Hanyu: "Performances that stay in hearts"

gsk8 · Dec 23, 2015

The past few weeks have been very “meaningful” and “satisfying” for Japan’s Yuzuru Hanyu, who has won nearly every competition this season. Thus far, he has broken a total of ten world records.

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“People may think my scores are wonderful, but I feel more motivated when I hear people say they like my performance and they want to watch it again,” he continued. “In order to impress and move the audience, I want to continue to train hard, to make sure my jumps are consistent and the overall program is a complete package. I want to give the kind of performances that stay in their hearts.”

Which performances have stayed in your heart?

Moving forward in the Olympic cycle, Hanyu aims to defend his title in 2018 and plans to up the ante.

“I see the future of figure skating in Boyang Jin, who can do multiple quads with high quality and deliver wonderful performances,” Hanyu pointed out. “I don’t know how many quads will be necessary when we look into Pyeongchang, but I want to work on more difficult and higher quality quads.”

What else can possibly do to "up the ante"?

Ophelia · Dec 23, 2015

In his interview, Hanyu basically addresses all of the criticisms and concerns his fans have raised along the way. Impressive.

Rissa · Dec 23, 2015

Is this the sound of the next season's 4Lo that I'm hearing?

Yep, it is.

Li'Kitsu · Dec 23, 2015

The end, when he talks about how "the body is everything" aka it's better to be healthy, is by far my favorite part. Please stay healthy, and manage your first healthy trip to worlds, okay?

Which performance have stayed in my heart? Uhm. All of them? I'm randomly re-watching one of his last performances and then I get stuck watching like... all of them again. Even his still troubled SC skates, who look like such important stepping stones for NHK/GPF now. This is a problem, because I actually do have a life (although I sometimes don't treat it like that) and shouldn't spent so much time on youtube... oh well :laugh:

Thank you very much for the new article! :luv17:

Interspectator · Dec 23, 2015

Thanks for the article.
My memorable Yuzu performances, the once that stick in my heart are:
RJ1 2012 Worlds -starting point for me to become a fan of skating again
Notredam de Paris EX at TEB 2013 -After another defeat to Patrick, Yuzu skated this EX complete with quads and triple axels and I finally, FINALLY saw what the program was supposed to look like. He had matured into it, but a year too late.
Parisian Walkways at GPF 2013 - the confidence and joy were great
Short programs at the 2014 Olympics -He skated like a champion
NHK 2014 EX Hana-wa-saku for his Home town. Off the podium in 4th place, but this EX was skated with all the pain he was feeling and all the hope for the future.
GPF 2014 short and long, he had brought himself back from defeat and was so happy to skate again

And every single program he has skated this year has moved me in some way. The journey has been amazing.
Debut at Autumn classic, feeling out the new programs and making a strong impression
Skate Canada SP, over confidence, over excitement, miscalculation, 6th place!
Skate Canada LP, Anger, determination, marginal success, recalculation for the next battle started immediately after the competition finished

NHK SP the fruit of planning, successful risk-taking, feeling the heat of rivals and winning through
NHK LP A miracle on ice, total joy and disbelief

GPF SP further polishing, really feeling the music, standing out in the crowd
GPF LP Living the character, withstanding pressure, showing it can be done twice in a row, relief

What will he show in nationals? One of the things Yuzu does, that many great athletes can do, is that he can turn loss in to gain. Defeat stings, but is a springboard for further growth.

Interspectator · Dec 24, 2015

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3j69pd_1223-全日本前特集-9-真央の全日本物語-羽生-決戦の地へ_sport

This latest interview aired yesterday also shows clips of his interview after Skate Canada LP, you can see that he's determined to do better. I translated bits of it:

Yuzu's comments after Skate Canada: I just have to do everything right. No one but a skater knows the difficulty of this. I WILL do it definitely, otherwise what's the point? I wouldn't be worthy of being Olympic champion otherwise.
Yuzu doesn't know exactly why he was able to skate perfectly when he hadn't before. "I think the cogs finally are coming together" "Each performance I add the emotion I'm feeling at the time. in Canada, (LP) the anger I was feeling, NHK, the support of the crowd, GPF man vs nature and holding myself together. It's certainly not my own power alone, a group effort" -The emotion added makes the performance live.

