“If he can walk, he will compete — that was his mindset.” and “He doesn’t compare himself with others; he always compares and competes against himself. That’s at the core of his nature, which I think is one of his significant strengths.” Trainer Shinichi Demizu about Shoma Uno
Translation of the interview with Shoma Uno’s trainer Shinichi Demizu.
original source: jbpress.ismedia.jp dd. 27th June 2024 by Takaomi Matsubara
In the interview with JBpress, Shinichi Demizu talks about Shoma Uno’s strengths as an athlete. Here’s a translation of his comments.
“He has a strong resistance to injuries. It’s something he was born with; he naturally has sturdy bones, but his joints are flexible. His good motor skills are also genetic, which helped him avoid major injuries. Additionally, he has high learning ability, so he doesn’t push himself too hard. Experiences he learned along the way also played a factor in avoiding injuries. The common pattern for injuries happens when he’s too stubborn, not realizing he’s tired and keeps jumping, resulting in insufficient height and then spraining.”
Before the World Championships, he was able to jump over 130 times, thanks to his traits and learned experiences. “However, for example with the quadruple flip, he would continue to practice the same jump. Jumping 30 times in succession helps identify the problems, so he continued with that practice. But the limit for doing the same jump is 30; going beyond increases the risk of injuries rapidly, so when it comes close to exceeding that number, we discuss ‘how many more for the next set’ to prevent going over the limit.”
He continued, “One thing we always kept in mind was that he had a significant amount of sprains in his right ankle, leading to a spur-like formation on the bone. When it shifts and hits inside the joint, it causes pain, so we continually adjusted the position of his ankle, strengthened it, and provided other supports to avoid it hitting.”
Even though he was capable of avoiding injuries, he still occasionally got hurt. Nevertheless, he kept participating in competitions. “There was a time he sprained his ankle during the warm-up for the Nationals. He had decided to compete anyway. If he can walk, he will compete — that was his mindset. His determination is really strong. It was the same during the (2023) World Championships in Saitama, right before the competition. It’s possible only because of his mental strength. I have respected that. People often say various things. It’s understandable that medical professionals would worry that an injured athlete might worsen their condition by competing. ‘There’s another competition, so you should skip this one’ seems correct. Indeed, it is. But he has his own way of thinking, his style, so I respect it, and I’ve always said, ‘unless it will lead to lasting damage, don’t stop him.’ Based on that, I only work on how to maximize coverage and distribute the pain to bring his condition as close to normal as possible.”
Another distinctive feature of Shoma Uno, according to Shinichi Demizu, is his mentality. “He doesn’t compare himself with others; he always compares and competes against himself. That’s at the core of his nature, which I think is one of his significant strengths.”
“As a person, he is incredibly straightforward. That really sums it up. Another thing is that he thinks about others more than himself. As a figure skater, he enjoys his own growth while constantly striving to outdo himself. I have learned a lot from him. For instance, it’s easy to understand superficially that comparing yourself with others is meaningless, but it’s hard to actually embody that, right? Seeing him persist and deliver results has influenced me too. The person who puts in maximum effort and produces maximum output—that’s Shoma.”
“I’m looking forward to the future as he has aspirations as a professional figure skater. I believe he will achieve them. The ideal is that he lives a happy life, doing what he desires with all his might.”
Related topics: Shinichi Demizu, Shoma Uno
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