Asashoryu Road Back to the Road to 100 Yusho Update

[Peterao 3]

Hello fans, welcome to this very special Asashoryu Road Back to the Road to 100 Yusho Update.

Due to the fallout from unforseen soccer related events, Asashoryu has been taken to a place from which the Road to 100 Yusho is not currently visible. However, if Asashoryu were to win all of the remainder of this year's basho, it should be possible to once again forecast a 100th yusho. So this year is dedicated to the shorter road that leads back to a road to 100 yusho.

As of today, Asashoryu is 20% of the way back to getting back on to the Road to 100 Yusho.

This has been a very special Asashoryu Road Back to the Road to 100 Yusho Update.

[Babaryutaikai 1]

Hello fans, welcome to this very special Asashoryu Road Back to the Road to 100 Yusho Update.

Due to the fallout from unforseen soccer related events, Asashoryu has been taken to a place from which the Road to 100 Yusho is not currently visible. However, if Asashoryu were to win all of the remainder of this year's basho, it should be possible to once again forecast a 100th yusho. So this year is dedicated to the shorter road that leads back to a road to 100 yusho.

As of today, Asashoryu is 20% of the way back to getting back on to the Road to 100 Yusho.

This has been a very special Asashoryu Road Back to the Road to 100 Yusho Update.

Oh, yes! The King is back. Long live the King. (In a state of confusion...)

[Jonosuke 28]

I wouldn't get too excited about his chance of 100 yusho yet but definitely the two yokozuna are heads and shoulders above everyone else.

Asashoryu will really need to do more training sessions with sekitori. His sessecion became too infrequent and too short. I thought he ran out of steam after Day 10 or so this basho. The only convincing bout was against Kaio who barely managed 8 wins af the end. Beating an ozeki is no longer a mean feat. Look at how many rikishi who beat an ozeki but still couldn't even win 8 bouts.

When Asashoryu was dominant, he wasn't that sharp in the beginning but as the basho progressed he started to overwhelm his opponent. This time it didn't happen. All bouts after Day 10 were labored and struggling. His tachiai became pretty finicky for yokozuna, hardly performing a proper shikiri often.

To compensate for his "smaller" physique against wear and tears, he has introduced more bodybuilding training routines in his workout regimen now . He could now bench press 210 kg and leg press over 600 kg, rather phenominal weight but still he will need to do more "real" training sessions to keep his sumo sense.

He can still take it easy a bit right now with a group of lame ozeki around but when he gets accustomed to less training sessions, it's hard to rev up again once more formidable opponents present themselves and that day may not be too far away. Things tend to catch up to you sooner or later so he needs to be prepared if he wants to get anywhere closer to Chiyonofuji or Taiho's record.

[_the_mind_ 0]

Jonosuke-san, perhaps age is catching up with Asa? he isnt "old" but every person is different as to when their fall off begins and how drastic it is. ....obviously only time will tell though

[Jonosuke 28]

Asashoryu is already the eighth longest reigning yokozuna, tying Chiyonoyama with 32 basho. The body takes much more beating as yokozuna as they are competing against top tier rikishi.

Of course Asashoryu is only half way to the longest reigning, Kitanoumi with 63 basho but there is a difference in size. In Sumo size covers up lot of other deficiencies especially when one is hurt.

Chiyonofuji is the second longest but there is substantial difference between Asashoryu and Chiyonofuji in terms of training level. Takanohana lasted 49 basho but at the end he was mostly hurt and was on kyujo and at times he weighed as much as 160 kg.

I feel unless Asashoryu increase training level or mass, his body wouldn't hold up that long.

[Jakusotsu 6,049]

Of course Asashoryu is only half way to the longest reigning, Kitanoumi with 63 basho but there is a difference in size. In Sumo size covers up lot of other deficiencies especially when one is hurt.

Kitanoumi was about 15 kg heavier and 5 cm shorter than Asashoryu - not that much difference in size I'd say.

[Asashosakari 19,664]

I feel unless Asashoryu increase training level or mass, his body wouldn't hold up that long.

I'm quite ready to believe that Asashoryu will put on more mass in the next couple of years as he begins to leave his physical prime; it's a rare top-level rikishi who doesn't, unless he was already e.g. Miyabiyama-sized.

[higginbotham 0]

Of course Asashoryu is only half way to the longest reigning, Kitanoumi with 63 basho but there is a difference in size. In Sumo size covers up lot of other deficiencies especially when one is hurt.

Kitanoumi was about 15 kg heavier and 5 cm shorter than Asashoryu - not that much difference in size I'd say.

This is a considerable difference, although the more important thing is the comparision between both and their respective coetaneous. In the mid-1970 there were much more rikishi at 110, 115 kg and about 175 cm competing at high level, sanyaku included, and today it is much rarer or it doesn't even happen. That is equal to say that Kitanoumi was comparatively very much heavier than Asashoryu is today. In figures it would be more clear.

[paolo 0]

... I thought he ran out of steam after Day 10 or so this basho.....

... When Asashoryu was dominant, he wasn't that sharp in the beginning but as the basho progressed he started to overwhelm his opponent. This time it didn't happen. All bouts after Day 10 were labored and struggling. His tachiai became pretty finicky for yokozuna, hardly performing a proper shikiri often.

To compensate for his "smaller" physique against wear and tears, he has introduced more bodybuilding training routines in his workout regimen now . He could now bench press 210 kg and leg press over 600 kg, rather phenominal weight but still he will need to do more "real" training sessions to keep his sumo sense.

....

