In Japan, who are the coaches of the national ski team, and what kind of work do they do? We want to delve into this topic, which is rarely discussed. This time, we spoke with Yuta Jo, head coach of the Japanese moguls team, which is expected to win a medal at the Milan-Cortina Olympics (Part 1 ishere). In Part 2, he reveals the realities of the relationship between coaches and athletes.
Technical coaches work with players on a assigned basis
As mentioned in the first part, Japan's national mogul team has head coach Shiro, chief coach Kobayashi Shigeru, and five technical coaches who are in charge of the field: Shimatani Hiroyuki, Endo Takashi, Janne Lahtera, Taniguchi Takeho, and Tateda Shunya
The five technical coaches do not all instruct everyone in the same way; instead, each coach is assigned a specific player and focuses on providing instruction to that player
For example, the coach who oversees Horishima Yukimasa is Janne Lahtera. In this way, technical coaches are assigned to provide technical guidance to several players, but the players they supervise have different technical levels, personalities, strengths and weaknesses. How do they follow up on these aspects?
"They have their own rigid way of doing things and don't push away players who can't keep up. All the coaches adjust and adapt their teaching methods according to the personality and characteristics of the players, striving to help them perform to their full potential
However, for example, if there is a player who is cheerful and proactive and eager to absorb everything, and another player who is quiet and reserved, it will be difficult for the coach to teach both players at the same time, so adjustments will be necessary."
As professionals, coaches always think and act to achieve the best results, but players and coaches are also human beings, and sometimes misunderstandings occur
"After all, the amount of time you spend with someone can make a difference. If you spend a lot of time together, you get to know their personality, so you can provide appropriate coaching. That difference is quite noticeable."
Coach Shiro told me this related anecdote:
"Coach Janne always emphasizes the importance of practicing basic turns on flat slopes. Just because it's mogul doesn't mean you should only practice on bumpy slopes. He stresses that fundamental skiing techniques are crucial. That's why we practice snowplow turns so diligently. He's really good at it himself. He also
says things that even less experienced skiers can understand, so it's easy for less experienced skiers to grasp. On the other hand, he can also speak from experience, drawing on his time at the top of the world, and that's a strength of the entire team."
However, some players may not understand this and may feel that it is not suited to them. It is also true that there is a language barrier and subtle nuances may not be conveyed
Since we are all human beings, there will inevitably be times when our feelings don't match. This isn't limited to athletes and coaches.
In fact, the Japanese mogul skiing team makes sure that athletes don't feel stressed if they continue to receive guidance from a coach they don't get along with.
"We allow players to choose their own coaches. So sometimes they change coaches. That's totally OK. It's up to the players to decide whether they're a good fit or not."
The attitude of "players first" is consistently maintained
Support for Yukima Horishima's solo practice
To leverage each player's strengths and compensate for their weaknesses, individualized support for each athlete becomes essential.
A prime example of this is how Horishima is treated. Since 2024, Horishima has been training independently at a huge indoor ski resort in Oslo, Norway, away from the team during the off-season.
This is to improve his mastery of the "cork 1440," the most difficult trick involving four rotations on a diagonal axis.
"In that sense, the current Japanese team might look disjointed from the outside. It might seem like everyone is being selfish and doing whatever they want. But that's not the case at all. We
're just striving to bring out the best in each player. Otherwise, we wouldn't be able to beat the world's top players. That's why we're letting Horishima do what he wants to do freely."
Traditional, old-fashioned sports-style discipline and conservative, precedent-following coaching systems cannot compete on a global level.
This may now be true for any sport.
Division of roles at the tournament venue
Technical coaches primarily instruct the athletes they are responsible for, but at competitions, they work together as a team, sharing information and making the best decisions in an instant.
When watching mogul skiing on television, you can see them standing in the start and finish areas at the competition venue. What is the division of roles among them?
"During regular and official practice sessions, we observe from the finish line area. Coaches only stand at the starting line once the competition has begun. We constantly interact with the athletes and support them in getting into the best possible mindset before the start.
Athletes feel more secure when the coach who usually instructs them is by their side at the start. In our current setup, Coach Shimatani and Coach Endo are at the start.
Also, by observing the process leading up to sending them off to the competition, we can create training menus during regular practice sessions that simulate the start of a competition. We can give advice like, 'This is how it was at the starting line back then, so let's try to have this kind of mindset in practice as well.'"
However, coach Janne Lahtera does things differently
"Janne is a little different. He says, 'I don't need to be at the start to understand,' and he looks at the whole picture from the finish line and thinks about strategy. He gives accurate advice to athletes, including those he doesn't normally see directly. That's Janne's style."
