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Hi Alice! In your recent post you mentioned Yuzu being more of an edge jumper who can also work toe jumps. Is it because Yuzu‘s axel jumps are the best? From my viewpoint his quad Salchows have not been as consistent as his Quad Toeloops. He has been telling in interviews that he worked the hardest on the axel when he was young just because he believes it to be the king of all jumps. How do you tell what his strength is?

The reply to this is going to be a bit lengthier than you expect, I think. I will go into some details because your question reminded me that I’ve got several unanswered asks on the same topic: how to tell if a skater is an edge or a toe jumper.

I need to first clarify that edge or toe jumper is not a completely fail-safe method to categorize skaters. I (and many skating fans, I think) use it simply because it’s convenient, and conventional.

The basic idea is that when you want to consider whether a skater is an edge jumper or a toe jumper, you look at which of the two categories of jumps, on average, they are more comfortable with. 

Now, success rate can be an indicator of whether or not a skater is comfortable with a certain jump type, but it’s a superficial metric. You’d also want to think about how good the skater’s technique is and what kind of quality they can achieve on that jump. Contradictory can happen because the more confident the skater is in a jump type, the higher the chance of them slotting that jump towards the end of a program, which will increase the risk of failure. 

Practical example: in recent seasons, Yuzu’s success rate on his 3F has been higher than on his 3Lz (I think the last time he had a serious stumble on a 3F was back in Sochi), but if you know him well you can obviously tell that between the two jumps, the Lutz is the one he’s much more comfortable with.  

One more practical example: Janny’s success rate on her toe jumps are neck-and-neck with that on her edge jumps, especially since she turned senior, but I would not hesitate to call her an edge jumper by nature, because her technique on those jumps, especially the Salchow and the loop, is a lot better than that of all her toe jumps.

Furthermore, since the consideration is about edge vs toe jump as two groups, we usually average the skater’s performance on Salchow - loop - Axel and compare that against their average on toe - flip - Lutz. Because it is an average, if a skater is exceptionally good at one jump type, it can skew the evaluation of them towards the group which contains that jump. That was a super convoluted way of telling you, yes, in the categorization of Yuzu as an edge jumper (which is widely agreed upon by most of the skating fans I’ve talked to), his magnificent Axel does play a role :)

(I’m sorry I couldn’t not throw in at least one Yuzu-3A gif. By this point it has become my natural reflex)

So, essentially, there are a few questions you can ask in order to do this edge vs toe categorization of a skater:

How good is their overall technique on toe jumps vs edge jumps? On toe jumps in particular do they pick with their toe or with their full blade (i.e., do they take off for their toe jumps as if they are edge jumps)? Which jump types can they enter with steps / without steps?

Which is their strongest jump? 

For the men: which kinds of quad do they practice? 

For the ladies: which triples do they put in combination? —This can work for the men as well. 

For everyone: which type of jumps do they usually use in their exhibition

Using those to answer your main question, Yuzu is an edge jumper because (1) his technique on the average edge jump is better than on his toe jumps (not to say that his toe jumps are bad, his Salchow - loop - Axel average is simply too good), (2) his best jump is the Axel, (3) he has a highly trustworthy triple Salchow in combination, (4) you don’t usually see him doing toe jumps in exhibition and (5) in case you still need more convincing, he himself once confirmed that his most favorite jump types are Axel and Salchow :)

Incidentally, there’s a cheat code: anyone who’s got a great Axel is usually an edge jumper, and anyone who’s good at both the Lutz and flip (i.e., no wrong edge on either) is usually a toe jumper. Yes, I know, this cheat code totally fails in Yuzu’s case, and in Boyang’s case as well, which is why I said the both of them are rare animals in the skater kingdom. I promise that it does work most of the times though.

