Here is a translation of an interview that Lambiel's coach Peter Grütter gave to Romandie News about Stéphane. It was published on December 18, 2007
http://www.romandie.com/infos/ats/display2.asp?page=20071218132102328172193011000_brg503.xml
Having barely recovered from his victory at the Grand Prix final, Stéphane Lambiel took off for St Petersburg, Russia this Wednesday to skate in a gala and get a bit of a special training from legendary Coach Alexei Mishin. His Geneva-based Coach, Peter Grütter, talks to us about the champion's motivations and the surprising variations in his level of competitive fitness.
Q: Mister Grütter, Stéphane Lambiel is often unsettling. How are we to understand the extreme inconsistency of his skating that varies between disappointing performances at the beginning of the season and the unexpected "resurrection" at Turin?
Peter Grütter: The lows and the highs of Stéphane's s skating really depend on his state of mind. He is very sensitive to a lot of things and any little thing can either pump him up or bring him down. The environment, the harsh weather. If his training sessions start off on a bad note, it's very difficult to get him back into shape. At Turin, he was in a very good place. The ice is smoother than at Geneva, he could jump higher and that gave him confidence. And besides, he always gets fired up by a big challenge.
Q: He is apparently very sensitive to things other than competition?
P.G: Of course. His team has to be calm. A person who doesn't know Stéphane well enough could make a misstep. A badly placed comment could really throw him off. You have to know what to say and when.
Q: Your work is rather psychological, isn't it? Is it sometimes difficult?
P.G: That's interesting. A teacher at one time really said it best. Stéphane is smart and understands the technique he needs to follow. However, he still misses sometimes because his body doesn't comply with the demands of his mind. It's pointless to elaborate further. Stéphane doesn't like the same comments to be repeated over and over again. After all, he responds and reacts to suggestions very fast. I admire that in him.
Q: On the topic of Stephan's technical skills, I have heard that you have used a physical trainer to help Stéphane correct his triple axel. What exactly did this physical trainer work on?
P.G: We wanted to change Stephan's entry into the jump. The skaters whose triple axel take-off is done fully on the edge, like Stéphane, are less successful with it than those who take off on a glide. Stéphane is learning the glide technique. But it would be unfair to say that he can't do the triple axel. Before the Salt Lake City Olympics, he did 30 of them at every training session.
Q: In which areas can Stéphane still improve?
P.G: In the realm of artistry, he has this marvelous gift for transforming simple elements a step into something very intricate and personal. That's better than to just pile up more quads or triples, even if Stéphane likes the risk of increasing jump difficulty. The public sometimes has trouble telling the difference between a quad and a triple.
Q: What do you hope to see Stéphane accomplish at the European Championships at Zagreb (21 - 27 January) and at the World Championships in Göteborg (17-23 March)
A: I expect that Stéphane will be in better competitive form. I would be disappointed to be wrong about it. He is always better in the spring. If he could make his triple axel and quadruple more consistent, I don't foresee any problems. The judges and the audience like his programs.
http://www.romandie.com/infos/ats/display2.asp?page=20071218132102328172193011000_brg503.xml
Having barely recovered from his victory at the Grand Prix final, Stéphane Lambiel took off for St Petersburg, Russia this Wednesday to skate in a gala and get a bit of a special training from legendary Coach Alexei Mishin. His Geneva-based Coach, Peter Grütter, talks to us about the champion's motivations and the surprising variations in his level of competitive fitness.
Q: Mister Grütter, Stéphane Lambiel is often unsettling. How are we to understand the extreme inconsistency of his skating that varies between disappointing performances at the beginning of the season and the unexpected "resurrection" at Turin?
Peter Grütter: The lows and the highs of Stéphane's s skating really depend on his state of mind. He is very sensitive to a lot of things and any little thing can either pump him up or bring him down. The environment, the harsh weather. If his training sessions start off on a bad note, it's very difficult to get him back into shape. At Turin, he was in a very good place. The ice is smoother than at Geneva, he could jump higher and that gave him confidence. And besides, he always gets fired up by a big challenge.
Q: He is apparently very sensitive to things other than competition?
P.G: Of course. His team has to be calm. A person who doesn't know Stéphane well enough could make a misstep. A badly placed comment could really throw him off. You have to know what to say and when.
Q: Your work is rather psychological, isn't it? Is it sometimes difficult?
P.G: That's interesting. A teacher at one time really said it best. Stéphane is smart and understands the technique he needs to follow. However, he still misses sometimes because his body doesn't comply with the demands of his mind. It's pointless to elaborate further. Stéphane doesn't like the same comments to be repeated over and over again. After all, he responds and reacts to suggestions very fast. I admire that in him.
Q: On the topic of Stephan's technical skills, I have heard that you have used a physical trainer to help Stéphane correct his triple axel. What exactly did this physical trainer work on?
P.G: We wanted to change Stephan's entry into the jump. The skaters whose triple axel take-off is done fully on the edge, like Stéphane, are less successful with it than those who take off on a glide. Stéphane is learning the glide technique. But it would be unfair to say that he can't do the triple axel. Before the Salt Lake City Olympics, he did 30 of them at every training session.
Q: In which areas can Stéphane still improve?
P.G: In the realm of artistry, he has this marvelous gift for transforming simple elements a step into something very intricate and personal. That's better than to just pile up more quads or triples, even if Stéphane likes the risk of increasing jump difficulty. The public sometimes has trouble telling the difference between a quad and a triple.
Q: What do you hope to see Stéphane accomplish at the European Championships at Zagreb (21 - 27 January) and at the World Championships in Göteborg (17-23 March)
A: I expect that Stéphane will be in better competitive form. I would be disappointed to be wrong about it. He is always better in the spring. If he could make his triple axel and quadruple more consistent, I don't foresee any problems. The judges and the audience like his programs.
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