Tatsuki Machida

I'm really sorry about Tatsuki...I'm sure he's beating himself up right now--as perfectionists do. But he's come back before and he can do it again.
Do you think it might be a flu or sickness of some kind that he's been battling while training? That can really take the wind out of your sails.

I am really sorry for what happened to him today. I have become a big fan since seeing him live at SA this year. He seems like a sensitive soul and I hope he is not suffering too much now.

I know that it doesn’t count, but, why it is so low Macida PCS score ?? :-(

ioanap said:

To be honest, I couldn't even picture Worlds 2015 without his Fantasy SP and Symphony no 9 FS. He only has 12 days left to pull it together and get a Worlds ticket, will it be enough?

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Oh man, I didn't even think of that! I'm sure he'll pull it together because Worlds 2015 without Machida is too sad to think about.

You know, I've actually been following some similarities between Tatsuki and Julia Lipnitskaya for almost a year now. Both capable of superb performances, both dealing with pressure, both serious and sensitive people (I don't know Julia that well but she seems like that to me).

Sochi 2014 - both finished 5th in the individual events.
Worlds 2014 - both finished 2nd.
Trophee Eric Bompard 2014 - both finished 2nd.

I'm not going to lie, as I watched Julia's FS earlier today, I got a weird feeling something similar would happen to Tatsuki. In any case, I hope they both get over their inner demons and deliver their programs to their real potential.

ioanap said:

Sandpiper - I know you were nowhere near a Tatsuki fan not too long ago, but for his sake I'm glad he's still gaining new supporters. Can I ask though, out of the curiosity of a longtime fan and also to give a more positive vibe to this thread, what is it about his skating this season that made you like him?

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TL;DR version: His one-two punch at Worlds, then his one-two punch at Skate America.

Essay version: I was impressed when he skated two perfect performances at 2014 Worlds, with two quads in the LP. 2013 and 2012 Worlds were about one guy with two quads but mistakes and one guy with one quad and a clean performance--but neither had both.

I didn't click with him immediately, even after that, because I still wasn't a fan of the Firebird LP. Went back-and-forth (like the judges did, considering the marks) about whether he should've won or Hanyu should've won. Then one day, I decided to rewatch his Saitama SP... which totally blew me away that time around. I wouldn't have uttered a peep of protest had he gotten WR.

Before, my main issue with Tatsuki was that he didn't really present 'up'. His head is a little down, he seems to be skating away in his own corner rather than reaching out to the audience, ect. But I think he improved on those aspects this year. His SP at Skate America really showcased those improvements. I know some were complaining about "too dramatic," but I'm glad he brought the drama. I think he found his own form of artistry and performance. Something really clicked with me at Skate America, and his great LP just solidified it.

Also, I confess, after seeing four great performances in a row, I was really hoping he'd be the one to bring some consistency to the men's field. Sadly that didn't really pan out. But I've boarded the Tatsuki train and can't get off now.

"My performance today was shameful. But I fought through my program so I don't regret anything about that. There's a tall wall in front of me, but I cannot lose here."

Source

I'm very glad to hear that he is still willing to fight on. Watching him today was mortifying enough, so I cannot imagine his own dissatisfaction (I suppose the word may be an understatement). I hope that he will come back much stronger at Nationals - he can do it. And I hope he believes it too.

Sandpiper - thank you for your post. Yes, his 2 clean programs at Worlds almost seem like a miracle now and unfortunately Worlds Tatsuki was not present in Barcelona today. In an earlier post I mentioned how he was infamous for bombing his programs even though his skating showed a lot of potential - but he is much more experienced now and much more refined so this shouldn't have happened again. Between hints of an approaching retirement, moments of brilliance (Skate America) and complete meltdowns (GPF in general), and opposite reactions to his skating, being a Tatsuki fan is certainly a roller coaster.

Glad that he is not too down on himself. Very worried about his mentality after that. It was reminding me of Denis Ten and not in a good way.

