Yuzuru Hanyu: 2016-17 Season

[gladiolusc]

#2.................

 

[Floria]

Might be useful to test out random draw orders. Get you ready to skate in an order you might not be used to? For example.

It does make sense, since there is still a problem with skating order.

 

[Altie]

My brain keeps trying to imagine Yuzu posing like a pin-up girl
I get as far as imagining a photographer asking him to be sexy and Yuzu just giggling.
It's just not his image at all

There's also this one... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIEUVuw7Vxk

 

[Marin]

as I have noticed he does his best when he skates 1st, 5th, 6th ...
It is weird why he has issues with 2,3 4, .. especially 2

 

[Floria]

as I have noticed he does his best when he skates 1st, 5th, 6th ...
It is weird why he has issues with 2,3 4, .. especially 2

I remember that after the 4CC FS he mentioned skating last or second to last as the best option for him. So the problem is still there...

 

[Fayruza]

as I have noticed he does his best when he skates 1st, 5th, 6th ...
It is weird why he has issues with 2,3 4, .. especially 2

you don't have to wait around with 1... and maybe there's just something wrong for Yuzu with mid-term waiting.
Gosh, guys, you're getting me into a nervous state nearly a month before the big competition. You'll have my dead body on your hands if you continue like this!

 

[gladiolusc]

as I have noticed he does his best when he skates 1st, 5th, 6th ...
It is weird why he has issues with 2,3 4, .. especially 2

Which is why I don't understand him not going to simulations. It's perfect for training these things.

Also can't believe they haven't figured something out in terms of warm-up. If it were pure logistics of how warmed up to get in 6 mins. So it might be mostly mental. Skating first has a clear catch-up vibe from when he was young. Skating last or near last... Well he likes that type of pressure too. 2-4 he doesn't know quite how to think about those maybe?

 

[gladiolusc]

Or maybe he went but is simply hiding from pictures. Lol. ...... Jk.

 

[xeyra]

Or maybe he went but is simply hiding from pictures. Lol. ...... Jk.

Actually, there was this post earlier:

He has been there for a few days,and he never took part in that training test.

Which made me wonder if he was there in Kingston, Ontario but not taking part in the simulation itself, or just generally in Canada (most likely at TCC).

 

[Floria]

Which is why I don't understand him not going to simulations. It's perfect for training these things.

Also can't believe they haven't figured something out in terms of warm-up. If it were pure logistics of how warmed up to get in 6 mins. So it might be mostly mental. Skating first has a clear catch-up vibe from when he was young. Skating last or near last... Well he likes that type of pressure too. 2-4 he doesn't know quite how to think about those maybe?

I think it is purely mental thing and this is why it so difficult to overcome. Like in Boston when he was second to skate and mentally already accepted he would lose.

 

[mcq]

Which is why I don't understand him not going to simulations. It's perfect for training these things.

Also can't believe they haven't figured something out in terms of warm-up. If it were pure logistics of how warmed up to get in 6 mins. So it might be mostly mental. Skating first has a clear catch-up vibe from when he was young. Skating last or near last... Well he likes that type of pressure too. 2-4 he doesn't know quite how to think about those maybe?

I doubt things related to mental could be helped much with this kind of simulation. It's likely just in his head. His FS at SC when he was 2nd was not horrible, though it was not his best too. But yeah his best skates are all when he was 1st, 5th or last. So it is probably already ingrained in his mind if he did not get those draws he would not do that well. There isn't really a strategy to put up if it is completely psychological, unless he wants to try out sport psychologist?

Let's see, from his world record skate/skate where he did well :

2012 worlds : last to skate in his group
2012 SA SP : last to skate
2012 NHK SP : before last (4th/5th)
2012 GPF : FS 4th to skate
2013 GPF : 4th in SP and last in FS
2014 Oly SP: 1st to skate in individual, last in team
2014 Worlds FS : 5th/ before last skater
2014 GPF : 1st in SP last in FS
2015 NHK : last in both
2015 GPF : last in FS 5th in SP
2016 world SP : last to skate

So yeah, his best skates are mostly where he skates last or 5th. But, it is also not a guarantee that if he skates 5th or last he will skate well, but he relatively do better than when he skates 2nd/3rd

 

[Li'Kitsu]

Which is why I don't understand him not going to simulations. It's perfect for training these things.

Also can't believe they haven't figured something out in terms of warm-up. If it were pure logistics of how warmed up to get in 6 mins. So it might be mostly mental. Skating first has a clear catch-up vibe from when he was young. Skating last or near last... Well he likes that type of pressure too. 2-4 he doesn't know quite how to think about those maybe?

Maybe it's just that skating 2nd gives his mind enough time to start going to all the "OMG pressure!" places, but not enough to calm himself down from that. Skating 1st means you go straight from warm-up and you have no time 'sitting around', going last might give him more time to focus.
Anyway, while I'm sure these simulations have their uses, if Yuzu doesn't think it would help him with the start order problem, then he'll have his reasons for that. Maybe he considers it useless because there is no actual pressure in these events like there is at real competitions. If it's just about the simulation of having to warm-up, wait 6 min and then skate, he can simulate and train that on his own.

 

[Marin]

I don't think simulation can help much honestly, in their head they still know that it is not a real competition..