The information obtained at the start and the finish line is different. Sharing this information and making appropriate decisions in an instant will produce the best results
"When I go to the venue, I do the same thing. I watch the skates of various skaters in the finish area and check how the judges are giving out their scores. Then I send information like, 'Today's trend is like this,' or 'This skater is getting this kind of score,' to the starting coach
Janne talks directly with Horishima about how she will skate in the finals and how she will do it next time. She shares this with her superior, Coach Endo, who checks it and, since he can also see the air, makes fine adjustments such as, "Let's fly in this direction" or "The speed was like this, so let's reduce it," and sends her out. In this way, the cooperation among the coaches is going very well at the moment."
A coach was present next to the air platform
They may seem disparate at times, but when push comes to shove, they unite as a team and fight together. It's inevitable that Japanese teams, capable of achieving this, will become strong.
Furthermore, their on-field formations have been strengthened this season.
"Ideally, there should be a dedicated coach near each of the two jump ramps, not just in the start and finish areas. Being able to check the jumps at close range allows for more appropriate advice.
However, in many other countries, this is not possible due to budget and other issues. In contrast, Japan has been able to establish a system this season where coaches Taniguchi and Tateda, who are skilled in aerial instruction, can stand near the jump ramps."
Even when Coach Shiro is away from the field, the overall coaching system will definitely be improved by having a full system in place with coaches at four checkpoints: the start, first air, second air, and finish
What are the qualifications to become a coach?
Finally, I would like to consider the question, "How can I become a coach for the national mogul team?"
"Ideally, we would like to see a licensing system that everyone can agree on and that is transparent. Some people may think that the current system is stuck in a non-transparent state."
Coach Shiro has a strong vision for building a system.
In reality, aside from foreign coaches, most are selected from former mogul skiers with proven coaching experience in their local area. However, there are many such people throughout the country. How do you choose from among them?
"Right now, we're focusing on filling in the gaps. We're adding coaches to fill in the missing pieces. We needed coaches who could stand next to the aerial ramp, so we brought in Coach Taniguchi and Coach Tateda, who have excellent skills in aerial instruction.
Both of them can provide comprehensive technical instruction, but their expertise in aerials was the deciding factor."
There is a saying that "a great player does not make a great coach." While playing ability and experience are useful for coaching, technical ability and coaching ability are two different things
The current success of the Japanese team shows that Janne Lahterra possessed both of these qualities.
On the other hand, coaches Taniguchi and Tateda do not have spectacular results in international competitions. Coach Jo himself did not compete in the Olympics as an athlete. Athlete achievements and coaching ability are two different things.
Difficult money issues
The selection of a coach is also influenced by very practical issues
"There is a system in place whereby a coach accompanies a player to a single tournament, but the player feels confused when receiving advice from a coach who does not normally coach them. It is also difficult for the coaches to work, so they are rarely employed. Nowadays, it is an absolute requirement that a coach can be signed on an annual contract. The same goes for trainers."
However, it seems that there is some uncertainty as to whether ski coaching can be considered a profession
"We've promised Janne, who we've invited from Finland, that he can live comfortably on his coaching earnings alone, but I think it would be difficult for the other coaches to live for a year on coaching fees alone.
Therefore, it's a requirement that they have other sources of income and also be in an environment where they can continue to work as coaches."
Most ski school instructors also have other sources of income during the off-season.
It's almost an unavoidable reality for those working in the ski industry, but when you have to come to terms with that, it's not realistic for just any former athlete to become a coach.
However, the current Japanese team has assembled the best possible members under limited conditions. That's why the overall level of play has improved so dramatically.
Aiming for "multiple Olympic medals" with a solid coaching system
Coach Shiro has set his goal for this season as "winning multiple medals at the Olympics."
Starting with the Milan-Cortina Olympics, in addition to the traditional moguls (single), dual moguls will be an official event where two skiers compete simultaneously, and the winner advances to the next round.
In other words, the number of moguls events has increased from the traditional two events (men's and women's moguls) to four, with the addition of men's and women's dual moguls, and the number of medals awarded has increased from six to twelve.
Looking at it more positively, "multiple medals" doesn't necessarily mean two. Gold medal contender Yukima Horishima could win two, and there's also a possibility that the women could win two.
With such expectations, we await the start of the Olympics.
▶Milan-Cortina Olympics Schedule
2026
February 10,
February 11: Women's Moguls Final
February 12: Men's Moguls Final
February 14: Women's Dual Moguls Final
February 15: Men's Dual Moguls Final
Photo by Sho Endo