TuTU9678 · Dec 24, 2015

Interspectator said:
Thanks for the article.
My memorable Yuzu performances, the once that stick in my heart are:
RJ1 2012 Worlds -starting point for me to become a fan of skating again
Notredam de Paris EX at TEB 2013 -After another defeat to Patrick, Yuzu skated this EX complete with quads and triple axels and I finally, FINALLY saw what the program was supposed to look like. He had matured into it, but a year too late.
Parisian Walkways at GPF 2013 - the confidence and joy were great
Short programs at the 2014 Olympics -He skated like a champion
NHK 2014 EX Hana-wa-saku for his Home town. Off the podium in 4th place, but this EX was skated with all the pain he was feeling and all the hope for the future.
GPF 2014 short and long, he had brought himself back from defeat and was so happy to skate again

And every single program he has skated this year has moved me in some way. The journey has been amazing.
Debut at Autumn classic, feeling out the new programs and making a strong impression
Skate Canada SP, over confidence, over excitement, miscalculation, 6th place!
Skate Canada LP, Anger, determination, marginal success, recalculation for the next battle started immediately after the competition finished

NHK SP the fruit of planning, successful risk-taking, feeling the heat of rivals and winning through
NHK LP A miracle on ice, total joy and disbelief

GPF SP further polishing, really feeling the music, standing out in the crowd
GPF LP Living the character, withstanding pressure, showing it can be done twice in a row, relief

What will he show in nationals? One of the things Yuzu does, that many great athletes can do, is that he can turn loss in to gain. Defeat stings, but is a springboard for further growth.

Wowwww every! single! one! mentioned in that first list is also in my 'stuck in my heart' list. I would also add:

Change, with live music from Monkey Majik in TOI 2014 - Feels like Yuzu was in his comfort zone performing to the type of music he likes and also in Sendai
Hana ni Nare, especially the 2015 24Hr TV for Charity version - very beautiful and moving
Paganini piano piece, Jr. Worlds 2010 FS - rewatched a billion times already, earlier versions incl. 13 yr old Yuzu skating in Japan Jr. Nationals in 2008, you can already tell he's good at such a young age.
Somebody to Love, 2011 CoR EX version - 16 yr old, the 'cool kid' / 'pop star' style
Story, both the 2013 FaOI live music from AI version and the GPF 2013 EX version - so much musicality and I don't need to understand any Japanese to see that
Phantom, 2014 CoC, this one moves me every time I rewatch it, the step sequence and spins were great and the entire program showed his fighting spirit that is very Yuzuru!

From this year's performances, the 2015 GPF SP and both the 2015 NHK&GPF FS are just :love:

Meoima · Dec 24, 2015

My most memorable performances of Yuzuru until now:

WC 2012 LP - I became fan because of that :love:

WC 2013 LP - when Brian tried a doughnut with Yuzuru :laugh15:
Sochi SP - When I came to like PW, I did not like it before.
WC 2014 LP - When he's finally clean :sad21:
CoC 2014 - disastrous, crazy and unforgettable.
GPF 2014 SP and LP - When I wrote him off and he made me eat my words :dance:
NHK 2015 - When I finally see how he can do when he's fully healthy both in body and mind
GPF 2015 - when he has proved his crazy mental strength under crazy pressure :hap57:

shiroKJ · Dec 24, 2015

For me, its memorable every time he steps out on that ice, even if its just stroking exercises. There's just something about him on that ice that makes me unable to take my eyes off of him, flaws and all.

Blades of Passion · Dec 24, 2015

If he cares about performances that impress people and stay in hearts then he should improved the choreography of his LP. The jumps are too backloaded and, as such, it kind of throws away the more emotional slow section. Final choreographic sequence could also have a better pattern. Will post more thoughts later in a "2015-2016 Program Improvement" thread that I still need to do for this season.

Meoima · Dec 24, 2015

Blades of Passion said:
If he cares about performances that impress people and stay in hearts then he should improved the choreography of his LP. The jumps are too backloaded and, as such, it kind of throws away the more emotional slow section. Final choreographic sequence could also have a better pattern. Will post more thoughts later in a "2015-2016 Program Improvement" thread that I still need to do for this season.

Well the final choreographic sequence is done when he's the most tired so how can he improve it?

Interspectator · Dec 24, 2015

Meoima said:
Well the final choreographic sequence is done when he's the most tired so how can he improve it?

He's improved it little by little in each outing, I think he can improve it even more. Getting level 4 on steps was something he said over and over at the press conferences, so he'll need to work on that. BTW, practice reports on Yuzu at Nationals say he's looking in good shape.

Ophelia · Dec 24, 2015

Blades of Passion said:
If he cares about performances that impress people and stay in hearts then he should improved the choreography of his LP. The jumps are too backloaded and, as such, it kind of throws away the more emotional slow section. Final choreographic sequence could also have a better pattern. Will post more thoughts later in a "2015-2016 Program Improvement" thread that I still need to do for this season.

Points first, then impression. :biggrin:

Sam-Skwantch · Dec 24, 2015

lilahozi said:
Points first, then impression.

Things a professional athlete would say!

I'll take knife boots from Russia for $500 Alex :biggrin:

http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/198ki473oteoxgif/original.gif

Hanyu: "Performances that stay in hearts"

gsk8

Ophelia

Rissa

Li'Kitsu

Interspectator

Interspectator

TuTU9678

Meoima

Match Penalty

shiroKJ

Back to the forest you go.

Blades of Passion

Skating is Art, if you let it be

Meoima

Match Penalty

Interspectator

Ophelia

Sam-Skwantch

“I solemnly swear I’m up to no good”

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