Takanoyama's training and diet

[Kintamayama 47,344]

From the other thread-I suggest updating of data:

Lightest sekitori- probably newmaku Takanoyama at 98 kilos. If he does get promoted, it will be the first time since 1997 (Mainoumi) that we'll have an under 100 kilo Makuuchi fighter. "Not much huh? I'll eat as much as I possibly can to add to my weight," he said.

[Igordemorais 79]

You clearly know a lot about the subject, and Im glad you are around to add current info and also deep insight into the subject, Kinta.

As a competitive grappler and MMA practitioner you can see how I would be concerned since I am aware, first hand, how much difference weight makes in grappling, both standup and ground. This is the reason why amateur and greco-roman wrestlers were pioneers in dehydrating to cut weight for competition, a practice now ubiquitous in combat sports with weight categories.

But I`m on team Takanoyama all the way and if the promotion comes I`m positive he will be stuffing that face with peanut butter and chocolate chip cookies, whey protein and hypercaloric shakes til he pukes!

War Takanoyama! :D

[Washuyama 662]

I`m positive he will be stuffing that face with peanut butter and chocolate chip cookies

Especially after KotoViki visits him. :-)

[Orion 431]

You clearly know a lot about the subject, and Im glad you are around to add current info and also deep insight into the subject, Kinta.

But I`m on team Takanoyama all the way and if the promotion comes I`m positive he will be stuffing that face with peanut butter and chocolate chip cookies, whey protein and hypercaloric shakes til he pukes!

Those are the very last things he should be eating to put on the kind of weight that is needed in sumo. Protein drinks maybe, but otherwise rice, meat and vegetables. Peanut butter and chocolate chip cookies put on flabby fat and that's no good at all. And since they don't have weight categories there is no point in dehydrating. But Takanoyama is a grown man and can decide for himself what is best for him. In fact, he's been doing that for years. :-)

Orion

[Igordemorais 79]

There`s no such thing as flabby fat or less flabby fat, there`s lean muscle mass and then there`s fat. For him to gain more mass he would have to eat insane amounts of protein and calories, considering how difficult it is for him to do so, and the long training hours of sumo ( and calorie burning from them), he would have to eat like crazy.

Peanut butter is very caloric and has high quality fat and should be used in every hardgainer`s bulking diet. The cookies are pure sugar which becomes fat very quickly.

If Takanoyama wants to gain muscle, with his genetics, and his training right now, my guess is he would have to eat around 8-10 thousand calories a day.

Do you have any idea how much meat and vegetables that is?

Did the banzuke come out?!!?

Is he up?! Updates!! Please!

[Igordemorais 79]

I saw it!

He`s Makuuchi now!

hoooooly sh-t

This honbasho is gonna be awesome

[Otokonoyama 2,735]

Imagination is the only limit...

[Igordemorais 79]

Sad to see my prediction becoming true

[Kuroyama 715]

Lots of shin-makuuchi have trouble at first, and it's only been Day 2. A tad early to write him off.

Yes, his lightness means he has an uphill battle and it will not do to be unduly optimistic, but if he got to makuuchi it means he's been able to overcome the weight disadvantage to a great extent.

[Igordemorais 79]

0-5............

F-ck!

Im sure he will learn his lesson now.

[shumitto 419]

Lesson is rikishi are heavy not only because Chanko tastes good !

[Kuroyama 715]

Yeah, OK. Now it's pretty damn doubtful.

I do seem to recall some discussion about the idea he may pick up advantages later in a basho, since his lighter weight will make him less injury prone. It'd be nice to see at least ONE victory in the first half, though.

Oh well. Worst case, he goes back to juryo. It's not as if he spent any time to speak of there.

[Treblemaker 254]

It's not just that he's light and a little on the scrawny side, he hasn't displayed the speed and moves that he did last basho. Maybe it's a mental thing, but he doesn't look prepared. He's seems to be losing each tachi-ai, letting his opponent get the upper hand. He fights back, and showed something today, but in the end, there's not much of a plan of attack, and at his age, you'd expect some degree of knowledge and experience coming into play, especially survival skills.

Until he learns to deal with the bigger guys (as Sagat and Toyo have done, and Kakizoe in his earlier years), he's going to end up getting blown out bout after bout.

Maybe he should sit down and go over all the videos of the people mentioned above, even going back to Mainoumi) to find strategies on how small guys deal with bigger, faster men.

