Hi all! I have quite a bit of free time, so I thought I'd translate this blog/column from retired skater Yukari Nakano.
https://sportiva.shueisha.co.jp/clm/othersports/figure/2020/03/23/post_15/index.php
Even though she mostly talks about the Russian ladies, I decided to start a new thread because she also talks about Rika Kihira. Although I'm reasonably fluent in Japanese, it's not my native language, so if there are errors, please let me know!
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Yukari Nakano talks about technique in the ladies' quad era. "The jump with different dimensions is..."
Yukari Nakano became the third lady to successfully land a triple axel and is known for the "world's most beautiful" donut spin. After retiring in 2010, she started working at a TV station and has been living a normal life [i.e., not as an athlete]. She talked to us about jump technique in the quad era of figure skating. First is the rise of the young Russian skaters who have brought about this sudden upheaval.
In this season, ladies figure skating has changed dramatically on the technique side. I never thought I would see a time when ladies would need a quad to win. Up to now, if you could do triples, then the typical step-up would be triple-triple combos, and then a triple axel, but now there are skaters who have jumped over that and can do several types of quads.
I think the #1 reason why the Russian ladies are leading the charge is because it's truly the "Russian force." The idea that if you do a quad you will win was born, and when one person succeeds, the other skaters practicing at the same rink begin to think, "Maybe I can do a quad too." It's important to have an example close to you. It leads to the desire to try new types of jumps.
Of course, it's also thanks to the comprehensive training/coaching they've received while they're still young. For women especially, when your body matures, it becomes more difficult to do high-difficulty jumps. Before you grow, you can train your body to do hard jumps and make it stick. In other words, the amount of practice is tremendous. When I was skating, our off-ice practice was pretty much just muscle training and ballet, but now it's common to practice rotating off ice.
When I see ladies' quads, I feel like they are not jumps with height, but rather jumps that use rotational speed well. They are jumps that take advantage of a girl's small frame; they use the fact that the body is thin and like a string.
To me, it seems like because of this Anna Shcherbakova and Alexandra Trusova can use strength to jump even though they are small. The fact that they can do this in competitions is without a doubt because of considerable training.
For these girls, from a physique point of view, now is probably the best time.
However, these jumps involve taking off and starting to rotate at the same time, or rather, while rotating, taking off [i.e., pre-rotation]. Setting aside whether this is good or bad, if you can train your body this way, then the possibility of completing 4 rotations becomes great. However, if the judges were to take a strict view and call this "underrotation," then the skaters would need to address this somehow.
In contrast, the dimensions of Aliona Kostornaia's triple axel are different. This is reflected in the fact that she's received the highest scores by far in the short program, in which you aren't allowed to do quads--the height, distance, rotational speed, everything makes sense. In my view, the reason why she is able to do the triple axel so easily is because of her innate talent/ability.
Speaking of her [Kostornaia], I was shocked by her speed. She carries speed through her entire program, and in recent times, I've never seen a female skater like her. It's the quality of her skating, which makes good use of her talent/ability. Even when she jumps, she doesn't lose speed, so she doesn't break the flow, and the triple axel just seems like a [seamless] part of her program. She has something that allows her to beat her rivals even if they do quads.
On the other hand, Rika Kihira has a textbook example of a a triple axel.
The most impressive part is the trajectory. When you try to jump a triple axel, you think "I have to rotate, I have to rotate," and you try to get to the center, but she does not cut to the center, she jumps straight forward and starts rotating after she takes off. It's not a very high jump, but she uses the span and doesn't lose speed, and takes off rhythmically. The trajectory is beautiful, and her air position is wonderful.
Rika Kihira also uses the correct technique for her quad salchow. Surely, if she succeeds it will be a wonderful jump. I think that if she gains more strength, she will get the height and power she needs [to do it].
***
You all are free to agree or disagree with her assessment.
