Kotozakura’s Hakuoho win was splendid. His technique and stability are always incredible to see, but it looks like his strength is coming back against a guy who (while not the same since his pec tear) is no slouch strength wise
Yeah, he's been looking great. And I think that's good for sumo. He's a real match-up nightmare for both Onosato and Hoshoryu, so the healthier he is the more exciting these tournaments will be.
Unlike with Chiyoshoma, I took no pleasure in writing that the Golden Peep was also 0-7.
His game relies on him being able to jump backwards and push down quicker than an opponent can jump forwards and push outwards. He's unfortunate that the maegashira basement has a lot more spry and small guys than usual. That being said, I still think Kayo needs to develop more threat moving forwards, to keep his opponents guessing more.
You hate to see it, but he might need to bounce up and down a bit. Strange, interesting character but nothing is working. You look at guys like Asakoryu and Fujinokawa, even Kusano, and the level of conditioning they have…it makes you sad for the throwback sorta nimble dump truck guys
Yes I said that yesterday, the days of belt grabbing, shoving and pushing are over, your right these younger guys are super fit, they are clearly using the gym as well as stable training , they are in a completely different physical level to the old guys is just superior, they are as you said fast nimble athletic Aonishiki I said yesterday he can change his game plan on the turn of the button, when he ejects the older guy, you can see the surprise on their face as they clamber back up, They now need to be more flexible in their moves, it’s not enough any more to keep thinking your gonna win on a grab a belt throw or a slap down
Most of these young guys are pint-size, though, compared to the "median" rikishi. They need that gym conditioning to hold up against monsters like Shodai, Kotozakura and Kinbozan. They generally win with speed, agility and trickery. Anybody who gets a solid grip on them can literally carry them out of the ring.
Yeah, on the one hand, I like the old sloppy sumos with their 1-2 big moves and handful of “tricks,” but on the other, the fitter guys have incredible matches. People like Ura used to be fun outliers who could hit amazing moves and backflips but now everybody coming up except for Kayo seems to have real well developed shoulders/pecs/biceps and explosive lower bodies. Glad they’re doing it, but I do have a soft spot for a big blobby guy like Tsugirsho down in juryo
Kayo is what we call the up and coming, though so far he’s not won any of his bouts he’s a kwik drawer, he moves like lightening and I think we will either see it develop or not, for me I see him in the future as a direct rival to Kusano !
Atamifuji, Takanosho, Tamawashi, Takayasu and Shodai small and round in some cases
But like some of the other Rikishi in their class, they are going to slowly realise they need to move with the times! As the younger ones coming up through the ranks beating them on lesser known techniques the old hat of they are very experienced isn’t going to be enough
They need to start watching the playbacks, looking at how these youngsters are now training outside of the stable, watching their bouts on YouTube their own bouts against these machines , that’s what Aonishiki is a machine , he watches all the bouts looking for weaknesses and then he’s started to use it against his opponent. Onosato has even started to look more aligned and less uncertain because he saw a slight movement change in Oho and that’s why he was beaten on day 4 so he has upped his game
Kayo has now abandoned offense altogether and is going full defense from the tachi-ai. Man, you've got that weight –– use it! Starting to wonder how he got this far. Seems like the only thing he has going for him is that yellow mawashi.
I sure was looking for more from Wakatakakage this tournament. Time to forget about the cup -- you need 5 more wins out of the next 8 days!
Really glad to see Takerufuji back after that injury yesterday. It must not have been as bad as it looked. Let's hope he doesn't aggravate it.
Kotozakura has looked strong this first week. Can he maintain it against the higher-ups next week?
Sad to see Wakatakakage under perform, I thought he was the best bet outside the yokozunas when it came to who might win this thing. You're right, the focus needs to shift to kachi-koshi/ozeki run now.
*Really* enjoyed your podcast interview! I skipped ahead through the UFC stuff to find you, but it was worth it. I would have commented there, but you gotta be a paid subscriber and I swear I'm already supporting half the internet through subscription fees. She's gonna need to get you on more often than once a fiscal quarter before I chip in.
Besides the folks in this commentary, you are the only one I know who can "talk sumo," and hearing you instead of reading you was really great. You have so much insight into what's going on in the sumo world, yet I could literally hear some of the conversations we've had here, which is a tip o' the hat to your fans. I knew about Hakuho splitting off on his own, but you gave me a whole new POV. All this time I've been picturing him as the GOAT, yet a horrible stable master who allowed that whole hazing thing, but you gave me an entirely different view. You mentioned him and Terunofuji not liking each other; I did not know that, but I remember their last match, when Hakuho looked so satisfied to have beaten the big guy. (What a way to go out, defeating a Yokozuna!)
Great summary of Kotozakura, too! I think you were dead on with your analysis.
I know you are already pressed for time (hope your dad is doing OK!) but rather than just doing day-by-day and seasonal wrap-ups and previews and then going dark, would you consider doing a maybe weekly or as-necessary short posts in the off-season about the latest sumo news? It wouldn't have to be more than a mention and point-to. A paragraph and a link or two each would do it. I bet it would be fun for you and help take you out of your present circumstances, as well as feeding your fans' sumo hunger and making Sumo Stomp even more authoritative and valuable for Western fans. I know it would be a highlight of the week for me.
