Jeff: the positive changes

[Bennett]

I thought that his programs really magical. They were simply breath-taking. I could repeat watching them forever.

I also am wondering what magical things happened to Jeff after 4CC. Although I have been a big fan of him, I haven't had an impression that Jeff is a consistent skater. But this time, he said that he had many clean programs in practices and that he didn't feel that he could make any mistakes. Do you have any idea what positive changes led to these clean performances?

I am hoping that this magical change continues up until the Olympics...!

 

[elye]

I think this is result of his hard work.
He don't care about the other doing but only to come back more strong than ever.

At Worlds when everyone waited to see the end of his career He smiled.He smiled even in the warm up, he was happy, happy to skate

 

[silver.blades]

I think that he's also finally compleatly healed from his back injery. Alot of improvements can be made when a skater is compeatly free of pain, there's alot less pressure and more ease when you're not thinking this is going to hurt.

 

[Medusa]

But even before his injury he was never really consistent! Didn't he have two rather sloppy performances with a fall when he won the Olympic Bronze and the World Silver some years ago?

I can't remember him being so strong, so secure on every jump. I think that he had a good competition here and there - but at the big competitions he tended to do mistakes, was always unsecure on at least one jump, even when he won those medals.

It was so great, g-r-e-a-t to see him like that. What an incredible comeback. And finally a long program by Jeff Buttle that I can watch over and over and over again without having to care about the scratchy parts!

He looked way more secure than at 4CC - 4CC was a rather typical Buttle-long, one fall, one popped jump, a few scratchy landings. Perhaps he just relaxed. There wasn't much pressure on him, the season wasn't good for him, he lost his national title, came in 6th at the last two Worlds. He could just be Buttle, great - artistic - effortless - amazing.

 

[Bennett]

Yeah, I have to agree that Jeff hasn't been known for being consistent even before the injury.

I also agree that he perhaps had less pressures than some other guys like Takahashi, Lambiel, Johnny, Joubert, or Tomas for 1) not worried about the quad and 2) not worried much about winning the game or medalling here.

Not only the mental one, but also his practices seem to have been going really well back at home as well as in Sweden as I read all the reports.

Here his mom summarizes the difference from his usual self:

"Jeffrey has very often — especially in the last year — gone into a competition saying 'I hope,'" said Lesley Buttle. "This time after Friday's short program, he called and said 'Mom, Saturday morning sit on the couch, have your coffee [because] it's going to be a clean skate.'

http://www.cbc.ca/sports/figureskati...uttle-mom.html

I read that his summer practices went very well and people were noticing that he also had more muscles. But somehow he wasn't doing too well in GPs, Nationals, and 4CC. Then he finally became brilliant here, having strong 3As and lutzs. Something really positive seems to have happened towards the Worlds.

Do you think that we could hope that this change would continue?

 

[vintagefigureskater]

I think that he's also finally compleatly healed from his back injery. Alot of improvements can be made when a skater is compeatly free of pain, there's alot less pressure and more ease when you're not thinking this is going to hurt.

Being over the injury has very likely helped a great deal. In a weird way, the initial pain free period post injury can be almost euphoric – after feeling bad for a long time, feeling good feels really good. A couple of other major factors IMHO are the intensive strength training program he was working on while in Lake Arrowhead and longer sessions on the ice. A big part of Jeff’s difficulty with the harder jumps was that he flat-out wasn’t strong enough to get/hold the right body positions to do the jumps properly. And for skaters like Jeff who skate by “feel” lots of consistent on-ice training time is very important so that the right “feelings” get committed to memory.

 

[Bennett]

A couple of other major factors IMHO are the intensive strength training program he was working on while in Lake Arrowhead and longer sessions on the ice. A big part of Jeff’s difficulty with the harder jumps was that he flat-out wasn’t strong enough to get/hold the right body positions to do the jumps properly. And for skaters like Jeff who skate by “feel” lots of consistent on-ice training time is very important so that the right “feelings” get committed to memory.

These seem to have worked. He said that he was influenced by Mao Asada and started to practice longer hours. That's interesting.

I am really hoping that he could maintain the consistency with lutz and 3A.