Finally, remember that this categorization, as I said in the beginning, is only a convenient way to look at things. It’s not always the most accurate and it’s not always the most reliable. There will always be skaters who fall into a certain grey area between the two. A prime example is our newly minted Olympic champion, Alina Zagitova. I still can’t for the life of me figure out which side of the fence she falls in. My first instinct says toe jumper, since she’s got decent edges on both the Lutz and the flip, but her triple loop is really consistent and her Axel isn’t bad either :)

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yuzuru + iconic moments in the finale || Continues with Wings

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Yuzuru Hanyu, “This is pretty difficult. But I’m really happy I’m able to skate with all my strength in front of everyone like this. […] So, now at the very end, please watch my Seimei that I put my every effort into with steps and spins. Here I go! Are you ready?” (Continues with Wings, 04.15.18)

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Yuzu’s ✌️✌️ Parade Donation: Step-by-Step

The parade planning committee has set up a donations page in support of the event. Since it is in Japanese, I figured I could put together a walkthrough while I go through the donation process. Step-by-step after the *keep reading* break. Feel free to reach out if you need help (ideally not as anon).

Here is the link to the page itself:

https://machi-kuru.com/fp/26

Keep reading

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Yuzuru Hanyu 羽生結弦 Steps, Turns, Jumps, GOE Analysis - WR Hope & Legacy (WC 2017 FS)

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Yuzuru Hanyu, White Legend (Sochi 2014) → Notte Stellata (Pyeongchang 2018)

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‘Aoi Hono’ (Blue Flame) and ‘Aoi Hono 2′ are Yuzuru Hanyu’s autobiographies (they consist almost entirely of Yuzuru’s own words from long interviews).  (Also romanised as ‘Aoi Honoo’). 

‘Yuzuru Method’ is a biography written by sports journalist Yoshie Noguchi. 

‘Aoi Hono’ was published in April 2012 and Nonchan1023 has done a full translation.  See HERE for her instructions on how to get it.

‘Yuzuru Method’ was published in March 2016 and ‘Aoi Hono 2′ in July 2016.  I shared or translated some parts last year as I read the books. (They saved me during the terribly long off-season of 2016.)  Below are the links to my posts.  For new fans, I suggest you read them in this order (chronological).  Enjoy!

My posts on ‘Yuzuru Method’:

Content page and publisher’s note

1) Childhood to 14 years old  (Junior national champ)

2) 14 to 15 years old  (Junior World champ)

3) 15 to 16 years old  (Senior debut)

4) 16 years old  (2011 earthquake)

[This was all I did on ‘Yuzuru Method’ because ‘Aoi Hono 2′ was published then and I started to read and post about that.]

My posts on ‘Aoi Hono 2′:

Publisher’s note and meaning behind name 

Scene 0: Prologue  (2011 off-season)

Scene 1:  Worlds 2012  (17 years old)

Scene 2:  2012 off-season (Moving to Canada) 

Scene 3+4:  2012-13 season (1st win at nationals + Worlds 2013)

Scene 5-8: 2013-2014 (Olympic season)   [i didn’t translate this part] 

Scene 9: 2014 off-season (his very 1st quad loop)

Scene 10: 2014-15 season (Cup of China)

Scene 10: 2014-15 season (After CoC to nationals; urachus surgery)

Scene 11-13:  2015-2016  [didn’t translate this part]

Scene 14: Worlds 2016  (lisfranc ligament injury) 

Scene 15: epilogue  [didn’t translate this]

(Words in brackets are my own notes)

Please NOTE:  My posts are NOT proper translations; just sharing parts of what I read with fellow Yuzu-fans. (There are no official translations for his books, as far as I know.)   

If you want to buy one or two of the books, I highly recommend his autobiographies ‘Aoi Hono’ 1 or 2.  They are very beautifully made and you will also be helping Yuzuru’s beloved home rink.  (Yuzu donates all royalties from the books to Ice Rink Sendai.  The publisher ‘Fusosha’ also donates part of the revenue from the sales.) (Plus you can get Nonchan’s translation if you buy the 1st one, so get BOTH if you can.) ^^  See this post for links to buy online.  

Update on 3 March 2018:  tsukihoshi14 has been working on a translation of ‘Aoi Hono 2′ and it will be ready very soon.  To get it, proof of purchase of the book is needed, just like for the 1st book, because we all want to support Yuzuru’s cause.  I will not be translating any more parts of this book. :)  Will update this post with the relevant link when her translation is ready. 

