[sumo] RE: Training in Naruto (was: drug use in sumo)

["ShiroiKuma" <ShiroiKuma@ShiroiKuma.com>]

Well, Takanoyama, my boy...

It's funny, I wouldn't say I was old, (I'm thirty), but though Takanoyama is my friend mostly, I taught him, brought him up to aspire to sumou, so I almost sometimes think of him as my kid. ;)

Well, he's gotten strong, that's for sure. Hasn't gained much weight, almost nothing. Now he weighs around 95 kg.

But he's strong. He's always been a yotsuzumou rikishi. In comparative terms, strengthwise, I can beat him easily, that's no problem. But I let him get a grip on the mawashi, he's damn sticky and strong.

I think this past Basho has really been crucial for him career wise. After going 1-3 after four matches, he got 4-3, which is something of an accomplishment.

I think the biggest thing for him, is that he got the self confidence now. He sees that he can cut the slack in Makushita, which I don't think he believed before the basho. Incidentally, he though upper Sandanme was tough.

But all's good now.

If he can make it Makuuchi? Wow, that's something of a big mental jump now.

Can he make it to Juuryou - I think he can, within three years now, from now on. I believe in him.

It's funny, this is a big thing with Katrina Watts. I told her right when he came, that I thought he was gonna be a Sekitori, and every time she just smiles. Like: "Yeah, yeah, right..."

I don't think she still believes me, though the last time I asked about this, she said, she never gave that: "Yeah, yeah, right..." response...

But I gotta say, that her judgment was definitely better than mine up to now, since I thought he was gonna be the first European Sekitori, which isn't true. And I doubted that Kokkai was gonna rise, after I met him at the World Championships and he said he wouldn't fight, because he was afraid.

And now look, Kokkai is as tough as nails, that kid's got so much power...

What does that show? Probably that I don't know what I'm talking about :)

Later,

ShiroiKuma

-----Original Message-----
From: Tom Fojta [mailto:tfojta@quick.cz] 
Sent: Friday, April 02, 2004 11:26 AM
To: ShiroiKuma
Subject: Training in Naruto (was: drug use in sumo)

Hi ShiroiKuma

Could you please write a few words about the progress of Takanoyama? How much weight/stregth he gained? Do you think he has a chance to make it to the top division?

Fellow Czech sumo fan

Tomas

> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-sumo@statgen.ncsu.edu [mailto:owner-sumo@statgen.ncsu.edu]On
> Behalf Of ShiroiKuma
> Sent: Friday, April 02, 2004 10:48 AM
> To: sumo@statgen.ncsu.edu
> Subject: RE: [sumo] drug use in sumo




[EndPost by "ShiroiKuma" <ShiroiKuma@ShiroiKuma.com>]