Yuzuru Hanyu: 2014-15 Season

~Pamina~ said:

I guess it's just about raising the bar. And right now he pretty much is the bar, isn't he? *shrugs* add that to the list of things that are wrong with his body. Too bar-ish :sarcasm:

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Meoima said:

In a unrelated thread to Yuzuru and you shouldn't go there. I don't think we should all go there and talk back since the one who said that is obviously an anti. I hope for the conversation to die out.
I am worried about Yuzuru's new layout, but given his stubbornness I guess there is no other choice. I wish him the best so all the body-type bashing should just stop. They even say Yuzuru's fans use his asthma as the excuse for him not doing well. Excuse me, Yuzuru not doing well yet he completed 2 quads 8 triples without any fall, a program that no one ever capable of doing. :sarcasm:

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~Pamina~ said:

I guess it's just about raising the bar. And right now he pretty much is the bar, isn't he? *shrugs*

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annca said:

the thing is.. pchan did the same thing after 2010 olys.. he raised the bar pretty high with his layout that only him could actually reach. then came someone who was able to do the same and beat(?) him at his own game... im afraid that it could actually happen to yuzu too..
he could have saved this layout for the next olys and just use the old layout since its pretty much still ahead of everybody's

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Meoima said:

The thing with P.Chan is, he set the bar but he stays comfortable with it. He hasn't increased his BV for a while. With Yuzuru it's different, he knows so well about the bar. He doesn't stay in the comfort zone. His BV just keeps going up. I am thrilled but also scared for him.

But nevertheless, by raising up the bar for himself, no one will ever dare say that he plays it safe like Yuna or PChan (don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with Yuna and PChan, just repeating some lines people said about them). That mind set of Yuzuru, I know for sure will never change, regardless of the result.

Still feel very very worried over his health. I wish he would just stay safe, though. maybe he thinks it's okay to raise the bar as long as his body let him do it. But...crying!!! God damn it why does he have to be so stubborn?

PS: oh well, in the end the anti will just say, "His lack of body mass is bla bla bla, and he need to gain some weight....blabla, and he need to water down his program...blabla bla."

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Meoima said:

But nevertheless, by raising up the bar for himself, no one will ever dare say that he plays it safe like Yuna or PChan (don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with Yuna and PChan, just repeating some lines people said about them). That mind set of Yuzuru, I know for sure will never change, regardless of the result.

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shingalas said:

There seems to be a mindset, particularly among the Japanese skaters, that you shouldn't win by just playing it safe, but should aspire to be the best that you can be even at the prospect of failure. Just like Asada who struggled through reworking her jump technique for years and refused to give up on her 3A, just like Takahashi who didn't even need the 4T which he fell on at the Vancouver Olympics (0 points!!!), in the end, it's not about winning because of other people, it's about winning against yourself.

People will say what they want about how Hanyu looks dead after an LP, but to me that doesn't show his weakness, it shows his strength. Strength of character, strength of his training, and strength of his self-belief.

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Meoima said:

We follow a skater's path not because of their layout, it's mostly because we see something special in them, and we want to see that special thing again. I don't care much about Yuzuru winning gold anymore, since he owns all. I mean, we couldn't ask for more, GPF, OGM and WGM. I will be glad if he wins more and more, but in the end I care more about his health and mostly, I hope he will have more clean programs.

But nevertheless, by raising up the bar for himself, no one will ever dare say that he plays it safe like Yuna or PChan (don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with Yuna and PChan, just repeating some lines people said about them). That mind set of Yuzuru, I know for sure will never change, regardless of the result.

Still feel very very worried over his health. I wish he would just stay safe, though. maybe he thinks it's okay to raise the bar as long as his body let him do it. But...crying!!! God damn it why does he have to be so stubborn?

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shingalas said:

There seems to be a mindset, particularly among the Japanese skaters, that you shouldn't win by just playing it safe, but should aspire to be the best that you can be even at the prospect of failure. Just like Asada who struggled through reworking her jump technique for years and refused to give up on her 3A, just like Takahashi who didn't even need the 4T which he fell on at the Vancouver Olympics (0 points!!!), in the end, it's not about winning because of other people, it's about winning against yourself.

People will say what they want about how Hanyu looks dead after an LP, but to me that doesn't show his weakness, it shows his strength. Strength of character, strength of his training, and strength of his self-belief.

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YUZURU HANYU: “THE WIN AT THE OLYMPICS ARE SOMETHING OF THE PAST.” ; TOWARDS THE NEW SEASON

He has already become a world renowned skater. Having claimed the Olympic title back in February, he will be welcoming the new season with the title of “King”. Before it begins, Yuzuru talks about what his mindset towards his career is.

“I want to be able to never stop going forward —to be able to keep on changing to improve my current abilities. The win at the Olympics are something of the past. That was a result that I had gotten in the previous system.”

In order to fulfill his goal to constantly keep improving, he spends days on end in Toronto training with his coach, Brian Orser, to perfect the programs he plans on using this season. “When I skate, I’ll skate as if I won’t be able to skate the next day ever again. The four years prior to Sochi, and the four years after Sochi, I believe it’ll be completely different. I want to face this season as a new me.”