I was thinking he and Hanyu-san seemed to have the opposite trajectory during the GP series. Hanyu-san starts out slow and slumping, usually peaks about this time and onward. Whereas Machida-san shines right from the start during GP events, but doesn't hold on to that brilliance we know he is capable of.

Finally had the courage to watch his FP and I'm speechless. He was very consistent throughout this season and just like everyone, I'm confused as to what happened to him. Injury? Sickness? I thought he might had been the one to get gold if Yuzuru screwed up his FP. Hopefully this can help motivate him for Japanese Nationals and Worlds. I think he can even get into Worlds without medaling at Japanese nationals. I heard a rule among the JSF that if you already medal at the last Worlds, you apparently will get a free pass into the upcoming one in 2015 (correct me if I'm wrong). But shout out to the audience for supporting him throughout his performance. I could see not only Japanese fans encouraging him but even Spanish and possibly Russian fans calling out to him after his fall on his second attempt at a triple axel. That was really nice of them.

sajoya said:

But shout out to the audience for supporting him throughout his performance. I could see not only Japanese fans encouraging him but even Spanish and possibly Russian fans calling out to him after his fall on his second attempt at a triple axel. That was really nice of them.

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ITA. Incredible audience, it was very nice of them to support everyone.

An explanation from Tatsuki as to his GPF LP performance:

"This program is very difficult to skate," Machida explained. "It was too big for me. It's like a wall I have to climb. My physical and mental condition is good, but I was just not able to skate well."

As was the case with Lipnitskaia earlier in the afternoon in the ladies category, the audience sent him its warm energy by applauding him heartfully on each of his steps after his last fall, emphasizing the tempo of Ludwig van Beethoven's "Symphony No. 9." Never could the German composer have imagined that his Ode to Joy would be clapped upon at every one of its beats.

(http://web.icenetwork.com/news/2014/12/13/104005870)

Coincidentally or not, the article echoes some of the posts in this thread. Firal accurately predicted "And I am sure the Spanish crowd would clap along with the music to help him on" before the FP, while ionap had pointed out some parallelisms between Tatsuki and Julia.

@sajoya, I see we support the same skaters. Here's the criteria for the selection of the Japanese representatives in singles to Worlds:

Worlds:
Singles
1) The first skater is the National champion.
2) The second skater will be selected in a comprehensive way from the skaters who meet the criteria below.
a) The skaters who placed second and third in Nationals.
b) The skaters who placed the highest and the second highest of Japanese skaters(except 1) skater) in GP final.
3) The third skater will be selected in a comprehensive way from the skaters who meet the criteria below.
a) The skater who was not selected as the 2) skater even though meeting 2)-b) criteria, and skaters who placed 4th-6th in Nationals.
b) Skaters whose ISU world standings are 3rd highest and higher than 3rd of Japanese skaters as of the end of Nationals.
c) Skaters whose ISU season best scores are 3rd highest and higher than 3rd of Japanese skaters as of the end of Nationals.
*There are possibilities that if skaters who have placed 3rd and higher than 3rd in Worlds before do not meet the criteria above because of the reasons such as injuries in the first half of the season, the skaters can be added to the skaters considered for selection taking the skaters' situations at the time of Worlds into consideration.


(http://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/ind...g-news-after-sochi.91545/page-12#post-4399373)

Maria, thank you for Tatsuki's quote and for posting the Worlds selection criteria. I must say it feels quite surreal to be looking over it now because I took his participation to Worlds for granted. He hasn't had such a bad competition since the 2012-2013 season and he seemed so confident at the start of the season so I guess that would explain my shock.

I didn't expect him to blame his performance on mental or physical problems. Such is the character of Japanese figure skaters. But I'm sad to read he basically thinks he's not good enough for the FP he prepared this season, because I still think he is. This right here is a hint at least part of the problem is mental - if he doesn't trust himself enough to do it, he'll never do it.

