Tinami Amori
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Discussion about Shoma Uno and Tutberidze by sports journalist Anatoly Samokhvalov and coach Inna Goncharenkov.
By Abatoly Samokhvalova. R-Sport. 06-10-19
(lots of figuratives, not all translated exactly as said)
Editorial: Olympic 2018 Silver medalist, Shoma Uno is off to join the training camp of the Russian coach, Eteri Tutberidze. Anatoly Samokhvalov is certain, that the Japanese skater is there to stay, and jointly with the Honored Coach of Russia, Inna Goncharenko, they discuss why a highly titled skater may need the russian-style high-demand level training.
AS: Monotonously and unhurried, Shoma Uno bounced an orange basketball against the dusky-colored floor. Five meters away, as if keeping guard, stood one of Mihoko Higuchi’s assistant coach. The eyes of the Olympic silver medal holder reflected either hopelessness or disdain. He showed no reactions to the passersby.
While I stood watching Alina Zagitova’s practice, some guy ran past me, snagging me with his shoulder. “Excuse me, sir!” – I turn around and see a head of wavy hair, paisley eyes and a bright youthful smile. Nathan Chen just apologized to me. And there was Uno, not too far away, laying down motionless on an exercise pad… with the same, painfully sad look… in front of the assistant coach.
This self-grinding meditation was enough for Uno to win Silver, coming second only behind Chen, at the Grand Prix Final in the Vancouver’s Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre. And yet again, he missed a rather easy salchow, under-rotated a flip, and a month later at Worlds in his home arena in Japan, stood off the podium. He graciously parted with his coach Higuchi, and is now to arrive at Tutberdize’s training camp. What for?
It’s quite clear that somebody like Uno is able to compete on equal footing with Chen and Hanyu, but what can Tutberidze do for him?
To discuss this topic I took the liberty of distracting Inna Goncharenko from family and summer gardening, as she still diligently follows figure skating.
IG: The main benefit that Shoma will receive from Tutberidze first of all – is from her training system – the result of which is high stability. Uno is going for the same result as we see in girls who train in “Krystalniy”. This Japanese young man has amazing abilities, but he is not that young. He is about the same age as Samarin. Uno is accomplished. He is talented and unique; with ambition. Yet he the kind who either gives “an out of this world performance”, or to make “a prohibitive mistake and fall on an axel”. As I see it, Shoma is looking for ways to obtain that reinforced-concrete stability; that sense that once you learned something, it is permanent, and nothing else.
AS: Tutberidze on several occasions pointed out the benefits of Asian mind set when it comes to training. She once said in an interview with Andrey Simonenko, “they are raised in such a way that they don’t question (their coaches); not even in their minds. That while our athletes dig into their doubts, Asian athletes just go and do it.” There is doubt that, with Higuchi, Uno also “went and did it”, just as he repetitively bounced the basketball on the arena’s floor, until he finished that set of training.
IG: It is not possible to suspect Shoma of cutting corners in training, I remember him since he was a junior. Already then he was a hard working kid, a hard working and goal oriented athlete, and that is why he is seeking an environment he is inclined towards, but lost somewhere in the process. It is logical that he is addressing Tutberidze, who is at the top.
AS: How well do you think Shoma Uno would be able to handle Tutberidze’s system?
IG: That’s an interesting question. Certainly the system he will encounter is radically different from the one that he had in Japan. He and his coach had an extremely warm relationship. Perhaps he wants to change the routine of such, and seeks a more demanding environment. A master such as he is, should perform not driven by super-emotions, but by high-level athletic abilities.
AS: In the same interview with Simonenko, Tutberidze also said “Also in Japan they understood, that they do need to enclose themselves in their own country, and not just in Japan but in Asia in general. Not to hint at anything negative, but most of them at one point went abroad to practice their careers.”
IG: The competition between figure skating clubs inside their own countries – is an interesting experience. Earlier it was Alexei Mishin who was the face of Russian figure skating. Now it is Tutberidze. Japanese and Americans stood out with their signature methods. Uno – is a finished product of the Japanese figure skating school. The fact that he is a Japanese skater apparent not by his face, but how handles the blade. Gracefulness, fluidity, such precise and purely Japanese blade work. How he maybe influenced by Tutberidze’s system is interesting to me as a professional. What will come of it? Most likely “not worst than what it is now” at minimum. Because Tutberidze will be working with some one who is a complete well-rounded professional, with a pedigree and a passport that proves it. He is that unique, one of a kind Japanese creation, which still proudly displays that enticing “Made in Japan” stamp, and not a mass-production label from a newly built factory in Shenzhen or Guangzhou.
What is required of Tutberidze is simply fine tuning and a change of tires. Is it not true? It will not be worst for sure. Because he is already a mature athlete, self propelling and motivated. He does not need to be taught how tie laces. However, the new climate, adopting to the new environment will take some time. Arriving one day and jumping to success the next does not happen.
AS: He and Tutberidze have time until the next Olympics.