I also think that he could have two level-4 steps with big plus GOE, which I believe to be totally achievable for Jeff. And that may give him just as many or even greater points as a quad with less risk of injuries, less inconsistency, and less psychological pressures at competitions.

 

[NatachaHatawa]

Usually, Jeff bores me to death, yet during his LP he didn't. I don't know whethet this was really because of his performance or just because of the circumstances, but congrats to him on that.

 

[Tigger]

To me, the big shock was how confident Jeff was. I mean, in all the interviews I saw on Friday after the SP was, "It will be a clean long tomorrow." I heard that and did a double take. Jeff has never said stuff like that and I was wondering, but he came out and was as good as his word.

It's a combination of his work ethic *and* this new confidence that was the key to everything.

 

[astimegoesby]

Maybe Jeff losing his Canadian title to Patrick Chan might have had something to do with it, too. That might have taken some of the pressure off Jeff heading into Worlds and given him an extra kick in the butt to do whatever he needed to do to skate so well there.

But whatever happened to Jeff between Canadians and Worlds, I certainly hope he keeps it up during the next couple of years heading into the Olympics!

 

[Bennett]

To me, the big shock was how confident Jeff was. I mean, in all the interviews I saw on Friday after the SP was, "It will be a clean long tomorrow." I heard that and did a double take. Jeff has never said stuff like that and I was wondering, but he came out and was as good as his word.

It's a combination of his work ethic *and* this new confidence that was the key to everything.

Yeah, I was also very impressed by his confidence. He was happily & calmly smiling in front of the excited crowd cheering for Jourbert's performance. Considering how the similar situation affected him at the last Worlds---i.e., being the last skater after the home crowd's favorite did very well---it was extremely impressive.

 

[dizzydi7]

I love Jeff's skating and I'm so happy he finally won a world title. However, It's too bad that he couldn't save that skate for the Olympics. I just don't see him doing this again. For one thing, the pressure will be really be on him to repeat in L.A. Then the Olympics in Canada will really bring on the nerves and pressure. I just don't think he will handle it.

Just a feeling.

Dizzy

 

[silver.blades]

^No one thought he would handle the pressure this year and he proved everyone wrong. Granted the Olys will have even more pressure as will next years worlds, but he seems much more confident and relaxed than he has before. You never know...
My fingers are crossed

 

[Bennett]

^No one thought he would handle the pressure this year and he proved everyone wrong. Granted the Olys will have even more pressure as will next years worlds, but he seems much more confident and relaxed than he has before. You never know...
My fingers are crossed

I totally agree. I think that Jeff has a great frame of mind. His attitude is always that of the champion whether he wins or loses. He always puts his heart in his program. Doing good skate. That would help him.
Being more mature in his age than other guys also would help him. He has already announced to retire after the Olympics. So I don't think that his ultimate, only goal there would be to win the game. As Shizuka did in her Gold winning Olympic performance, I think that he could appreciate every moment of the great experience of being in the Olympics at home.

------------------------------------
A news article in which Jeff himself explained his positive changes.

http://www.simcoe.com/article/67891

After coming off a downer at the nationals, the defending three-time Canadian champ rededicated himself to his training, which he says was key to raising the level of his game at the world championships.
“You know what? Defeat can only really inspire you to train a lot harder. I learned a couple of lessons at those nationals for sure. I went for a higher difficulty than Patrick, and I didn’t get the things done that I should have gotten done. So I learned that it was important to get my combinations done in the program,” Buttle said.
“And then I went to the world championships feeling a lot stronger and a lot more confident, and because of the national championships, I went out and did a clean program, got all my combinations done, and that actually helped me to win … So those are the lessons that you learn, and you could choose to improve from them, or you can just choose to dwell on them.”
Confidence was the key. Before leaving Canada for Sweden, Buttle knew that he was in the zone, knew that he was going to perform well on the international stage.
“I felt ‘on' before I’d even left,” he said. “When I was doing training, before I stepped on the ice, I would tell myself ‘we’re going to go and we’re going to do a clean program,’ and I would go on and I would do a clean program. And it just got to the point where I was so consistent that I could do that, I could tell myself I was going to have a clean program.
“And I just kept that feeling the whole time at worlds. I felt really strong and confident, and just basically told myself when I went out that I was going to skate a clean program. Confidence was the difference.”

He sounds very classy, as always!