The influence of the principle of Ju on the acquisition of life skills of university student judo players

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of “the principle of Ju”-traditional tactical thinking-on the acquisition of life skills of university student judo players.

The survey was conducted from September to November 2018 for 353 university student judo players (male: 223, female: 130; mean age: 19.92 ± 1.22 years; mean years of experience: 12.80 ± 2.70). In the survey, the “Established Scale of the Basic Principle of Ju” (ESBPJ: Ariyama et al., 2016) was employed, which can evaluate the degree of establishment of the principle of Ju from two aspects: “the use of yin and yang (in to yo no tsukaiwake)” and “movement to detach breathing (kisoku wo hazusu ugoki)”. In addition, the Appraisal Scale of Required Life Skills for College Student Athletes (Shimamoto et al., 2013) was implemented. This scale evaluates the life skills required by athletes using 10 dimensions (setting goals, communicating, stress management, maintaining physical health and well-being, always making one’s best effort, maintaining etiquette and manners, taking responsibility for one’s own behavior, thinking carefully, being humble, and appreciating others). In the analysis, the ESBPJ was reconstructed for university student judo players. Using the reconstructed scale, t-test and correlation analyses were conducted for each level of degree of establishment of the principle of Ju.

First, the ESBPJ was reconstructed for university student judo players based on three conditions. Next, from the t-test analysis, the scores regarding “thinking carefully” and “being humble” were significantly higher in the group with a high Basic Principle of Ju (BPJ). As a result of the correlation analysis, the group with a low BPJ showed a negative relationship with tactical thinking and the underlying skills to improve competition life. Similarly, a positive relationship was shown with goal setting. The group with a high BPJ showed a positive relationship with “maintaining etiquette and manners”. From the above, the relationship between BPJ and life skills was hardly shown in both groups. Therefore, it has been suggested that the movements and techniques reflecting the proverb “softness overcomes hardness (ju yoku go wo seisu)” used by judo players who play competitive sports may not have been converted into the skills necessary to enhance competition life.