evilwaldo

When his opponents come in low it is easy to step back and push them down. If his opponents come in high (above the gut) and push forward there is little Ichinojō can do. He does not have the mobility to counter someone pushing with leverage. He reminds me a lot of bad US football linemen. If they get stood up, they get pushed back quite easily. I agree on the losing weight. At this point, he needs to shed some pounds to take pressure off his knees.

Ichinojo’s problem is that he is too stiff, there is very little bend at the knees so opponents can easily get under him and use leverage to push him around. The height is a bit of a disadvantage but his inability to create any leverage for himself at the point of attack turns him into a sack of potatoes guys just throw around.

Because Goeido has been up and down overall. You never know who will show up from Basho to Basho. His overall wins per basho since becoming Ozeki. 8-5-8-8-8-9-7-8-4-12-9-7-15-9-8-1-9-7-11-9-8-9-3-10-12 Not really inspiring when you look at his work overall. His best results are in the Aki basho with the other 5 being mediocre. Maybe he is pushing a Yokozuna run to end his career (32 yo). He always just seemed to be happy to be there, doing just enough to remain as an Ozeki while not pushing for a Yokozuna title.

Been a fun basho so far. Nice to see everyone healthy. My only gripe, Hakuhō skips calves on leg day.

If Tochinoshin bows out the leaves us with..... Gōeidō. Oh boy. I think Hakuho gets to 1,000 wins and gracefully bows out.

Tochinoshin trying to lift Ichinojo on what looks to be one knee was impressive. As for Takayasu... From the Sumo wiki: "The de facto standard is to win two consecutive championships as ōzeki or an equivalent performance. In the case where the "equivalent performance" criterion is used the wrestler's record over the previous three tournaments is taken into account with an expectation of at least one tournament victory and two runner-up performances, with none of the three records falling below twelve wins."

I am not sure it is harsh. You are looking at 36 wins, runner up positions, etc. Given the previous body of work they are holding him to that standard. Part of it might be due to Kisensato when they lowered the bar and he was unable to cross it. If Kotoshogiku had a book of 11 or 12 win bashes it might be a different story but his previous body of work is not that attractive for a promotion. This could be a motivator from the committee.

Harumafuji did a beautiful move at the start where he leaned in and did not let Hakuho get a hold of the belt

You may be onto something. The look on his face and the sweep of his right hand after every match is telling. Little things like body language mean a lot.

33 wins in the last three bashos. Should have been promoted to Ozeki but was overlooked because of his age and height which are non-symmetric.They are out of parking passes at Sumo Association headquarters so someone has to retire and free up a parking spot.

Some fantastic technique today by Oosunaarashi. You can see that he has turned a corner with respect to technique. What was raw power a year ago has become a more refined power and technique.

A lot of weight but no more weight than anyone else coming up through the ranks. There is a certain mental aspect to being at that level and at the present time it does not appear he has the mental ability to make it to the final level. On a different point, everything looks different without Hakuho. You realize just how far he is above the rest of the field. Without Hakuho you feel as if there are a lot of sumo that can win any particular basho, Kisensato included.

The committee relaxed the rules for him a couple of years ago when there was a huge debate over the time without a Japanese Yokozuna. After he s last failed run the committee mentioned that Kisensato needs to do better against the top competition (Yokozuna).

Then when is Hakuho's retirement ceremony? (this is not the only time he's done this) My only regret is that I can give this post just one like. Two Mattas and he touches Hakuho both times? Quite disrespectful and deserving of such a beautiful henka.

It only seems like Kisenosato moved early cause Kakuryuu had no intention to move forward and was simply waiting for the right time to henka him. It was a blatant henka.Well, Kakruyuu is the Yokozuna and highest ranked person so his hands have to touch the ground last. Kisensato jumped early. Matta and you cannot henka a matta.If Kisensato hit Kakruyuu it would have been very disrespectful to matta and hit a Yokozuna.

Why are people upset? Kisensato jumped early and it was rightly called a matta. Kakuryuu had his arms resting on his legs. There was no henka the first time.

Not sure how serious you are, but an 11-win jun-yusho is pretty much worthless for a tsuna run. So this is the basho Kisensato wins a title.

Given Osunaarashi's upper body strength I am sure that is what it feels like. His strength is more upper body.

I am not sure Osunaarashi is Komusubi material just yet. He had a weak start against the Ozeki and Yokozuna coming back against equal competition. M1 seems to be the right level for him even if he can tally 9 or 10 wins.

Interesting that he starts from a relatively distant point relative to the competition. That struck me watching his first five wins yesterday.

Ichinojo needs to work on his technique. Other sumo are using superior leverage to get underneath and work him over. He needs work on using his size and weight to his advantage. Just watching the last few matches it seems as though Osunaarshi has his legs back and is able to utilize his superior upper body strength. The slaps and belt work look like he is putting strength and technique together.

It is possible that his decision may not be a popular decision in Japanese culture and would prefer to keep the decision to himself until he retires. There could be some cultural reasons behind the decision.

1 more win and Hakuho gets 80 for the year which is an outstanding accomplishment. Not to be outdone Kakuryu has 70 wins which is exemplary for his first year as Yokozuna.

I think questioning Hakuho's record is silly. The requirements for Ozeki and Yokozuna have not changed and if one looks at the number of 80 win years there is one competitor that stands out. You see this whenever someone gets near a record in today's culture. There is no respect, only attempts to tear down a person and make their accomplishments seem less important.

Ichinojo had no leverage to move Hakuho. He was leaning over him while Hakuho had a grip. For Ichinojo to move Hakuho he would have to straighten his body and lift with his back instead of his legs. It is similar to lifting a box when you are standing over it. You can use back or legs and the legs are more efficient.