Here's how it works in terms of difficulty. Say you have a graph
You have x-axis for the number of rotations or the type of the jump
All the jumps in the x-axis
And for the vertical y-axis you have difficulty or chances of landing the jump
Whatever you want to feel
In my opinion, it's sort of an exponential curve
But then when you reach that "4A"
The system breaks! It's broken
If you can do a 4A, you win!
Quads have become pretty much mandatory for the top skaters
Quad Jumps History - who landed what first?
Are we close to witnessing the first Quad Axel (4A)?
Is 4A even possible?
Well, do you think 4A is possible for anyone?
It's hard to say. I think it's possible
But it probably won't happen very soon
Scientifically I was told it's possible to do quintuple jump
But ISU still doesn't have a score for the 5-rotation jumps on air
For myself I would like to try 4A in the future
I don't know if I will do in the competition but I'm interested to try (2017)
Because for me, Axel jumps (3A) are special jumps (2018)
After surviving the Earthquake, the first jump I landed on ice was 3A
After jumping 3A, it felt like another starting point in my life
I want to do 4A in the future (2019)
I want to be the first person to land a ratified 4A in the competition (2021)
The future is here
We have pretty well done all the quads there are on the list beside 4A
I don't know how much 4A is worth. 15 points? 20 points? I don't remember
Unfortunately 4A isn't worth much in the ISU jump scoring system
The base value of all jumps were decreased to balance the artistry from season 2018 / 19
Among them, the value of 4A was decreased the most
and it's only 1.0 more than 4Lz, despite being so much harder
So even if you land 4A, there's no guarantee you will win the competition
What's that? No..
But if you land a 4A, win!
Just win! Stop the competition! Hand him that medal!
I don't care! If he (or she) did a 4A, he (or she) can step off the ice!
For anyone that land a 4A in competition, gold medal!
That's the end game! That's literally gold! Pure gold!
While I'm working for my 4A, if the Olympics come along, I'll think about participating
However, my ultimate goal is not another Olympic Gold
It's to land 4A. So only when Olympic comes along the way
I will consider to join, along with many other consideration
What do you think about Hanyu's pursuit of 4A?
I understand him.
It's not about beating someone else but a battle against yourself
Adding a new skill is a way to improve yourself
In my case it's reflected in my pursuit of the "Bretschneider" (A gymnastic skill)
These are words from the 2-time Olympic Champion and Gymnastic legend - Kohei Uchimura
Uchimura says it's a goal that becomes clear after one reaches the top of the world
Now let's listen to the 2-time Olympic Silver Medalist in snowboard - Ayumu Hirano
He was the youngest Winter X Games winner, at 14 years old
I believe we are the same type of people. The spirit of challenging new tricks is the same
I can understand why Hanyu wants to challenge new skills
He won 2 consecutive silver medals in Sochi 2014 and Pyeongchang Olympic 2018
Upon returning to Japan, they had a meet-up session for all Team Japan Winter Olympic Representative
Yuzuru Hanyu and Ayumu Hirano seemed to have a great conversation
What were they talking about?
We talked about competitions rather than private matters
It's all about rotations
For example, how do snowboarders spin in the air?
How do you spin on half-pipe? Where do you look when spinning?
We also discussed things like how to do quintuple jumps or 4A
Like how difficult it is
I think figure skaters are leaders in the world for pushing human body limit
Push your limits
Similarity between Ayumu Hirano and Yuzuru Hanyu: Always strive for their best
No matter how bad my body condition is
I'm just trying my best no matter what
There were many things I learnt from the discussion with Ayumu Hirano
I'm always being compared to my past glorious achievements
But honestly I can feel my own improvement in skating skills
I don't think I have reached my body limit yet
I definitely feel there's more room to grow for myself
Of course I'd feel frustrated when I didn't do well
There were just a lot of distraction happened that crumbled down my program
But there's always a silver lining in the mishap
I think I had done my best in the program "Heaven and Earth" without 4A in Japan Nationals 2020
And now I would like to integrate 4A into this program
This is my main motivation now
Are you planning on trying a 4A?
Who knows? May if I feel spontaneous then I will try
Nathan Chen was spontaneous enough to try 4A at US Nationals 2021 practice session
I'm waiting for him to do the 4A. We will see what happens next
Coming into the competition, I was working on my 4A
I've probably overworked my body
It's important that I get enough rest
And honestly I just want to go back and train for 4A again
He said he is challenging 4A. How's the progression?
The jump, height, spin, flow, and all arrangement
It's not an exaggeration to say that I'm the one deciding all
It really takes a lot of consideration to land 4A
Also for the flying image, the body position on air, the landing
There are just too many things to consider
Honestly I want to land 4A so badly
But more practice is needed to do this jump
I just need 1/8th more rotation to land the jump.
Yuzuru Hanyu is certainly making progression
Thank you for watching. Remember to subscribe and share