Onosato has impressed me this basho by learning how to counterstrike, basically. So many of his bouts now have him parrying or blocking an initial attack and then coming back hard. This must be tough for opponents to expect him to try and steamroll them from the outset. I really like this stylistic adjustment from Onosato, more than him trying hatakikomi a bunch.
That's a good spot. Onosato has been a lot more of a pusher/thruster in this tournament, using his hands to swat away the opening and then driving forwards with thrusts (not just getting an underhook and forcing out with his body). In this tournament he's had eight pushing/thrusting wins (two oshidashi, two tsukidashi, two oshitaoshi, two tsukiotoshi). He had six in the entire last tournament. He only has five career tsukidashi wins in total.
Maybe he's learning that it's less of a toll on his body to push someone out at arm's length then it is to smash into their body.
Onosato has impressed me this basho by learning how to counterstrike, basically. So many of his bouts now have him parrying or blocking an initial attack and then coming back hard. This must be tough for opponents to expect him to try and steamroll them from the outset. I really like this stylistic adjustment from Onosato, more than him trying hatakikomi a bunch.
That's a good spot. Onosato has been a lot more of a pusher/thruster in this tournament, using his hands to swat away the opening and then driving forwards with thrusts (not just getting an underhook and forcing out with his body). In this tournament he's had eight pushing/thrusting wins (two oshidashi, two tsukidashi, two oshitaoshi, two tsukiotoshi). He had six in the entire last tournament. He only has five career tsukidashi wins in total.
Maybe he's learning that it's less of a toll on his body to push someone out at arm's length then it is to smash into their body.