IG: Men singles, by the way, is the easiest discipline to predict for the Olympics. It will be a collection of quads of maximum difficulty, and the one who will win, will be the one with least mistakes. And Tutberidze is capable of building such a solid concrete base.
Eteri always aims towards the most difficult. If her girls already are doing the most difficult quad jumps, then her expectations for the guys are likely to be at maximum. And somehow she knows how to accomplish.
AS: At the same time, Morris Kvitelashvili has been living at Krystalny for a long time, and yet he performs rather average elements, receiving average placements, and nobody expects anything extra-ordinary from him.
IG: I know Morris from childhood. This person has an uncommon mentality, and given the structure of his nervous system he achieves, in my opinion, excellent results. Try to remember Morris before he came to Tutberidze, and what he is now. In any other coach’s hands he would not accomplish more.
AS: Do you think Uno is going to Tutberidze to learn how to win from Chen and Hanyu?
IG: Yes, of course. I think his decision was affected by example and the situation with Evgeniya Medvedeva, which was widely discussed. Many people made their observations and conclusions. I believe it played a role in Shoma’s selection process for the training system. I am only making a prediction, but it seems he decided that preparations for the next Olympics maybe best accomplished by Tutberidze’s methods.
AS: What challenges will Tutberidze face herself?
IG: An athlete of Shoma’s level will require a lot of personal/individual approach. I mean, training time and space, both. You can’t let him skate with little kids. The coach herself will undergo a certain transformation, after which we will see very interesting and colorful performances of the skater.
AS: Does Uno needs more of Tutberidze or of Sergey Dudakov, who is now a legendary specialist?
IG: Uno’s technical skills are superb, plus tailored personally for him. He is of specific height, with specific coordination. He first of all needs not to work on technique, but to train in a strict environment, with more demands, than what he had.
AS: Facing difficulties, Shoma Uno did not take a break in his career, did not start telling the world about his psychological difficulties, did not threaten with “professional hara-kiri” claiming to be misunderstood by people, did not travel to Canada to the smiling Orser, where one needs to design his own plans and conditions and work them out with the coach; He decided to place his head under Tutberidze’s smile in hope to receive hard-core schooling and hopefully the Gold in Peking.
IS: I don’t feel any negatives in this situation. Now there will be “our Japanese” at the competitions.
Editorial: … and that’s how Inna Goncharova summed up this conversation before returning to her tomato garden.
***
By Abatoly Samokhvalova. R-Sport. 06-10-19
Вместо депрессии и сеппуку – Тутберидзе: зачем Сёма идет к Этери
Серебряный призер Олимпийских игр 2018 года Сёма Уно прибывает на сбор к российскому тренеру Этери Тутберидзе. Анатолий Самохвалов уверен, что японец явился... РИА Новости Спорт, 10.06.2019
rsport.ria.ru
Editorial: Olympic 2018 Silver medalist, Shoma Uno is off to join the training camp of the Russian coach, Eteri Tutberidze. Anatoly Samokhvalov is certain, that the Japanese skater is there to stay, and jointly with the Honored Coach of Russia, Inna Goncharenko, they discuss why a highly titled skater may need the russian-style high-demand level training.
AS: Monotonously and unhurried, Shoma Uno bounced an orange basketball against the dusky-colored floor. Five meters away, as if keeping guard, stood one of Mihoko Higuchi’s assistant coach. The eyes of the Olympic silver medal holder reflected either hopelessness or disdain. He showed no reactions to the passersby.
While I stood watching Alina Zagitova’s practice, some guy ran past me, snagging me with his shoulder. “Excuse me, sir!” – I turn around and see a head of wavy hair, paisley eyes and a bright youthful smile. Nathan Chen just apologized to me. And there was Uno, not too far away, laying down motionless on an exercise pad… with the same, painfully sad look… in front of the assistant coach.
This self-grinding meditation was enough for Uno to win Silver, coming second only behind Chen, at the Grand Prix Final in the Vancouver’s Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre. And yet again, he missed a rather easy salchow, under-rotated a flip, and a month later at Worlds in his home arena in Japan, stood off the podium. He graciously parted with his coach Higuchi, and is now to arrive at Tutberdize’s training camp. What for?
It’s quite clear that somebody like Uno is able to compete on equal footing with Chen and Hanyu, but what can Tutberidze do for him?
To discuss this topic I took the liberty of distracting Inna Goncharenko from family and summer gardening, as she still diligently follows figure skating.
IG: The main benefit that Shoma will receive from Tutberidze first of all – is from her training system – the result of which is high stability. Uno is going for the same result as we see in girls who train in “Krystalniy”. This Japanese young man has amazing abilities, but he is not that young. He is about the same age as Samarin. Uno is accomplished. He is talented and unique; with ambition. Yet he the kind who either gives “an out of this world performance”, or to make “a prohibitive mistake and fall on an axel”. As I see it, Shoma is looking for ways to obtain that reinforced-concrete stability; that sense that once you learned something, it is permanent, and nothing else.