PS: I need to re-watch "A Knight's Tale" again too. I love how that movie starts out being one thing, then turns into another thing before the end.
I've made it pretty clear on here that the podcast thing is very much a work in progress and that I get quite anxious about how they might be received.
Providing a news bulletin would be great, but -- as you hinted at -- finding the time is tough right now.
To tell the truth, I am heading into a period soon that may even reduce how much I can do of the regular stuff here. I'll talk about this more in a post down the line, but in September I am starting a field placement for school (I'll be a 40 year old intern and a 40 year old student!). That's going to really suck up my time. I'll still be covering tournaments, so I need to figure out how to continue doing that in the best way possible, with my lack of time. It will be just temporary, though, since I'll then be graduating in the following April.
Once I do graduate, then the conversation can go back to expanding Sumo Stomp! A big part of that evaluating whether this needs to be more of a blog/website than a newsletter.
Again we see Onosato make the big error of judgement in his play.
Why oh why did he try to use a bit of one move combination with a bit of his other move?
Hakuoho saw it coming utilising it to his advantage and just used a bog standard Oshidashi!
Kirishima I have up for the win I think he’s really got himself together again using a bog standard move he doesn’t need to worry about Onokatsu at the moment his technique is poor.
Tamawashi I am pleased to see up in the fore front he deserves it
But let’s not forget, despite being the same / similar age as Kusano and Aonishiki kayo is not pulling it out the bag!
We are going to see a revolution in the next few tournaments it’s going to occur to the Rikishi stuck in a time warp that they need to pull themselves up, they need to sway their coaches into encouraging them to try and use every legal move available
A lot of Oshidashis being used today
But then Wakatakakage pulled off a rarely seen utchari and that is the name of the game flexibility to turn something around
Kotozakura’s Hakuoho win was splendid. His technique and stability are always incredible to see, but it looks like his strength is coming back against a guy who (while not the same since his pec tear) is no slouch strength wise
Yeah, he's been looking great. And I think that's good for sumo. He's a real match-up nightmare for both Onosato and Hoshoryu, so the healthier he is the more exciting these tournaments will be.
Kayo is also 0-7. Even Midorifuji was able to beat him by yorikiri, and I figure there aren't many people that Midorifuji wins yotsu battles against.
Unlike with Chiyoshoma, I took no pleasure in writing that the Golden Peep was also 0-7.
His game relies on him being able to jump backwards and push down quicker than an opponent can jump forwards and push outwards. He's unfortunate that the maegashira basement has a lot more spry and small guys than usual. That being said, I still think Kayo needs to develop more threat moving forwards, to keep his opponents guessing more.
You hate to see it, but he might need to bounce up and down a bit. Strange, interesting character but nothing is working. You look at guys like Asakoryu and Fujinokawa, even Kusano, and the level of conditioning they have…it makes you sad for the throwback sorta nimble dump truck guys
Yes I said that yesterday, the days of belt grabbing, shoving and pushing are over, your right these younger guys are super fit, they are clearly using the gym as well as stable training , they are in a completely different physical level to the old guys is just superior, they are as you said fast nimble athletic Aonishiki I said yesterday he can change his game plan on the turn of the button, when he ejects the older guy, you can see the surprise on their face as they clamber back up, They now need to be more flexible in their moves, it’s not enough any more to keep thinking your gonna win on a grab a belt throw or a slap down
Most of these young guys are pint-size, though, compared to the "median" rikishi. They need that gym conditioning to hold up against monsters like Shodai, Kotozakura and Kinbozan. They generally win with speed, agility and trickery. Anybody who gets a solid grip on them can literally carry them out of the ring.
Yeah, on the one hand, I like the old sloppy sumos with their 1-2 big moves and handful of “tricks,” but on the other, the fitter guys have incredible matches. People like Ura used to be fun outliers who could hit amazing moves and backflips but now everybody coming up except for Kayo seems to have real well developed shoulders/pecs/biceps and explosive lower bodies. Glad they’re doing it, but I do have a soft spot for a big blobby guy like Tsugirsho down in juryo
I just think we're not seeing any technique out of Kayo. He must have something going for him to have gotten this far. Wish he'd show it!
Kayo is what we call the up and coming, though so far he’s not won any of his bouts he’s a kwik drawer, he moves like lightening and I think we will either see it develop or not, for me I see him in the future as a direct rival to Kusano !
My favourite watches are
Atamifuji, Takanosho, Tamawashi, Takayasu and Shodai small and round in some cases
But like some of the other Rikishi in their class, they are going to slowly realise they need to move with the times! As the younger ones coming up through the ranks beating them on lesser known techniques the old hat of they are very experienced isn’t going to be enough
They need to start watching the playbacks, looking at how these youngsters are now training outside of the stable, watching their bouts on YouTube their own bouts against these machines , that’s what Aonishiki is a machine , he watches all the bouts looking for weaknesses and then he’s started to use it against his opponent. Onosato has even started to look more aligned and less uncertain because he saw a slight movement change in Oho and that’s why he was beaten on day 4 so he has upped his game
Kayo has now abandoned offense altogether and is going full defense from the tachi-ai. Man, you've got that weight –– use it! Starting to wonder how he got this far. Seems like the only thing he has going for him is that yellow mawashi.
