This week Dai won’t be on PokaPoka, because he’ll be instructing the junior skaters at the national training camp (25-27 July).
There are lots of fan/audience reports from yesterday's practice sessions at the junior national training camp. Seeing the amount of reports, it almost seems like Dai fans single-handedly financed the junior camp this year with their tax donations.
Here are a few fairly thorough reports
:
https://x.com/yukod1sk8/status/1817370260179227049
I went to check out the junior training camp at Kansai Airport Ice Arena!
Instructor Takahashi Daisuke's instruction, which was supposed to start in the evening, started with the first group at noon, and it was truly a luxurious experience.
He gave passionate instruction to the athletes he was asked to teach. The time was divided up and the players were taught in turn, with some songs thrown in for good measure. It was a really valuable experience 
https://x.com/openchannel_D/status/1817149279703806239
Daisuke, the instructor at the Kansai Airport Junior Training Camp, was supposed to start at 4pm but was on the rink from 12pm onwards, teaching nonstop. It was such a fulfilling time that I wondered if the 20,000 yen hometown tax donation was worth enough. Thanks to the students who worked hard not only in practice but also filling in the gaps on the rink, and to Daisuke-sensei for his hard work!
Daisuke looked around the rink with serious eyes, and when he found a point he wanted to pay attention to, he would dance the choreography on the spot with his mouth a little agape, so it was very easy to tell that "he wants to go to that student now".
His guidance was focused on expression, not elements, and he always made sure that he and the coaches were on the same page. Daisuke's guidance was like magic, as he conveyed the nuances, which are difficult to convey, accurately while acting them out himself, and with a little advice, the program came alive and shone with colour.
The Daisuke class from 16:00 was basically the same as the one we had in Niigata. Free leg and full body posture when doing basic movements of turns and steps. They are assigned one variation of movement after another and they continue to go back and forth on the long until the time is up.
None of this is like a game-style application that kids can easily pick up on, but it's a playful way of doing this.
The children who can practice alone are going to be able to grow a lot.
Today, they were practising a combination of cross rolls and cross overs, and also the combination with twizzles, keeping the free leg beautifully long and pushing the ice powerfully from there, all the while changing hands and changing items (?).
Ice push! Push! I've learned the hard way that it's not that easy to push when you're told to do so...
The coach who repeatedly asks you to ‘calculate’ the trajectory and placement of your foot to get to that point.
The junior students applauded the coach's example. The time passed in a strict but friendly manner.
Then, Daisuke suddenly casts a spell like "Sharp! Push! Sharp! Ha...! Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh..."
It seems like he's saying out loud the image of the movement, and saying something like "When you can adjust the speed by yourself, that will become an expression" and I thought wow...
This guy seems like he would do that without being taught.
Before the 4pm practice, Daisuke was doing his own warm-up on the ice...Everyone was just admiring him without making a fuss, but the depth of his edges caused sighs from the people around him. 
He did a big grind with a step in between a cross roll, a big circle on one foot from a twizzle, and various other advanced versions of the patterns he used in the lesson, which were amazing.
https://x.com/Noriden3/status/1817092468334268692
He taught Shimada Mao's choreography very carefully, and I watched as her little gestures became more and more beautiful with Daisuke's magic.
I wonder what it is. The way he changes speed, moves smoothly and stops perfectly. It's really unique and I'm fascinated by how he stops or holds [his movements].
And he watched each one carefully, moving slowly up and down and back and forth in time with the skating, with a serious look in his eyes, like a conductor.
He had amazing concentration, and his aura was overflowing at the side of the rink.
Daisuke, who is coaching, is so wonderful that I want to watch him forever.
But I want him to act too. I want to see various sides of Daisuke
When Daisuke is coaching, I get the impression that he talks a lot and communicates well. I can't hear his voice, though. He communicates with his body language, expressions, and all his heart and soul.
Keiji just passed behind me and I was freaked out.
I was so freaked out that all I could say was hello.
And Satsuki-chan is right next to me, so thank you for showing me something good.
I'm so touched to be able to communicate.
If there is a skater whose movements catches his eye, he raises his hand and beckons them to come over.
Even that gesture makes my heart race. Then he stares at the skater's face, talks to them, and then immediately does the example. Isn't it amazing that he can grasp the skater's movements at a glance and tell them what kind of movement they should make?
Finished. It was a very intense time.
It was a luxury to see Daisuke warming up alone on a beautiful rink with fresh ice.
Did he do it for more than 10 minutes? I enjoyed his skating in dance shoes.
I thought he was practicing a lot of twizzles, but he was teaching the skaters how to twizzle from various turns.
A turn from a twizzle? I think he said he had a request to teach the free leg when twizzling.
I was happy to see all kinds of twizzles.
It's strange because when I watch Daisuke's movements, I feel like I can skate too. Maybe it's because he does even the complicated movements clearly and carefully.
He keeps his lower body in the most beautiful position possible, and he carves a deep edge precisely, which I didn't understand at first, but once you get used to it, you can understand the rules of how to make it look beautiful. I thought to myself, ‘I can't do that, so I have to build a body that can do it’.
Daisuke himself stumbled, saying that he couldn't do the opposite, pretending to be soft [as a coach] as usual, but he was as tough as ever.
But it was fun and I was happy to see that everyone was getting better and better.
Did Rio-kun pump his fist in the air when Daisuke praised him for being good?
Daisuke-san twizzles beautifully and the skaters spontaneously applauded.
I know, it's beautiful when it's really clean.