[Datchayama 0]

From what I can remember seeing last basho...he got a bit predictable towards the end.

Seemed to me that he was constantly doing an arm grab/pull after the tachi-ai to throw the opponents off.

But after doing that so regularly opponents got wise to expect that.

I see him still going for that pulling movement last several days...but this time he has more issues with the fact that some of these are bigger to pull...and his strength/body size isn't enough to cause much unbalancing.

The pull then puts him at more of a disadvantage.

I just about think he needs to stop pulling them into him so he can spend better time on other methods.

[Kintamayama 47,344]

Newsflash- Takanoyama was clocked at 100 kilos at the weigh-in today. "I am very happy," he said.He is now in Juryo but expressed his wish to return to Makuuchi as soon as possible.

[Igordemorais 79]

Wasnt he 101 for the last tournament?

Sigh

[Kintamayama 47,344]

Wasnt he 101 for the last tournament?

Sigh

96

[Igordemorais 79]

Well then...EXCELLENT :D

If he gets to 115-125 he will be far more competitive.

[Jaak 7]

Harumafuji was 113 on his sanyaku debut. Chiyonofuji was 96 on his sanyaku debut, and 115 on getting his tsuna.

[Bugman 384]

How much weight does he have to put on before he can no longer be pushed around so easily anymore? and if he does put on the required weight, might it not affect his style of Sumo? when i saw him in Makuuchi it is true that the lack of weight really lost him a lot of bouts, but what if he loses his mobility?

I remember someone else on this forum saying that Takanoyama should already be looked at as quite the success story, maybe he should remain as he is? i don't know :)

Edit* just had a thought, you aren't allowed to line your mawashi with lead by any chance? :-D

Edited April 25, 2012 by Bugman

[Igordemorais 79]

i doubt that 20 more kgs of mass and a bit of fat will take that much away from his speed and mobility. but it's not just how heavy he is, but where that weight goes..... he needs in in his lower body to try and bring that center of gravity down.

[Andreas21 221]

How much weight does he have to put on before he can no longer be pushed around so easily anymore?

Watch his bouts in Juryo! He is not pushed around as much because he has enough muscle power to match many of the much heavier opponents there. The way he fights there is very enjoyable to watch (I will not say this about his Makuuchi bouts).

The trouble in Makuuchi is that his opposition there mostly also has a large plus on muscle power in the lower body combined with enough speed to put into position. So he (presumably wisely) reverts to fighting techniques (Henka, jumping up and around, circling around the opponent and such) which allow him to score a win here and there but nothing to be really a solid contender.

It's not only about the weight! I doubt that he will get more weight (except a few kilos) and even if he would I doubt that he would really be a better Rikishi.

I'm cheering about the achievements he already had so far. He's the first ever Sekitori from Central Europe, he even reached Makuuchi. He struggled so long in the upper Makushita that not many believed he could ever make it. He is really giving Sumo a new flavour, and he has also helped to make Sumo a more popular sports. In Czech of course but also the rest of Europe, and even the Japanese crowd is delighted, measured by the level of noise during the bout.

And from the perspektive of normal body-mass index he is not skinny at all, at 187cm he is pretty heavy with 100kg, and pure muscle weight - a model athlete (not quite in Sumo of course).

For me, he should keep the weight and look he has, and stay in the Juryo division that I will be able to watch his better side of Sumo.

[Pikenoyama 27]

He is really giving Sumo a new flavour, and he has also helped to make Sumo a more popular sports. In Czech of course but also the rest of Europe, and even the Japanese crowd is delighted, measured by the level of noise during the bout.

Unfortunately his recent success has not have too big impact on the popularity of Sumo in the Czech Republic ;-) . More than 99 % of Czechs wouldn´t know who Takanoyama or Pavel Bojar is as they would not get any news about him. Nevertheless those freaks who were interested in sumo before enjoy his results very much :-D .

[Bugman 384]

Unfortunately his recent success has not have too big impact on the popularity of Sumo in the Czech Republic ;-) . More than 99 % of Czechs wouldn´t know who Takanoyama or Pavel Bojar is

That is a great pity in my opinion, i am Spanish and i would love to see a Spanish rikishi one day although i don't know how likely that will be, i think Takanoyama is already a great success whether he puts on more weight on or not, for me personally i will be enjoying his matches just the same no doubt :)

Edited April 26, 2012 by Bugman