AS: Tutberidze on several occasions pointed out the benefits of Asian mind set when it comes to training. She once said in an interview with Andrey Simonenko, “they are raised in such a way that they don’t question (their coaches); not even in their minds. That while our athletes dig into their doubts, Asian athletes just go and do it.” There is doubt that, with Higuchi, Uno also “went and did it”, just as he repetitively bounced the basketball on the arena’s floor, until he finished that set of training.
IG: It is not possible to suspect Shoma of cutting corners in training, I remember him since he was a junior. Already then he was a hard working kid, a hard working and goal oriented athlete, and that is why he is seeking an environment he is inclined towards, but lost somewhere in the process. It is logical that he is addressing Tutberidze, who is at the top.
AS: How well do you think Shoma Uno would be able to handle Tutberidze’s system?
IG: That’s an interesting question. Certainly the system he will encounter is radically different from the one that he had in Japan. He and his coach had an extremely warm relationship. Perhaps he wants to change the routine of such, and seeks a more demanding environment. A master such as he is, should perform not driven by super-emotions, but by high-level athletic abilities.
AS: In the same interview with Simonenko, Tutberidze also said “Also in Japan they understood, that they do need to enclose themselves in their own country, and not just in Japan but in Asia in general. Not to hint at anything negative, but most of them at one point went abroad to practice their careers.”
IG: The competition between figure skating clubs inside their own countries – is an interesting experience. Earlier it was Alexei Mishin who was the face of Russian figure skating. Now it is Tutberidze. Japanese and Americans stood out with their signature methods. Uno – is a finished product of the Japanese figure skating school. The fact that he is a Japanese skater apparent not by his face, but how handles the blade. Gracefulness, fluidity, such precise and purely Japanese blade work. How he maybe influenced by Tutberidze’s system is interesting to me as a professional. What will come of it? Most likely “not worst than what it is now” at minimum. Because Tutberidze will be working with some one who is a complete well-rounded professional, with a pedigree and a passport that proves it. He is that unique, one of a kind Japanese creation, which still proudly displays that enticing “Made in Japan” stamp, and not a mass-production label from a newly built factory in Shenzhen or Guangzhou.
What is required of Tutberidze is simply fine tuning and a change of tires. Is it not true? It will not be worst for sure. Because he is already a mature athlete, self propelling and motivated. He does not need to be taught how tie laces. However, the new climate, adopting to the new environment will take some time. Arriving one day and jumping to success the next does not happen.
AS: He and Tutberidze have time until the next Olympics.
IG: Men singles, by the way, is the easiest discipline to predict for the Olympics. It will be a collection of quads of maximum difficulty, and the one who will win, will be the one with least mistakes. And Tutberidze is capable of building such a solid concrete base.
Eteri always aims towards the most difficult. If her girls already are doing the most difficult quad jumps, then her expectations for the guys are likely to be at maximum. And somehow she knows how to accomplish.
AS: At the same time, Morris Kvitelashvili has been living at Krystalny for a long time, and yet he performs rather average elements, receiving average placements, and nobody expects anything extra-ordinary from him.
IG: I know Morris from childhood. This person has an uncommon mentality, and given the structure of his nervous system he achieves, in my opinion, excellent results. Try to remember Morris before he came to Tutberidze, and what he is now. In any other coach’s hands he would not accomplish more.
AS: Do you think Uno is going to Tutberidze to learn how to win from Chen and Hanyu?
IG: Yes, of course. I think his decision was affected by example and the situation with Evgeniya Medvedeva, which was widely discussed. Many people made their observations and conclusions. I believe it played a role in Shoma’s selection process for the training system. I am only making a prediction, but it seems he decided that preparations for the next Olympics maybe best accomplished by Tutberidze’s methods.
AS: What challenges will Tutberidze face herself?
IG: An athlete of Shoma’s level will require a lot of personal/individual approach. I mean, training time and space, both. You can’t let him skate with little kids. The coach herself will undergo a certain transformation, after which we will see very interesting and colorful performances of the skater.
AS: Does Uno needs more of Tutberidze or of Sergey Dudakov, who is now a legendary specialist?
IG: Uno’s technical skills are superb, plus tailored personally for him. He is of specific height, with specific coordination. He first of all needs not to work on technique, but to train in a strict environment, with more demands, than what he had.
AS: Facing difficulties, Shoma Uno did not take a break in his career, did not start telling the world about his psychological difficulties, did not threaten with “professional hara-kiri” claiming to be misunderstood by people, did not travel to Canada to the smiling Orser, where one needs to design his own plans and conditions and work them out with the coach; He decided to place his head under Tutberidze’s smile in hope to receive hard-core schooling and hopefully the Gold in Peking.
IS: I don’t feel any negatives in this situation. Now there will be “our Japanese” at the competitions.
Editorial: … and that’s how Inna Goncharova summed up this conversation before returning to her tomato garden.
***