May I add something. Could it be that, as it happened many other times, he overestimated himself and his physical condition after winning 11 bouts with a certain ease ? With Kotoshogiku he accepted from the very beginning a very disadvantageous defensive push angle that he could not save. With Kotomitsuki the feeling I had was that he said to himself " I always win with this guy, whatever I do and whatever he does I cannot lose, it is just a matter of time before I find the right move"; and this is of course the surest way to lose a bout.... Then it was a big merit of him not to be too much overwhelmed by the two consecutive losses and come back to win the two decisive bouts.

As you say, Kaio was relatively an easy task. But Hakuho had a much better tachiai than Asashoryu; yet Asashoryu reacted with an intelligent "judo" attitude ("let us use his forward movement to put him out of balance") that was a nice sign of coldness and intelligence. On the "strength" part you can be right, but my doubt is: he was the quickest, and his speed was the key to his success. Are we sure that changing into a stronger (and so inevitably slower) rikishi will be good to him ?

[Jonosuke 28]

On the "strength" part you can be right, but my doubt is: he was the quickest, and his speed was the key to his success. Are we sure that changing into a stronger (and so inevitably slower) rikishi will be good to him ?

You do raise a good point.

Yokozuna Takanohana's ideal fighting weight must have been around 150 kg but he felt necessary to gain up to 160 kg as his main opponent was Akebono and there were more heavyweights during his tenure like Musashimaru. In his last 10 basho as yokozuna, he was off for 8 full basho. The last active basho he only managed four wins before he retired. So one can state he was more or less effective yokozuna for about 40 basho out of his 49 yokozuna basho.

I am not saying Asashoryu is a Takanohana but it appears a yokozuna's body will experience some type of weakness from all that wear and tears after 40 basho or so (no hard facts here or scientific basis but just my gut feeling). They will start experiencing more injury, nagging or otherwise. Those that lasted longer have prepared for it while they were still effective yokozuna.

Asashoryu's strength is not just strength or power but his speed and uncanny sumo sense. While he was coming up, there was no other rikishi trained harder and longer than him. I even remember seeing him doing sprints during a jyungyo tour after hard training sessions.

At the moment not even Ama can catch up to Asashoryu's speed sumo. If he gains more mass, will he lose that edge? Certainly. But gaining more weight, I think he prevents that significant wear and tear factor. His main opponents will be heavier or bigger, think of going hard against Hakuho, Kotomitsuki/Kotosohu, Baruto or Wakanoho/Kokkai/Roho basho after basho. A minor injury can turn into a serious one without having mass to counter their sumo by another mean.

As a fan it is really exciting to see his speed sumo but for his durability he will need to beef up and even losing a slight edge, Asashoryu will find a way to compensate in other ways. He is an exceptionally smart rikishi. As a veteran he knows his body the best and he probably feels less quantity of training is preferrable not to tire himself in the main basho thus inviting an injury. But I believe he is where he is because of all that training sessions he had done when he was younger and sooner or later not doing as much, it will catch up to him, eventually on the dohyo.

From now on what he needs is not overwhelming strength but to stay away from a career ending or crippling injury. If he can stay healthy (and not going off to Mongolia without permission) for antoher three years, he could win a minimum of another dozen yusho. But staying healthy is the key.

[Sashohitowa 6]

I guess this missed yusho will put Asashoryu again off the track to the 100 mark goal... If he misses another one, we'll need another "The road back to the road back to the road to 100 yushos"... or "...98 yushos"... or whatever...

(Laughing...)

[Peterao 3]

He will need about five consecutive yusho to get back onto the road to the road to 100 yusho once more.

[Chisaiyama 11]

I have been following these "Road to 100 Yusho" threads for some time

and I'm still not sure how serious you are about it.

The one opponent no rikishi can beat is time. As Jonosuke-san has

pointed out there are ways to blunt the onset and to continue to do

good quality sumo for longer than others but time conquers all.

With the advent of a new and still developing Yokozuna 4 years his

junior and the the apparent re-surgence of the GNH Kisenosato as

well as the continual improvements in Ama and Kotoshogiku's sumo

well I just can't see Asa or Hakuho having 5 consecutive yusho.

Especially if Natsu wasn't just a fluke and Kotooshu has finally gotten the

knee healed to the point where he can once again demonstrate the kind

of sumo that got him to the Ozeki level even before the 69th Yokozuna.

We will, of course, have to wait and see but I'm thinking that a 3 straight

run of Yusho by any one rikishi will be something to write home about at

least for the next 3 years or so.

Edited May 30, 2008 by Chisaiyama

[Kuroyama 715]

Especially if Natsu wasn't just a fluke and Kotooshu has finally gotten the

knee healed to the point where he can once again demonstrate the kind

of sumo that got him to the Ozeki level even before the 69th Yokozuna.

Kotooshu's problem has always been more his head than his knee. But yes.

[Jonosuke 28]

What eventually kills Asashoryu's chance of even remotely reaching Kitanoumi's record will be injuries. As his years in Ozumo grow, he would start suffering more and more and combined with his inclination for more weight training rather than actual training sessions, he would start losing more sumo sense. He has been incredibly fortunate for not suffering more serious injury especially considerlng how rough his sumo style has been. But these days we hardly see his Tsuri moves or extreme tsuki-taoshi and that is rather intentional. He knows he needs to take care of his body more to last the full 15 days in relative health.

Asashoryu will need to face more formidable and physically larger opponents now compared to his good old days of facing against medium built and/or broken down lame ozeki and sanyaku. Now he will experience more robust competition from Hakuho, Kotooshu, Wakanoho, Baruto and Kisenosato, all physically larger rikishi. He may still beat them with his superior skills but his body will take a toll. And that in end will be what stops his journey.

[Kintamayama 45,530]

What eventually kills Asashoryu's chance of even remotely reaching Kitanoumi's record will be injuries.

He's got 2 more to go to tie Kitanoumi, no?

Edited May 31, 2008 by Kintamayama