Really nice to see him happy, a good first step. Granted, this was more of a practice match in terms of importance and there are much better opponents left in the competition. Finding his rhythm and confidence (and joy) is the most important thing in this tournament by far. In this respect, it's looking good indeed.
The poise is back i'm relieved. I hope he can carry this now. He started to get nervous but he seemed to have stopped it for 3 points.
Yup, Momota, playing with much less burden on his shoulders, is showing what he's truly capable of in this consequential match - a loss to LZJ twice in a row, that coming immediately after his Olympic debacle, would have prolonged his self-doubt; a win, esp a well-played one would almost instantly lift his confidence up quite a fair bit. A very healthy sign, indeed, positively on the road to recovery.
Not so much timing but mindset issue, specifically lack of mental strength, if you ask me. His nervousness was quickly helped by LZJ's unforced errors, thanks to his opponent.
I don't care if it thanks to his opponents or whatever - as long as he fought it. I hope he can keep doing it and beat SYQ and VA and Heo and Vitidsarn.
I must say that was a quick turnaround by Momota coming after his previous round unimpressive victory over a certain English Johnnie. Suddenly things are looking up for Team Japan here. If KM continues in this vein, we might very well see Japan in the finals.
What I meant was he quickly overcame his nervousness, partly thanks to LZJ's erratic play, and started to play to his true strength, thereafter there is no stopping him all the way to the end. Yes, it's important that KM's upward trajectory or momentum is not arrested by any one of the four mentioned would-be opponents, not by the next one or two rounds, at least, if his gains in form are not to be (temporarily) stopped or, worse, undone. Don't worry, today's victory was a convincing one for him. So much so that I'm actually eagerly looking forward to a possible KM - VA clash. Btw, I doubt any of the other three you mentioned can stop him now.
anyone know what shoes momota use? is that SHB 65 z2 new color, z3, or new model? the color look similar to new 99 pro...
Dude, you see this picture and the first thing you think of are the shoes? When I see this picture I see a guy who is ecstatic and looks as if he has won the Olympics. This just shows how much pressure he has put on himself and how much doubt there was in him before the match. ... and how much relief there was after he has won. It made me so happy seeing him like this. This is a huge step for him, especially mentally. He will go into the next match with much more confidence and ease. He is still far from his old self, I would say. The second game was a huge improvement. But when comparing shot quality, there is still a long way to go to reach the 2019 Kento. But he's getting there, I am sure.
A friend and I were discussing this the last couple of days. Definitely a 65z series shoe. His ones would seem to be customised as it has his name and NTT East number on them.
@Nine Tailed Fox He had some pretty close to the line smashes and tight drops though. But I think where he is lacking maybe is on the clears. Let's see how he plays against CTC.
I hope the TPE v JPN tie is a 1-1 for the match of Momota. Or 2-0 for TPE. I want to see him feel some pressure and see how he plays.