 

[jinabee]

There's also this one... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIEUVuw7Vxk

Hahaha it's more whenever I think of ~photoshoots~ I like to cast myself as the photographer (even though I never do studio with people and never have) so like the commercial the instruction was 'be a serious sportsman, look serious' and he just was accidently kinda sexy looking :hopelessness: and here fans are like 'do some sexy pose' and he sorta does it (he's still too cute though) but dies of embaressment. I mean theres a difference between kinda seeming sexy not trying to be, or even when performing and doing it on instruction in like a photoshoot setting my brain won't allow to imagine. I'm also spoilt by seeing idols doing to sexy topless shoots and they giggle the entire time, stop to pose, and giggle some more. It's completely rediculous.
So my brain is like...let's shoot yuzu, but the direction is for some kind of sexy photoshoot like some men's health type stuff, see how much yuzu dies of embarssement

However you re welcome to enjoy the mental picture of what is yuzu ever did men's health type photoshoots, if you brain allows you.

ETA:
On a less pervy note (^▽^; )

I think he's fine with just doing regular training from now until worlds, I imagine 4cc left him fairly motivated and with a strong desire to perform at worlds. It depends on what he responds best to but he could feel a need to prove himself and that might not be pressure of the same kind as say the pressure to perform as well as people expect him to following last season. That shift in mood/attitude could be a good thing...

 

[Floria]

ETA:
On a less pervy note (^▽^; )

I think he's fine with just doing regular training from now until worlds, I imagine 4cc left him fairly motivated and with a strong desire to perform at worlds. It depends on what he responds best to but he could feel a need to prove himself and that might not be pressure of the same kind as say the pressure to perform as well as people expect him to following last season. That shift in mood/attitude could be a good thing...

I hope he will keep this mood/motivation from 4CC until Worlds. Maybe skating order will affect him less with this different kind of pressure and his obvious desire to win.

 

[Yatagarasu]

I don't think simulation can help much honestly, in their head they still know that it is not a real competition..

Actually simulations are considered a valuable tool in today's sports science and are fairly common. It's not like practice at all. Now it probably depends from sport to sport due to logistics but the purpose of a simulation like the one they are doing is to replicate the conditions of the competition itself as much as possible (considering they have judges and audience here, they are going for it).

So what happens is, your entire day is treated like you're at that particular competition. From sleep the night before, food, arriving when you would at the venue for practice then actual competition, waiting as you would for your group start, judging etc. May be Yuzuru just doesn't respond to it so doesn't take part (or had that competition recently, so he's ok), they know best but in general, this is very much done in order to help the athletes and it really works. It puts your through your paces before the big It actually happens which is great. Like I said I don't know about Yuzuru but what they do here is quite ordinary, my coach friends do this with their own athletes which is why I know. The purpose is mental training and psychological preparation and of course, gaining confidence.

 

[Fayruza]

Actually simulations are considered a valuable tool in today's sports science and are fairly common. It's not like practice at all. Now it probably depends from sport to sport due to logistics but the purpose of a simulation like the one they are doing is to replicate the conditions of the competition itself as much as possible (considering they have judges and audience here, they are going for it).

So what happens is, your entire day is treated like you're at that particular competition. From sleep the night before, food, arriving when you would at the venue for practice then actual competition, waiting as you would for your group start, judging etc. May be Yuzuru just doesn't respond to it so doesn't take part (or had that competition recently, so he's ok), they know best but in general, this is very much done in order to help the athletes and it really works. It puts your through your paces before the big It actually happens which is great. Like I said I don't know about Yuzuru but what they do here is quite ordinary, my coach friends do this with their own athletes which is why I know. The purpose is mental training and psychological preparation and of course, gaining confidence.

well,there must be a reason why he doesn't do that - and as long as that reason isn't an injury, I'm happy with him making this decision.

 

[liv]

He must have his reasons for not participating. You would expect Brian to really encourage him to participate if he did not.. but maybe he did and yuzu declined, we will not know. I would think any opportunity to simulate a competition environment would be beneficial, particularly for someone who has issues with certain skate orders. But, the opportunity was given and he made his choice so hopefully he is not working too hard while the coaches are away!!

 

[Marin]

well,there must be a reason why he doesn't do that - and as long as that reason isn't an injury, I'm happy with him making this decision.

Probably something that has to do with JSF and ANA , maybe they don't want him to appear in a spotlight before actual competition.Canadian media, audience is there , just my speculation.

 

[Yatagarasu]

well,there must be a reason why he doesn't do that - and as long as that reason isn't an injury, I'm happy with him making this decision.

Oh I am sure there is, they know what's best for him. Was talking more generally about what simulations are because I don't think it's something many people encounter all that often and they're pretty nifty tools that are used these days and big ones like these do quite differ from regular practice.
Simulations don't have to be this big either, sometimes they simulate just one particular aspect of a sport, but the idea is always to get the athlete to engage all the senses that would otherwise be engaged, so both what the athlete is doing and surrounding physical circumstances. It's a pretty neat bit of sports psychology.

ETA

Probably something that has to do with JSF and ANA , maybe they don't want him to appear in a spotlight before actual competition.Canadian media, audience is there , just my speculation.

Yes, this is also a very good point.