What are Yuna Kim's strongest points as a skater? | Page 3 | Golden Skate

What are Yuna Kim's strongest points as a skater?

clairecloutier

Final Flight
Joined
Aug 27, 2003
I think what makes Yuna special is the totality of her skating. With other ladies, I'm always aware of the "ups and downs" of the program. I feel it when they're slowing down/hesitating/conserving energy in certain sections, and I also feel when they're attacking and putting out more energy. I don't sense those "ups and downs" with Yuna. With her, I feel like every movement in the program is skated with the same energy, the same attack, the same lack of hesitation. She enters a spin or transition with the same speed and immediacy as a triple Lutz/triple toe. All elements are treated equally, attacked equally. There is thus a seamlessness and a totality to the experience.

In 2011, I saw Yuna skate her Fever exhibition at Evening with Champions. In this program, she did not perform a single jump, not even a double Axel. And yet, the program was dazzling. Everything was fluid, seamless, and performed with such energy and speed and interest. It went by in a flash. And this without any jumps at all. So, for those who say her brilliance is all about her jumps, I don't agree. Her jumps are amazing, and hugely important in her success, but there is more to it.

I think what really sets her apart is her fearlessness. She has all that tremendous speed, and the confidence to bring it into every single element. Carolina has speed too, but she is more cautious, and she doesn't harness it as consistently and completely as Yuna does.

I do love Carolina and Mao tremendously, as well as Yuna. I think they're all wonderfully talented. But there's a reason that Yuna is Olympic champion, and they are not (yet), and I don't think it's trollish to consider what is special about Yuna. And for those who think I'm an uber, this is not the case, I actually didn't really like Yuna that much even up through Vancouver. It's only since 2011 that I've come to appreciate her (a lot).
 

karne

in Emergency Backup Mode
Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 1, 2013
Country
Australia
I gotta say, I honestly don't get it. I find her bland and nothing special. But I tend to find most of the ladies that way.

And 2011 Worlds really rubbed me up the wrong way. She had the arrogance and conceit to just swan in to Worlds, not even having earned her place there, having even skipped her own Nationals, while everyone else had been working their butts off all season. Oh man, did that EVER rub me up the wrong way.
 

mateusp1

On the Ice
Joined
Mar 11, 2012
I'm still on my phone but whatever. :)



The similarities between two jumps are they both take off on an backwards inside edge. However before the toe pick hits the ice Carolina "pushes" the edge and it goes to a pretty deep inside, making a deep curve. By that she gains some rotational force just like a Salchow jump. In short, her flip not completely toe-assisted.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NqYLMnyl8VA (starts at 7:40)

Yuna Kim moves her body's center of mass to her free leg. The toe pick of her right foot hits almost right behind the skating leg, after an almost straight line trace after a 3-turn. That is a perfect flip jump.


OK, I am gonna give my 2 cents here...

It really depends on what you consider to be "good" or "bad" for a jump. Almost everything you said I consider to be qualities of Carolina's flip.

When you say:

"However before the toe pick hits the ice Carolina "pushes" the edge and it goes to a pretty deep inside, making a deep curve."

For me(I am not my expert, just my point of view), this is a quality. As you said..."PRETTY DEEP INSIDE". I think everyone knows that skating/jumping with deep edges is much more difficult and complicated. Also, since it is "PRETTY DEEP INSIDE", the edge of her flip very clear, if have no doubt that she is doing a "lip" or making changes of edge in the last second. It is possible to see in TV that her flip is a real flip with a correct, clear, deep(curved, if you prefer) inside edge.

"By that she gains some rotational force just like a Salchow jump. In short, her flip not completely toe-assisted."

I think that this is also a quality! Since she does not put so much power in her toe pick, the take off looks smoother, softer. Some people even make severe critics to some skaters who put "so much power" in their toe jumps, calling this "hammer toe", like Kanako Murakami, who puts so much power into her toes.

I don't see problems with this flip.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0MuZvJXtNY
 

mateusp1

On the Ice
Joined
Mar 11, 2012
As a skater of many years and a coach I can tell you that there is absolutely nothing wrong with Carolinas flip, her triple flip is perfect, TBH I don't see how one could have a salchow like flip the weight has to be over the right side on a flip take off or the toe will slip for it to be like a salchow the weight would have to be over the opposite side. hope that clears it up :)


Thank you so much for your attention.
 

mateusp1

On the Ice
Joined
Mar 11, 2012
Also, I have to say that this thread is becoming annoying.

Serious.

People trey to promote their favorite skater by pushing down others skaters.