An Increase to Three Quads

As a method of challenging himself, he has increased the number of quads that make up his free skate. Compared to last season, he has added one more quad, equaling a total of three quads in his entire program. His plan is to complete a combination jump involving a quadruple toe-loop in the second half of the program, where skaters are rewarded more points due to fatigue. “I was the one who suggested putting the quad there. I like challenging hard jumps and combinations, as the satisfaction of being able to land it cleanly makes up for all of the previous struggles. My favorite feeling in the world is to be able to succeed after putting in all your concentration and hard work into something.”

He will be skating to “The Phantom of the Opera” for his free skate. After having heard it in music class back in junior high, he’s always longed to be able to skate along to this song. “My interpretation of the music isn’t the type that emulates strength or power, but I hope that I will be able to express my own style of the Phantom to everyone.”

A Lifestyle Free From Others’ Criticism

Yuzuru currently lives in Canada with his mother, which is completely different from Japan, where virtually everyone recognizes him. In Canada, he’s able to free himself from the constant watch of society, thus offering him a little peace of mind and a chance to relax.

When asked whether or not he’s recognized on the streets, he shyly smiled and replied: “Very rarely.” He then adds that “Occasionally when I go to the supermarket, people of Chinese decent, or Asians in general, will recognize me. Canadians? Not yet… Ah, but when I was on the bus one time, there was an old man who asked me if I was a figure skater! He told me to work hard in training, and that Toronto was a great place to train.”

Although the Niagara Falls are extremely close to Toronto, he has yet to head over to do some sightseeing. “I’m always either at home or at the rink. I’ve never been downtown either… I want to one day be able to see the MLB’s Masahiro Tanaka in action, though!”

This type of lifestyle allows him to live on in ease and away from all of the pressure. “I think I’m like the athletes in sports mangas… I don’t really like shopping, and I’m not too interested in fashion. I came to Canada in order to skate, and would rather focus on what I have right now than waste time and energy worrying about something else.”

Eager to Once Again Perform in Front of an Audience

Not only did he capture Olympic gold last season, but he also claimed the top spot on the podium at both the Grand Prix Final and the World Championships, thus being crowned as “King”. This season, he will be shouldering he excitement and expectation that “he’s definitely going to win” from the fans and audience. Interestingly enough, he has yet to feel the full weight of the burden. “Perhaps it’s because I haven’t competed yet that I feel indifferent towards everybody’s expectations. During the ice shows after the Olympics, however, I did indeed feel the pressure coming from the spectators… The “This is the Olympic and World Champion. He must skate very cleanly and perfectly.” kind of mindset. I don’t really think that this is a bad thing, though. If I feel that there is pressure being put on me to do well, I’ll train to the point where I will become perfect. Right now, I’ve been too busy training to really stop and think about everyone’s expectations of me…”

“When training, if nobody is watching me, I don’t feel as motivated. I think all figure skaters are like this… In the end, I think I’m just eager to perform in front of everyone and to receive all the cheering and encouragement once more, so I like being watched I suppose.”

Similar to his hero Evgeni Plushenko of Russia, who has been nicknamed as “King of the Ice”, he has become the target of all figure skaters this season. His ideal figure skater? “I don’t really have any ideal, and I don’t plan on setting one either. It’s because I have yet to retire, and I want to keep getting better and better. There are things I can do and things that I can’t do in practice everyday. I want to be able to focus all of my concentration into being foot perfect, and that’s all that’s been going on my mind lately. If I were to retire now, perhaps then I would be able to boast that I was the Olympic champion during my competitive career.”

“In these four years, I plan to become a completely different figure skater as the current Yuzuru Hanyu that everyone knows. I don’t want to keep going at my current level. In the end, it’s not about the score, but that I want to be able to continue improving and creating through my own hard work.”

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Meoima said:

Back to Yuzuru, now they are bashing his body type which I find quite absurd. I mean it's not much different from bashing lady skaters for their weight.
I am so for Yuzuru because of his stubborn on the layout. I mean, seriously I think he could just win with his previous layout of last season, why make it higher I don't get it. So worried for his body.

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skatefan22 said:

Just saw a video about Yuzu's 6-mins warm up at sochi fs. I don't speak Japanese, but it seems that the uploader was saying that some fans cheered for Dai whenever Yuzu was attempting jumps. It would be better if the video can show what Dai was doing. If Dai was also attempting jumps every time Yuzu jumps, then it is fine that the fans were cheering I think.

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ioanap said:

You can briefly see Dai skating at around 0:09 and 0:40. This was the 6 min warm up for the last group in the long program (top 6 finishers in the short). Dai was 4th after the short program so he's there with the rest of them.

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angelfacehanyu said:

i'm so looking foward to what EXHIBITION NUMBER he will be skating to this season.
Hana wa saku or The Final Time Traveller?
OR even something new like ... something from the Phantom of the opera?

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angelfacehanyu said:

i'm so looking foward to what EXHIBITION NUMBER he will be skating to this season.

Hana wa saku or The Final Time Traveller?
OR even something new like ... something from the Phantom of the opera?

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skatefan22 said:

Just saw a video about Yuzu's 6-mins warm up at sochi fs. I don't speak Japanese, but it seems that the uploader was saying that some fans cheered for Dai whenever Yuzu was attempting jumps. It would be better if the video can show what Dai was doing. If Dai was also attempting jumps every time Yuzu jumps, then it is fine that the fans were cheering I think.

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shingalas said:

Ooooh, those comments are really better left untranslated.

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