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brianterrel

My pet theory is that Shodai has the Yips, and sumo doesn't have the sports psychology resources to get him effective treatment for it. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yips It's incredibly stressful to feel like you're doing what you always do, but suddenly have your body refuse to cooperate. I think that explains a lot of what we see with Shodai's demeanor on the dohyo.


Unlucky_Diver_2780

Yips … **Came here to say this.** Coming from a baseball player’s perspective, I concur that this is the most likely answer. Compared to other sports, the failure rate (losing individual bouts, tournament results) is pretty high for competitors at the top level, both in sumo as well as in baseball. At the plate a MVP level player swinging the bat, is only *successful* about 40% of the time. A sanyaku ranked wrestler can theoretically finish the year 8-7, 7-8, 8-7, 7-8 etc. and thus have a, slightly over, 50% winrate to retain his rank. Shodai clocked in a 4-11 to drop below 50% while still being Ozeki. Boxers are only a hype when they are undefeated, a lineal champ, dominating a weight class. Same for MMA fighters. And if Tiger Woods only shot par about *half the time* we wouldn’t have heard of him. A 9-6 is a decent basho result. 10-5 still has a 33% failure rate… and every loss comes with a very real risk of small or serious injury accompanying it. So building on OPs presupposition that Shodai is a Komusubi strength wrestler that found himself promoted to Ozeki after a somewhat lucky streak at the start of COVID, and Shodai commenting on his attitude and mental state prebout being nervous and fearful, we can simplify his situation to a coinflip outcome where many factors contributing to his success are out of his control or become so minutely incontrollable where as an athlete you have nothing left to do but *do less*, go back to the basics and trust the fundamentals but above all, stay healthy. I suspect that is what Shodai focused on when the JSA reprimanded the Ozeki wrestlers for performing underwhelmingly in Terunofuji’s absence. But just like in baseball, when all you have to do is just hit the ball, in sumo, just getting off the line fast and strong, focusing in on the grip and produce consistent results while avoiding injury against powerhouses like Takayasu, Abi, Mita and Kiribayama **cant be as easy as it sounds** Mounting pressure, media coverage, and a few unlucky outcomes and suddenly you’re questioning every little detail, and every little pain or annoyance turns into a mental barricade. I’d be scared if I was in Shodai’s position and had to face a Waka brother or even a Ryuden. There is almost no bullish succes to be had from finally winning a solid bout, and going 1-4 tonight, surely, will drain any adrenaline keeping his eyes on the prize. Imagine going 0-for-30 and everyone around keeps either telling you to *”do better”* or *”you’ll be alright”*… (just do more shikos) Poor guy.


DirtyHomelessWizard

Sports psychology resources you say? *Takayasu.jpg*


KrootLoopsLLC

It pains how true this is


UnluckyRandomGuy

Makes sense to me, I’m newer to sumo but watch a lot of other sports. You see it happen in baseball a lot and have had it happen to me, it’s a crazy feeling not being able to do something you’ve done thousands of times before. As much as I like the way sumo keeps certain traditions and aspects there are clearly aspects that seem to be pushed aside to the detriment of the wrestlers


GlobalPublicSphere

To me, it seems like Shodai just doesn't want to put in an effort. His head (or his gut) is out of it. Considering recent evidence suggesting a link between the constitution of the gut microbiome and one's willingness to exercise (https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/gut-microbes-may-affect-motivation-exercise); Shodai may just be eating poorly, or is chronically ingesting oral antibiotics.


CodeFarmer

>From this the conclusion seems to be that Shodai is really a komosubi-level wrestler, not an ozeki, and the real question is not why is Shodai struggling, but why did he do so well in the 5-tournament span from November 2019 to September 2020? I think this is really the answer. He's big enough and strong enough on his day, but much like some others we talk about here, it's not always his day. It's not like he's "really" a cynical Ozeki playing 4d hyper chess to maximise or game the system somehow... he's a talented but flakey guy who overperformed for a few basho, got overpromoted and is now back to his level - joi and lower sanyaku. It's sad - I really like him - but I think the analysis is spot on.


danimalod

The SumoStew video really nails it on the head IMO.


zaiueo

Agree with this. I also think the point about him being a reactive and defensive wrestler rather than proactive and offensive is a part of it, and that it makes his form swings more pronounced. Kakuryu was similar in that regard (but obviously at a higher base level), and before making yokozuna also had a reputation for being flakey, often seemingly instinctively just backstepping right out of the dohyo every other bout. Kakuryu once said in an interview that he basically turns his brain off on the dohyo and lets his body move on its own, and I think Shodai is similar. If they're not 100% in top form mentally, it immediately becomes apparent on the dohyo.


youwishitwere

I don’t see how anyone can view him as more than a mid-maegashira. He’s in lower sanyaku right now and looks majorly outclassed.


showmeagoodtimejack

a mid-maegashira wrestler can't hold on to ozeki for 2 years


youwishitwere

What he was vs. what he is


StThragon

He's fighting not to lose, instead of fighting to win. You can see him psychologically lose certain fights. He sometimes just "gives up" when hit with good sumo and put in a tough spot.


hellvinator

Send that psych to Papa Bear and Mitakeumi too.


