eteri to, say, Mishin or Tarasova, the coldness is very evident.

By the way everyone is reacting to this news, I think it's far more likely that Shoma will be getting a lot of 'oh my God, are you ok? Are they treating you well? Let us rescue you from Eteri" comments, than personal attacks. I mean seriously, Shoma? You go from someone sweet like Coach Fluffy to Ms. Colder-than-Ice? WTH?

I just hope she's flexible enough to adjust for him when necessary. The language barrier alone is going to be troublesome.

Cripes.

That is going to be so freakin' amazing when it's ready!

Nobu skates like a man who never retired from competition, honestly.

So Cute!!!

I'm super excited to see what Shae comes up with for Shoma ...and if he can master it! The ex she did for him seemed super challenging.

I'm thinking it's got to be Pilates along with some good old-fashioned pumping iron...

It has English captions already, just turn them on. Click the three vertical dots, it should give you a menu that lets you turn on English or Russian captions. The commentators are saying Yuzu's combination of grace and flexibility with explosive power for jumping is unique.

He's an Olympic athlete - which means that WADA - the World Anti-Doping Association - tests him regularly. Almost all supplements would be too risky, and I would bet he doesn't touch them. Just hard work and Mama Hanyu's cooking, gave him those muscles, I think.

In all fairness, I made that comment based on my own experience with male athletes, some observations I've read about how figure skating technique can differ between men and women, and some assumptions relating to cultural attitudes I've witnessed Japanese men have towards competition with women. So I could be completely off base there. But I definitely don't think Shoma's going to benefit from learning that awful arm-rotating , no-height, skipping-stone style jump technique so characteristic of the Eteri girls.

It doesn't have to be a direct rival, just has to be someone who can ignite that 'wow, that guy's working hard. I'd better try harder, I don't want to be left behind' reaction. If Shoma's the senior guy ( as in, gets the top results) at his current rink, then where's his daily motivation to go the extra mile? It doesn't have to be someone who does a bunch of quads necessarily. It could be someone who always puts in that extra hour after everyone else goes home or the guy who can legpress 10 pounds more than him. Just someone who's always nipping at his heels to get better. I also didn't like the 'Yuzu needs a Javi replacement' talk, and that's not really what I'm getting at with Shoma. He's obviously motivated in the larger sense. But no one grows by always remaining in the same environment.