It was impressive to see the other coaches happily observing such a scene. I hope you can see it somewhere as the cameras were following closely.
https://x.com/Noriden3/status/1817140082081763811
I already bought one [referring to the Team Japan banner], but Nakamura Shunsuke said he wanted me to buy one, so I bought another one. I'll buy it as a souvenir.
I hope it will be a source of nourishment for the athletes.
It was also noted that Dai-chan brushed up a lot of programs that were choreographed by Kana-chan (she created many programs for the juniors over the past months, as reported in the KanaDai fan fest):
https://x.com/kajikatsui/status/1817423698686509531
A short article about the camp:
https://newsdig.tbs.co.jp/articles/-/1323445?display=1
Machine translation:
Figure skating All Japan Junior Training Camp: Daisuke Takahashi as instructor, Shimada Mao says to fellow Paris table tennis representative Miwa Harimoto, "I want them to finish with a smile"
July 28, 2024 (Sun) 20:49
Sports
The All Japan Junior Figure Skating Training Camp was opened to the public on the 27th at the Kansai Airport Ice Arena in Izumisano City, Osaka Prefecture.
Following the senior training camp on the 6th of this month, this training camp was also held with spectators. The next generation of Japanese figure skaters participated, including Mao Shimada (15, Kinoshita Group), who won all the junior competitions she participated in last season, including the World Junior Championships and Youth Olympics; Rena Uezono (14, LYS Inkarami), who has made remarkable progress, coming in third in the World Junior Championships last season and fourth in the Senior All Japan Championships; and Rio Nakata (15, TOKIO Inkarami), who has declared that he will ‘win all junior competitions’ this season, and others who will lead the next generation of Japanese figure skaters. Shimada, Uezono and Nakata also participated in the senior training camp on 6 July.
The skaters were divided into three groups and each did track and field training and practiced to music on the ice (60 minutes).
The track and field training consisted of stretching and core training to improve facial expression performance through correct body use and awareness of good posture. After each event, the participants performed a rotational jump on the spot to check their performance, and wrote down the points they were aware of and noticed on a sheet.
Daisuke Takahashi (38), the first Japanese man to win a bronze medal at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, was invited to the training camp as an instructor.
During the on-ice practice, he carefully instructed each skater on how to use their free leg (the leg not on the ice). The skaters who received instructions from the legend of Japanese skating were all excited about their step up, saying, "I used parts of my body that I had never paid attention to before."
In the final overall practice session, Takahashi gave the players 60 minutes of ‘simple exercises’. The smiles gradually faded from the faces of the skaters as Mr Takahashi instructed them on the basics of skating, such as not leaning forward and raising the free leg in basic movements like ‘push’ and ‘cross roll’, paying close attention to physical details. Takahashi also taught them how to create "sharpness" and "softness" in skating by using their breath, a technique unique to the skater who has captivated the world.
Shimada Mao also talked about Miwa Harimoto (16), who is a member of the Japanese women's table tennis team at the Paris Olympics. Shimada and Harimoto belong to the same Kinoshita Group, and at the end of last year they held a talk event together. Shimada sent her own words of encouragement to the Olympian, who is in the same year as her, saying, "I don't know much about table tennis, but I hope she will perform to the best of her ability and finish with a smile on her face." The junior training camp was held from July 25th to 28th.
Dai-chan’s comment (click on the picture to start the video)
:
We asked Daisuke Takahashi, who was a special lecturer at this year's All Japan Junior Training Camp, about his thoughts.
___________________________________
On 16 September Dai will be an instructor at the 8th Sky Court Skating Class for elementary school students:
Our company's corporate philosophy is to "make everyone smile," and we have been holding "Sky Court Skating Classes" since 2013 with the hope that "by experiencing skating, people will have the opportunity to learn about the fun of sports." We have decided to hold the class again this year!
We will be welcoming professional figure skater Daisuke Takahashi as the instructor, and many other professional figure skaters, including our company's CEO Miwa Nishida, will participate.
Classes will be divided according to level, so anyone who is an elementary school student can participate with confidence, from beginners to those who are aspiring to become skaters.
This is a very valuable experience to be directly taught by a famous skater, so please take this opportunity to apply!
▼About application▼
Please apply via the profile link or the Sky Court website "News & Topics."
www.skyc.jp
to Daisuke Takahashi and Kazuki Tomono.
He's right that plants are very sensitive to the flow of energy, and they're also good for one's mental health. I'm hoping by now Kazuki got some house plants, too.
I know that lifting someone requires amazing upper body strength, but like... wow!
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.) [Then again, most recently he said (in the "Colors" radio interview above) that it's been a challenge currently to achieve the right balance between a lean and a sufficiently muscular body since he's practicing both singles and ice dance elements these days.]
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). These pictures were taken at his 2nd personal lesson with Shota Kamei from Blue Tokyo, who performed in Hyoen:
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That's a good point about the balance between doing ice dance and singles, that makes it even more impressive!
); his character is named "Midorio Furushiro":
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I was hoping for a Dai and Mao collaboration
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Also make sure to check out the photos accompanying the article 
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Thank you so much for sharing!
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(she also said that sometimes coaches used to take the amount of prize money their students earned in a certain period of time into consideration and charge them accordingly.)
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But FOI is coming up, so here we go:
(I really liked the blue hair on him and wish he would go back to that instead). From his latest (paywalled) Deep Edge column about FOI:
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and see Stephane dancing wonderfully to other people's songs