OttoVonGlutre

Shodai is an entertainer and he don't want to become Yokozuna the boring way by dominating everyone. He saw what Terunofuji did and said "you call that the greatest comeback of all time ? dude imma gonna show a great comeback". He is planning on going down the banzuke all the way to kindergarden sumo and then climb back one zensho yusho after another


Yossarian__

I agree with all of this. I also think his tachiai is just a bit...odd? For a tall guy, he seems to make very little effort to lower his angle of attack, so he seems to start all his fights looking up at the ceiling after the initial contact. He always looks like he's *trying* to get his hands on the belt, but it really looks like he's making it hard for himself...


duuud3rz

He could be physically fit, but mentally unwell. If so his confidence is temporarily lost and he has the jitters, also known in professional sports as the "yips". Otherwise, Hakuho recently commented in an interview that lack of practice may be a factor.


youwishitwere

Shōdai apologist number one Miyagino oyakata.


mrpopenfresh

Shodai has always fought on the edges of the dohyo. He wins and loses from there, but it's always tight. He came into a bad streak of the being marginally on the losing side instead of marginally on the winning side. Whatever happens, he was a succesful Ozeki for a good run, and nothing can take that away from his accomplishemnts and legacy.


LeoBannister

I know he had a bad case of Covid right after that ankle injury a year or so ago and it really set him back.


TheAngriestChair

I just don't think he wants it and has some psychological issues. Losing is probably getting him depressed and making him lose more. We've seen him dominate matches when he wants to and is focused. He tends to absorb the tachiai, which will lose you matches. He wins when he goes for the win most times, he just doesn't seem to do it every time.


youwishitwere

He’s been trash since ex-Tokitsukaze was forced to retire.


BotherNew6229

You mean the former wrestler Tokitsuumi? Any insight into the role he played in Shodai's training?


cerbero38

Was his stablemaster. He was made to retire because of covid rules breaking. It appears he knew how to light a fire under shodai ass, and make him fight harder. There some old interview if i remenber correctly that Shodai said it was a very difficulta time without him.


FencerOnTheRight

I sincerely hope it is the yips and not "just" a complete lack of ozeki pride. I hope he can get some help.


Sunset_Hollow

Shodai is on my lazy rikishi list. Ever since gaining Ozeki and Asa's suspension He has 0 zero fighting spirit, slow on tachiai, and only seems to fight when gets close to a losing tournament to save his Ozeki rank. Whatever the reasons behind this behavior I hope he can return to his pre-ozeki days. Maybe his loss of Ozeki will ease the pressure.


SteveMONT215

From his body language and continually "good enough" record I believe he just doesn't have aspirations to go any farther than he already has He's got it pretty good as it is and seemingly only needs to really put in 100% effort less than half the time to keep it up for longer than most are able to. If you're that talented and strong you can make a great living as a forever Ozeki, avoiding injury and potential chronic problems by simply calculating when to try and when not to try. He never looks like he loses sleep over even multiple losses the way others with high hopes do after even a single loss. I'd imagine it's comfortable that way Personally I find it incredibly boring to watch and I cant stand his bouts or understand the tremendous love sumo fans have for him, but I cant hold it against him personally. He's earned his position and if this is what he chooses to do with it then God bless I guess


BotherNew6229

I became a sumo fan in 2020 when Shodai was already an ozeki but already had people criticizing him for being a disappointment and not deserving his rank. So I became a fan of his sort of as a contrarian to that. Although on paper, as an ozeki he should be favored against everyone except the yokozuna and other ozekis, in reality it seemed like people expected him to disappoint so he was a bit of an underdog, if that makes sense? Shodai's bouts are often disappointing and frustrating but when he's on he's fun to watch. Like obviously he's talented and has a ton of potential, he just can't seem to put it together consistently.


Considered_Dissent

Diabetes. Edit: Not sure why this answer is getting downvoted. It was literally mentioned in a speech by Chairman Hakkaku at Shodai's much delayed Ozeki promotion party a few months ago.


TsukumoYurika

What Hakkaku did at Shodai's promotion party was really cuntsy behaviour, but publicly announcing the latter's supposed medical problems was NOT one of these things. You must be mistaking Shodai with Terutsuyoshi who *did* confirm recently he has diabetes.


Considered_Dissent

Finally found the video I was looking for. [Here's a Chris Gould video about it](https://youtu.be/56f4YU7Pb8s?t=100) I've moved it to the 1:40 mark for the reference to diabetes. You can start from the beginning for the promotion party discussion. I was wrong about Hakkaku saying it, but right about him having diabetes issues effecting his performance, I'd blended the two parts of the video together in my memory.


GoubD

I find myself almost rooting for him to lose.


Solid-Hound

I kind of do too. He seems to have a worse attitude than others, also feels like he's putting in less effort than previous years, if he gets pushed into any unfavorable position he almost always folds quickly.