I have only seen Anna skate live, so I won't offer an opinion, but I did think it was interesting that she feels like Aliona can do a triple axel because of her innate ability, while Rika does it thanks to perfect technique.
https://sportiva.shueisha.co.jp/clm/othersports/figure/2020/03/23/post_15/index.php
Even though she mostly talks about the Russian ladies, I decided to start a new thread because she also talks about Rika Kihira. Although I'm reasonably fluent in Japanese, it's not my native language, so if there are errors, please let me know!
***
Yukari Nakano talks about technique in the ladies' quad era. "The jump with different dimensions is..."
Yukari Nakano became the third lady to successfully land a triple axel and is known for the "world's most beautiful" donut spin. After retiring in 2010, she started working at a TV station and has been living a normal life [i.e., not as an athlete]. She talked to us about jump technique in the quad era of figure skating. First is the rise of the young Russian skaters who have brought about this sudden upheaval.
In this season, ladies figure skating has changed dramatically on the technique side. I never thought I would see a time when ladies would need a quad to win. Up to now, if you could do triples, then the typical step-up would be triple-triple combos, and then a triple axel, but now there are skaters who have jumped over that and can do several types of quads.
I think the #1 reason why the Russian ladies are leading the charge is because it's truly the "Russian force." The idea that if you do a quad you will win was born, and when one person succeeds, the other skaters practicing at the same rink begin to think, "Maybe I can do a quad too." It's important to have an example close to you. It leads to the desire to try new types of jumps.
Of course, it's also thanks to the comprehensive training/coaching they've received while they're still young. For women especially, when your body matures, it becomes more difficult to do high-difficulty jumps. Before you grow, you can train your body to do hard jumps and make it stick. In other words, the amount of practice is tremendous. When I was skating, our off-ice practice was pretty much just muscle training and ballet, but now it's common to practice rotating off ice.
When I see ladies' quads, I feel like they are not jumps with height, but rather jumps that use rotational speed well. They are jumps that take advantage of a girl's small frame; they use the fact that the body is thin and like a string.
To me, it seems like because of this Anna Shcherbakova and Alexandra Trusova can use strength to jump even though they are small. The fact that they can do this in competitions is without a doubt because of considerable training.
For these girls, from a physique point of view, now is probably the best time.
However, these jumps involve taking off and starting to rotate at the same time, or rather, while rotating, taking off [i.e., pre-rotation]. Setting aside whether this is good or bad, if you can train your body this way, then the possibility of completing 4 rotations becomes great. However, if the judges were to take a strict view and call this "underrotation," then the skaters would need to address this somehow.
In contrast, the dimensions of Aliona Kostornaia's triple axel are different. This is reflected in the fact that she's received the highest scores by far in the short program, in which you aren't allowed to do quads--the height, distance, rotational speed, everything makes sense. In my view, the reason why she is able to do the triple axel so easily is because of her innate talent/ability.
Speaking of her [Kostornaia], I was shocked by her speed. She carries speed through her entire program, and in recent times, I've never seen a female skater like her. It's the quality of her skating, which makes good use of her talent/ability. Even when she jumps, she doesn't lose speed, so she doesn't break the flow, and the triple axel just seems like a [seamless] part of her program. She has something that allows her to beat her rivals even if they do quads.
On the other hand, Rika Kihira has a textbook example of a a triple axel.
The most impressive part is the trajectory. When you try to jump a triple axel, you think "I have to rotate, I have to rotate," and you try to get to the center, but she does not cut to the center, she jumps straight forward and starts rotating after she takes off. It's not a very high jump, but she uses the span and doesn't lose speed, and takes off rhythmically. The trajectory is beautiful, and her air position is wonderful.
Rika Kihira also uses the correct technique for her quad salchow. Surely, if she succeeds it will be a wonderful jump. I think that if she gains more strength, she will get the height and power she needs [to do it].
***
You all are free to agree or disagree with her assessment.
I have only seen Anna skate live, so I won't offer an opinion, but I did think it was interesting that she feels like Aliona can do a triple axel because of her innate ability, while Rika does it thanks to perfect technique.