Some arguments are totally pointless. I would like to know why a skater who wears "longer skirts" is considered "better" than another another wears shorter skirts. This is only related to the fashion style/taste of the skater, not about the quality of the skating.
 

lavender

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
What makes her special to the judges and commentators is her jumps....she lands her triple/triple more than most and it's a difficult combination. She skated a clean long at the Olympics, worlds and somewhere else so I don't know if that constitutes consistency.
 

yuki

Final Flight
Joined
Mar 2, 2012
But there's a reason that Yuna is Olympic champion, and they are not (yet), and I don't think it's trollish to consider what is special about Yuna.

It isn't. However, saying things like "Carolina is not at Yuna's level because she wears short skirts" or "Carolina and Mao should just go ahead and copy Yuna" doesn't strike me as intending to provoke a meaningful discussion, but more like intending to rile people up - now what was the word for that, again?
 

gkelly

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
I don't see problems with this flip.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0MuZvJXtNY

Neither do I.

Speaking for myself as a much lower-level skater doing single jumps, I have had problems with the timing and amount of vault off the pick, such that the back inside edge stays on the ice past the point of the toepick so that I take off from both feet at the same time and what will be the free foot is not (crossed) in front of the picking/landing foot in the air. That's a salchow-like flip that's more like a toe-assisted salchow than a true toe jump.

I've worked hard to correct this error on the flip, but it still gives me trouble on the lutz -- which, combined with a change of edge, also turns into a toe-assisted salchow. That's why I don't do lutzes in my program.

But just taking off from a curved inside edge on a flip is not this error.
Here's another example of a perfectly good triple flip with a curved entry.
 

cooper

Medalist
Joined
Mar 23, 2010
I gotta say, I honestly don't get it. I find her bland and nothing special. But I tend to find most of the ladies that way.

And 2011 Worlds really rubbed me up the wrong way. She had the arrogance and conceit to just swan in to Worlds, not even having earned her place there, having even skipped her own Nationals, while everyone else had been working their butts off all season. Oh man, did that EVER rub me up the wrong way.

before you start calling her arrogant and conceited just do some research first. :rolleye: she didn't even want to compete but the pyeongchang committee pressured her to do so. And to say not having earned her place there is ridiculous. she earned that spot whether she wanted to compete or not because she finished second in 2010 worlds and no other korean lady even cracked at the top 10. :rolleye:

yuna winning this year's worlds is a slap in your face and her haters.
 

Eclair

Medalist
Joined
Dec 10, 2012
before you start calling her arrogant and conceited just do some research first. :rolleye: she didn't even want to compete but the pyeongchang committee pressured her to do so. And to say not having earned her place there is ridiculous. she earned that spot whether she wanted to compete or not because she finished second in 2010 worlds and no other korean lady even cracked at the top 10. :rolleye:

yuna winning this year's worlds is a slap in your face and her haters.

Now now, nobody slaps anyone anywhere...

It's right that in 2011 Yuna skipped the Grand Prix season and directly participated at Worlds, but in an interview later on she revealed, that she actually desperatly wanted a break from skating and that it was pressure from outside, plus her own feelings for responsiblity towards her nation, that made her compete at worlds. One can now argue, that she still could have refused etc. but I don't think this indicates her being arrogant or conceited.
From what I can see, she's a nice person, just like Mao and Caro being lovely personalities.

@Karne: As much as you may dislike her, this thread's title is: 'What distinguishes Yuna from other skaters? Why do many find her superior?'. Maybe you should open a new thread called:
'Reasons why some people don't like some skaters' This could become awesome since it's not only restricted to one skater but now everyone can finally say what has been bothering them deeply since years! ;)

Now back to topic: In a recent interview with David Wilson he said: I think, what sets Yuna apart is her work ethic. The top ladies have approx. the same amount of talent, but when I saw her perform this programm, everything just looked ... so trained!
Also Brian Orser and her Korean coaches have complimented her work ethics.
I'm not saying that other skaters are being lazy, but I believe yuna's work ethics is one of the main reasons she's so consistent.

Yuna herself said in an interview once: There're lots of skaters who work harder than I do. I think I'm lucky to have the talent and the right body proportions. (Not a quote, just recalling out of memory)
This indicates good self confidence, which is (the way I see it) the second big reason she's able to handle the pressure in competitions. Again not implying that the other skaters lack self confidence...
 

FlattFan

Match Penalty
Joined
Jan 4, 2010
Her consistent 3x3s set her apart.
Apart from that, everything she does is just good. I find myself bored by her programs, save a few SPs and the LP in 2007.
 

deedee1

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 14, 2007
To Administrator/Moderator(s):
Ummm, Is it possible to have this thread combined/absorbed into other ones, e.g. "Who can rival Kim in Sochi", please? :sarcasm: Don't get me wrong, I LOVE YuNa. I fully agree YuNa is such a gorgeous and dominant skater in every way, but I don't see it necessary to create a new one to discuss (almost) the same things over and over. That's one of reasons that I don't like to often visit threads on Ladies...:slink:
 
Joined
Aug 16, 2009
Now now, nobody slaps anyone anywhere...

