There exists exercise tasks and gymnastics for improving posture, but the content validity of these programs has not been sufficiently verified. The purpose of this study was to verify the content validity of the author-developed posture improvement gymnastics maintaining the characteristics of the historical German gymnastics Haltungsschulung, that can be performed smoothly and comfortably by Japanese university students, whose posture has been worsening. The first author created a draft of posture improvement gymnastics, which are centered on practicing proper posture by stretching the whole body and cultivating a sense of body. The content validity of the posture improvement gymnastics was verified by a combined Delphi method using a survey questionnaire and discussion with five experts: three instructors specializing in Gymnastics for All and two instructors specializing in other sports disciplines. In the survey questionnaire, experts were asked to evaluate the levels of effectiveness, difficulty, risk, interest, and exhilaration of the developed gymnastics using a visual analog scale. Additionally, they were asked to evaluate the suitability of the order and combination of exercise tasks and the rhythm and tempo of the accompanying music. Through these validation processes, a series of posture improvement gymnastics consisting of 10 different exercise tasks was developed.

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Gymnastics is widely popular as an exercise for health promotion and physical fitness improvement, particularly among older adults. Providing feedback to practitioners on movement quality and posture can enhance the benefits of gymnastics on physical and mental health. However, objective evaluation methods have not yet been developed. We aimed to gain insight into developing a practical evaluation system applicable to gymnastics practice settings using a markerless motion capture system. Twenty-four community-dwelling older adults performed a trunk rotation (twisting) exercise. We explored the kinematic parameters that predict observational assessments by exercise instructors related to trunk twisting, vertical trunk posture, and muscle relaxation involving minimal muscle tension. The results demonstrated that the explored kinematic parameters could accurately predict the observational assessment of trunk twisting and muscle relaxation. These findings can boost motivation for gymnastics practice and support physical and mental health promotion through the development of a motion capture-based evaluation and feedback system.

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In this study, we used a narrative approach to elucidate the factors affecting attitude changes among physical education teachers toward physical fitness classes. The study participant was one physical education teacher. Data analyzed included nine unstructured interviews, field notes taken during classwork, and classroom materials. A narrative story of the participant was generated from these data using the analytical perspective presented by Tanaka (2011). The analysis of the narrative revealed that the “premise” of one’s personal attitude toward physical fitness classes is established during the preliminary meeting and that ongoing reflection during subsequent classwork leads to changes in attitude. These classwork reflections progressed to a higher level through the following three stages: “recognizing the premise,” “evaluating the source and consequences of the premise,” and “testing the validity of the premise.” The study also suggested that attitude changes were prompted by factors such as the building a teaching unit image and social interaction, resulting from the resolution of doubts and dilemmas as well as the fulfillment of learning achievements.

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This study has two main purposes. The first is to investigate what kind of physicality learners acquire through the practice of Danish gymnastics, and the second is to examine whether Danish Gymnastics encompasses a view of the body that the Japanese concept of “karada tsukuri” exercise does not.In this study, it became clear that the students acquired the essence of “Karada tsukuri” exercise and a sense of beauty through gymnastics with their peers. The perspective of aesthetic sensitivity is unique to Danish gymnastics and is not found in the physicality expected in “Karada-tsukuri” exercises.It is suggested that the educational significance of Danish gymnastics has been accumulated not only as a tradition but also through the experience of the physical sensibility that leads to enjoyment and aesthetics. This again is acquired through the physical empathy with others, the acquisition of inter-somatic sensibility, and the relationship with others that is cultivated by Danish gymnastics.Aesthetic sensitivity is not learned and acquired as knowledge but is directly sensed through the experience of the body. Incorporating this perspective on sensitivity education into “Karada-tsukuri” exercise will lead to the education that nurtures ‘rich humanity’.

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