So what happened to last season's Tatsuki Machida? Regardless of scoring and what was wrong or right we have to think about the Worlds result and the consequences it had over him. Coming right after Sochi where he was 1.8 point away from the bronze medal and where all the attention went to Yuzuru and partly to Daisuke, he showed up at Saitama, at his first ever World Championship on home ice and he delivered. He faced his much younger compatriot and newly crowned Olympic Champion - who also had the experience of 2 other World Championships - and just like Sandpiper mentioned in her post, he performed 2 clean programs with 3 clean quads in what turned out to be the best battle for gold in years. He fought through his insecurities to win. I remember I watched the Japanese broadcast back then and they showed Tatsuki looking at a screen somewhere backstage, waiting for Yuzuru's score. No matter how happy he was with his performances and his first World medal, when the scores showed up, his face had a brief flash of astonishment and hurt. Base values and mathematics are meaningless when you skate the programs of your life and you are aware that may have been your only realistic chance at winning Worlds.

What happened after that? He got way more media attention than he was used to and I also have to mention the fact that he was invited to and skated at the same number of ice shows Yuzuru attended during the summer. He spent his time flying back and forth from Japan to the USA, mixing shows with the construction of his new programs. He dedicated his whole being to these new programs and kept them hidden until he was sure he could perform them the way he wished to. He said he built his free program based on his new capacities, based on his new found strength, so he believed he had what it took. Him hinting he's not good enough for it now is extremely saddening and plain unfair to him.

While his result at Skate America made me very happy for him, I was still worried he might have peaked too early. Based on his latest quotes ("I'm having bad thoughts", "I was desperate in practice" and "My condition is not good at all") I expected a sub par performance. But if he had to bomb a competition this season, in the end GPF is better than Nationals or Worlds. Aside from his team and his family, I think he needs to have a talk with Daisuke, as he is the one who often knows how to unveil the brilliance he is capable of.

I think there is no concern that he will no make world team. Unfortunately all skaters at some point hit a nightmare skate, and it's just test of character and I have no doubt Tatsuki will bounce back :agree:

Yesterday I was unhappy because of Tatsuki. I love that program! The music, the choreography and his skating just unbelievable! I hope he can come back!

I disagree with posters who say that he does not have the "x-factor". To me, his SP performance at SA was by far the best this season. It literally gave me goosebumps. I hope he bounces back.

Well here's a first answer to the nightmare of a FS Tatsuki performed the other day. He is soon to graduate Kansai University and has been extremely busy for the entire autumn writing his dissertation. His thesis is due next month and his schedule got hectic (he barely gets any sleep and he's been trying to find a way to study and train at the same time). He actually decided to withdraw from the Grand Prix Final but apparently athletes cannot withdraw for non-injury reasons so he stayed and tried to keep it together. Managed in the SP but when I re-watched his FS I noticed even though he fell and popped his jumps, he still fought to keep up with the program and didn't even have a hint of disappointment or fear on his face. He sold it (and even managed to land his last two jumping passes) right until the end.

Source for the news
http://www.sankei.com/west/news/141214/wst1412140066-n1.html

Hmm, if the report is reliable, and he actually considered withdrawing... Now I'm a little worried if he'll be ready come Nationals. He doesn't need to be perfect but I don't think he could afford another bomb (he'll probably be on the World team, but more bombs will really hurt his momentum).

Sandpiper said:

Hmm, if the report is reliable, and he actually considered withdrawing... Now I'm a little worried if he'll be ready come Nationals. He doesn't need to be perfect but I don't think he could afford another bomb (he'll probably be on the World team, but more bombs will really hurt his momentum).

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There are multiple sources citing the same info and I think it's true. Just a day or two before Skate America he took a couple of important exams at the university and he was also tired then but I guess things got worse for the past month and a half. He stated that he is not afraid of the National Championship and that he took the GPF failure as a challenge.