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Mao Asada news

Thanks for the links, babayaga!
I love the glimpse of her short, and that her upper body doesn't move up and down like it used to anymore.
Go Mao!
 
Tarasova is almost determined not to use an original version of anything it seems...

Fantasy Impromptu (the Olympic season LP that was later ditched) for Shizuka and Sotonikova's Bolero come to mind.
 
I wonder what was the priority in rebuilding Mao's jumps. Certainly seemed not her flutz for the first season of her rebuilding.
BTW does she really need lutz? I kinda feel Mr. Sato has the same question...
 
Last edited:
sorcerer said:
I wonder what was the priority in rebuilding Mao's jumps. Certainly seemed not her flutz for the first season of her rebuilding.
BTW does she really need lutz? I kinda feel Mr. Sato has the same question...
Click to expand...

In retrospect, changing her jump technique looks like a bad decision. She really wasn't close to landing a proper lutz the last few seasons (or ever for that matter). I wouldn't mind her falling on a lutz if it was taken off from the outside edge, but whatever work she put into the jump has not yet paid off because she is still taking off from the wrong edge. The time she has put in on the lutz has taken away from the maintenance of her other difficult triples, notably the flip and the axel, which have been less consistent than ever the last few seasons. I kind of wish she would permanently take the lutz out of her repertoire and concentrate on getting her 3/3 back because I feel like it might be easier to relearn something you used to do rather than learn something you never did correctly.
 
drivingmissdaisy said:
In retrospect, changing her jump technique looks like a bad decision. She really wasn't close to landing a proper lutz the last few seasons (or ever for that matter). I wouldn't mind her falling on a lutz if it was taken off from the outside edge, but whatever work she put into the jump has not yet paid off because she is still taking off from the wrong edge. The time she has put in on the lutz has taken away from the maintenance of her other difficult triples, notably the flip and the axel, which have been less consistent than ever the last few seasons. I kind of wish she would permanently take the lutz out of her repertoire and concentrate on getting her 3/3 back because I feel like it might be easier to relearn something you used to do rather than learn something you never did correctly.
Click to expand...

That's not 100% true, as she landed a true 3Lz with the correct edge twice in 2008-2009 season. But i don't know the reason she stopped doing it next season and by 2011 she was back to her old technique.
 
Mirunna said:
That's not 100% true, as she landed a true 3Lz with the correct edge twice in 2008-2009 season. But i don't know the reason she stopped doing it next season and by 2011 she was back to her old technique.
Click to expand...
I think it's because she started focusing on perfecting and making consistent her 3A.
 
sorcerer said:
I wonder what was the priority in rebuilding Mao's jumps. Certainly seemed not her flutz for the first season of her rebuilding.
BTW does she really need lutz? I kinda feel Mr. Sato has the same question...
Click to expand...

Probably her flip. It is definitely the jump that changed the most. Reforming her jump technique was not a bad decision. Before the changes, Mao had to bend down a lot to get height on her flip. Now, it appears much less strained. The lutz is very hard to change though. Mirai spent years fixing her edge on that jump, but she still gets called occasionally.
 
miki88 said:
Probably her flip. It is definitely the jump that changed the most.
Click to expand...
Yes I noticed the marvelous effort and yes she has succeeded in that.
Maybe Mr. Sato is going step by step from the easier jumps to the harder.
I expect Mao's Salchow more often this year.
So I don't think it is wise to risk changing her takeoff on (f)lutz when Sochi gets more closer.
It might well affect her flip, which she has rebuild, in the very Oly season.

What was Nagakubo in the earlier few months trying to correct on her jumps? Does anyone know?
 
Here's a very interesting article on Mao, and the influence of Coach Nobuo Sato on the importance of speed and the decision not to go for 3axel at NHK. It's in Japanese, but it's worth a read even via google translator.

http://sportsnavi.yahoo.co.jp/winter/skate/figure/text/201111150002-spnavi_1.html

Summary:

Sato has a policy: unsuccessful practice = no 3axel at comps

But he never tells Mao what to do, as he knows 3axel is more than just a jump for her, rather it's the biggest motivation driver, which reminds him of Yukari Nakano to whom he would insist not going for the jump, only to see her lose spark overall.

Sato and Mao have been working on speed, with the coach preaching that there is nothing that appeals stronger than speed, and they have been focusing on it throughout the off season.

Sato told her before NHK SP "from my experience, 2axel is the way to go, but the decision is yours," to which she replied, "Even if I go for the triple, I promise I won't neglect on the other aspects of the performance."

Having been patient for a year, Sato said over dinner that night, "A 2axel would've earnt higher points. Opting not to go for 3axel at one competition wouldn't mean you gave up on the jump completely. I only hope you will understand some day."

Those words seemed to affect her. At the practice before NHK LP, she told the coach she would try the jump just once. With an underrotated attempt, she would have ordinarily continued to work on the sole jump throughout the practice, but she didn't this time.

Mao is happy with the outcome, felt that the audience was engaged in her performance rather than going, "Push, push ("Gambare" in this context probably means "feeling as if they wanted to push me with encouragement from behind due to lack of speed, and hold their breath before each jump)", and is beginning to understand what Sato has been saying.

----------------------

This duo seem to be working!
 
Her speed is better and I agree it adds to the performance. Particularly in the SP she looks more athletic than I have ever see (movement-wise, not her body), and when she skates that short to the best of her ability it will really capture the audience.
 
Hikki, thanks so much for the translation! I actually tried google translate but the result was unreadable. :biggrin:
 
A great article indeed, hikki, and it definitely sheds light onto Mao and Sato's developing (for the better, it seems) relationship.

What struck me more than the axel at NHK, though, was that, for the first time in a few seasons, I saw a genuine love for skating in Mao's smile during both of her programs. I was worried for the girl at World's last year, where she looked emaciated and absolutely distraught (probably due to the then recent events in Japan), and I'm glad she seems to be making great strides towards a recovery. :)
 
Really cool insight into Sato's coaching style and his relationship with Mao. He sounds like a persuasive, but not forceful mentor. I like that.
 
Sato seems like a great coach and wise and kind man. I hope these two become unstoppable soon! Win or lose, its so nice to see Mao smiling again.
 
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