It's right that in 2011 Yuna skipped the Grand Prix season and directly participated at Worlds, but in an interview later on she revealed, that she actually desperatly wanted a break from skating and that it was pressure from outside, plus her own feelings for responsiblity towards her nation, that made her compete at worlds. One can now argue, that she still could have refused etc. but I don't think this indicates her being arrogant or conceited.
From what I can see, she's a nice person, just like Mao and Caro being lovely personalities.

Now back to topic: In a recent interview with David Wilson he said: I think, what sets Yuna apart is her work ethic. The top ladies have approx. the same amount of talent, but when I saw her perform this programm, everything just looked ... so trained!
Also Brian Orser and her Korean coaches have complimented her work ethics.
I'm not saying that other skaters are being lazy, but I believe yuna's work ethics is one of the main reasons she's so consistent.

Yuna herself said in an interview once: There're lots of skaters who work harder than I do. I think I'm lucky to have the talent and the right body proportions. (Not a quote, just recalling out of memory)
This indicates good self confidence, which is (the way I see it) the second big reason she's able to handle the pressure in competitions. Again not implying that the other skaters lack self confidence...

I too remember her saying that she has the right body type, and there's nothing boastful about that. If she does have that, it's genes and circumstance, and it's both modest and realistic to bring it up. It's not just her shape; it's the kind of muscle makeup she has--I never remember whether it's fast-twitch muscles or slow-twitch or some other kind, but there are certain muscle configurations that could make a good athlete great at one sport but just merely good at another.

But great body type is just one component. We Americans remember with a bit of heartbreak that several skaters, including Christopher Bowman and Nicole Bobek, were considered to have more natural talent than almost everyone else around, and with haphazard training and bad lifestyle choices, they threw it away. With YuNa, it's the combination of fortunate physique and hard, hard work that made her the star that she is. Add to that a very cool mind. All the talent and work in the world can't save you if you headcase your way through major competitions, and I maintain that in Vancouver in 1910, YuNa skated under more pressure than almost anyone else in skating history (possibly excluding Midori Ito in 1992), because she was her country's entire international skating history all in one person. The closest I've ever seen to that pressure was Aussie runner Cathy Freeman in the Sydney Summer Games. After seeing YuNa's behavior on the nights of the short and the long programs, I can never be talked out of my boundless admiration for her. As far as whether anyone else personally likes, loves, or dislikes any or all of her programs, that's all fine with me.
 

cooper

Medalist
Joined
Mar 23, 2010
Now now, nobody slaps anyone anywhere...

hehe.. i just find it hilarious now because i know a lot of her critics/haters were hoping that she would fail miserably in her comeback and to win like what she did in this year's worlds made me chuckle even more. :laugh:
 

Eclair

Medalist
Joined
Dec 10, 2012
hehe.. i just find it hilarious now because i know a lot of her critics/haters were hoping that she would fail miserably in her comeback and to win like what she did in this year's worlds made me chuckle even more. :laugh:

Yeah I got that, still very unfortunate choice of wording^^ Personally I would get angry, no matter how reasonably or not, if anyone told me: ha, slapped/ punched / kicked you in the face! Even if it's just via internet on a most subjective discussion board.

@Olympia: Agree! Her ability to focus may have been really useful, too. Personally I greatly admire all these athletes who have the mindset to bann any distractions out of their mind and just focus on their performance. Out of experience I know from myself, that in important exams I can't calm down and always worry about the consequences... I guess this is highly trainable, but I haven't come around trying any meditation /breathing techniques etc etc....
 

let`s talk

Match Penalty
Joined
Sep 10, 2009
what a lame troll bait thread and posters jumped in!

To Administrator/Moderator(s):
Ummm, Is it possible to have this thread combined/absorbed into other ones, e.g. "Who can rival Kim in Sochi", please? :sarcasm: Don't get me wrong, I LOVE YuNa. I fully agree YuNa is such a gorgeous and dominant skater in every way, but I don't see it necessary to create a new one to discuss (almost) the same things over and over. That's one of reasons that I don't like to often visit threads on Ladies...:slink:
Hahaha. Plu threads survive for 50(!) pages with much heavier trolling than here. And you are already whining? Then don't even bother to try to convince me that she is a queen if she has such a lame fan-court. :laugh:
 

cooper

Medalist
Joined
Mar 23, 2010
Yeah I got that, still very unfortunate choice of wording^^ Personally I would get angry, no matter how reasonably or not, if anyone told me: ha, slapped/ punched / kicked you in the face! Even if it's just via internet on a most subjective discussion board.

actually it's a phrase/idiom.. you know..

Hahaha. Plu threads survive for 50(!) pages with much heavier trolling than here. And you are already whining? Then don't even bother to try to convince me that she is a queen if she has such a lame fan-court. :laugh:

:rolleye:
 
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