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[ECOVAILxONEYOUZURU SUBS] 180227 To ANA Where I Belong, “I am Home” - Yuzuru Hanyu

translated by: ecovail subbed by: oneyouzuru

stream/download: youtube ; openload ; drive ; mega

This is the JIJI Press coverage. Only the interview part is subbed.

DO NOT REUPLOAD OR CLAIM AS YOURS!

Please fave/reblog!

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Yuzuru’s full interview with FCCJ

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FULL!!! Men’s Free Skating - Figure Skating | PyeongChang 2018 Replays including the Flower Ceremony *you can choose commentary or no commentary too!! so goooooood.

Cr.www.olympicchannel.com

https://www.olympicchannel.com/en/playback/figure-skating-mens-free-skating/

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Intro: Exhibition Gala 2018🎉 THANK YOU FOR ENTERTAINING US WITH YOUR AMAZING TALENTS!!💖😭👑

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Brian Orser’s interview in Korean news (24 Feb 2018) – translated by Chaiyun Yoo. (only the parts related to Yuzu are translated)

Interviewer: How do you feel when you see Yuzuru and Javier on the podium.

Brian: I feel proud of them. Yuzuru got first place and Javier got 3rd place. As a coach, it was a wonderful experience. Since I’ve spent such a long time with both of them. I’ve been with Javier for 7 years and with Hanyu for 6 years. Seeing both of them on the podium was truly amazing. This Olympics was very important. It’s important because I led Yuzuru and Javier to the 2014 Olympics as well as in the current Olympics. Yuzuru had a gold medal, as well as a second consecutive win on the line. Yuzuru was happy that Javier was on the podium.

I believed that this Olympics would become a battle between Javier and Yuzuru. Since I’ve led both of these skaters I can’t choose one or the either. It’s like when parents are asked “who is your favorite child” and the parents will respond “both are unique, so I love them both equally.” It’s the same for me. I love all my skaters equally. Because they all have unique personalities and specialties. There is nothing different from me and a parent.

Skipping to Yuzuru’s section…

Interviewer: Hanyu Yuzuru was injured for 3 months and did not skate. How did he spend his time?

Brian: Throughout that time, Yuzuru was in Toronto. At the beginning it was really depressing and dark. Seeing him walk in crutches was sad. I felt sad cause I knew how much Yuzuru wanted to practice. But instead of practicing, he was practicing in his head, visualising and practicing skills on the floor. And he was very serious about the training.

The turning point came three weeks before the start of the Olympics. The road seemed to open again. From there the training really started and he had to do all the techniques we had planned. So he gave himself confidence and he strategically planned it. And he was able to pull it off.

With him being able to pull off these results, I believe it as a miracle. I’ve never underestimated him, but he was like a ‘super power’ from another planet. I’m not very surprised that he was able to bring out these results. I know what process he’s been through so I’m just very happy.

Interviewer: People criticised the fact that Hanyu reused his 2015/16 long program. What do you think about this?

Brian: I believe he was wise in choosing to keep his program and reuse it this season. Because it’s a very special program. Isn’t it a program worthy of the Olympics? Two years ago, this program was too early to choose to show at the Olympics. The same goes for the short program. He is excellent and beautiful that even if you watch him over and over again, you won’t get tired of watching him.

Interviewer: Did Hanyu decide this himself?

Brian: It was 100% his choice, and I supported his decision. Carrying the responsibility, he chose to do it. He’s always spending his days with positive thoughts. We knew the press would talk about this decision a lot. But, there were a lot of people that wanted to see this program. Amongst them, there were some people that particularly liked this program, and they were the judges. With this program, Hanyu had broken his own world record, and when he did, there were judges that said, “I was able to watch it live and judge this excellent, magic-like competition, and it was best moment of my life.”

Those judges that missed out in watching the competition live were able to come and watch it at these Olympics.

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Translation by Chaiyun Yoo of YHIFG. [Do not re-post without permission. Sharing the link is ok.]

Original text and photos from huffingtonpost.

Click on the original article for a gif of Yuzu who “came out of nowhere and played around during the shoot” (the caption said that). Then he ran off! haha……

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Yuzuru Hanyu at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games: A Recap

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Road to gold (special NHK 180226)