I sure was looking for more from Wakatakakage this tournament. Time to forget about the cup -- you need 5 more wins out of the next 8 days!
Really glad to see Takerufuji back after that injury yesterday. It must not have been as bad as it looked. Let's hope he doesn't aggravate it.
Kotozakura has looked strong this first week. Can he maintain it against the higher-ups next week?
Sad to see Wakatakakage under perform, I thought he was the best bet outside the yokozunas when it came to who might win this thing. You're right, the focus needs to shift to kachi-koshi/ozeki run now.
Got my sumo stomp hat in the mail today, thanks Tim!!!
Nice! Thanks so much for supporting the blog. What colour did you go for?
Yellow, it’s my favorite color!
Good choice, I love the way it looks in the mock-ups. I think I might need to pick it up, too. I just have the olive one right now.
That’s fair! The yellow has some brown in it so it’s not like wearing a highlighter or anything, my first sumo merch!!
That's awesome. I hope you enjoy it!
Tim:
*Really* enjoyed your podcast interview! I skipped ahead through the UFC stuff to find you, but it was worth it. I would have commented there, but you gotta be a paid subscriber and I swear I'm already supporting half the internet through subscription fees. She's gonna need to get you on more often than once a fiscal quarter before I chip in.
Besides the folks in this commentary, you are the only one I know who can "talk sumo," and hearing you instead of reading you was really great. You have so much insight into what's going on in the sumo world, yet I could literally hear some of the conversations we've had here, which is a tip o' the hat to your fans. I knew about Hakuho splitting off on his own, but you gave me a whole new POV. All this time I've been picturing him as the GOAT, yet a horrible stable master who allowed that whole hazing thing, but you gave me an entirely different view. You mentioned him and Terunofuji not liking each other; I did not know that, but I remember their last match, when Hakuho looked so satisfied to have beaten the big guy. (What a way to go out, defeating a Yokozuna!)
Great summary of Kotozakura, too! I think you were dead on with your analysis.
I know you are already pressed for time (hope your dad is doing OK!) but rather than just doing day-by-day and seasonal wrap-ups and previews and then going dark, would you consider doing a maybe weekly or as-necessary short posts in the off-season about the latest sumo news? It wouldn't have to be more than a mention and point-to. A paragraph and a link or two each would do it. I bet it would be fun for you and help take you out of your present circumstances, as well as feeding your fans' sumo hunger and making Sumo Stomp even more authoritative and valuable for Western fans. I know it would be a highlight of the week for me.
PS: I need to re-watch "A Knight's Tale" again too. I love how that movie starts out being one thing, then turns into another thing before the end.
Hey man, I really appreciate that.
I've made it pretty clear on here that the podcast thing is very much a work in progress and that I get quite anxious about how they might be received.
Providing a news bulletin would be great, but -- as you hinted at -- finding the time is tough right now.
To tell the truth, I am heading into a period soon that may even reduce how much I can do of the regular stuff here. I'll talk about this more in a post down the line, but in September I am starting a field placement for school (I'll be a 40 year old intern and a 40 year old student!). That's going to really suck up my time. I'll still be covering tournaments, so I need to figure out how to continue doing that in the best way possible, with my lack of time. It will be just temporary, though, since I'll then be graduating in the following April.
Once I do graduate, then the conversation can go back to expanding Sumo Stomp! A big part of that evaluating whether this needs to be more of a blog/website than a newsletter.
I love Substack
I am a massive fan of Terunofuji , hakuho has said he bears terunofuji no grudge and I believe him
But they both come from the same place and rivalry is a good thing
They individually have totally different styles of training coaching and caring for the Rikishi under their belts
Now it’s a well known fact the Terunofuji does not like to deliberately hurt their opponent if they don’t have to
Once out of the Ring he usually grabs the belt or arm to stop them falling
Hakuho on the other is the opposite
Nothing wrong in either, but it was felt the young Rikishi will thrive and improve under Terunofuji leadership, hakuho is the old way
Well here we are day 8 and it’s really ramped up
Again we see Onosato make the big error of judgement in his play.
Why oh why did he try to use a bit of one move combination with a bit of his other move?
Hakuoho saw it coming utilising it to his advantage and just used a bog standard Oshidashi!
Kirishima I have up for the win I think he’s really got himself together again using a bog standard move he doesn’t need to worry about Onokatsu at the moment his technique is poor.
Tamawashi I am pleased to see up in the fore front he deserves it
But let’s not forget, despite being the same / similar age as Kusano and Aonishiki kayo is not pulling it out the bag!
We are going to see a revolution in the next few tournaments it’s going to occur to the Rikishi stuck in a time warp that they need to pull themselves up, they need to sway their coaches into encouraging them to try and use every legal move available
A lot of Oshidashis being used today
But then Wakatakakage pulled off a rarely seen utchari and that is the name of the game flexibility to turn something around