Evaluating the movements of exercisers and setting movement patterns according to the skill levels are effective in improving skills and examining the effectiveness of instruction in exercise guidance. The purpose of this study was to create a simple version of evaluation criteria for the straddle vaulting that can be used in teaching situations, based on the observational evaluation criteria and the classification of proficiency patterns in Sano et al. (2019). The subjects were 513 elementary school children (248 boys and 265 girls). We created several 6-item sets to evaluate take-off, push-off, and landing movements that separate proficiency. The latent class analysis for each item set using the data of 410 children randomly selected from the 513 resulted in adoption of a simple version consisting of 6 items: “Adjusting free leg flexion”, “Rebound jump”, “Push-off,” “Rotating backward”, “Alignment of both legs”, and “Stopping firmly”. We calculated the coefficient of specialization for each evaluation category among the 6 items, and we identified the key categories for classifying proficiency with the simple evaluation criteria without using statistical analysis. Our examination revealed classification match rates of 89.8% between the analysis result of 23-items and the simple version, and 93.7% between the result of 6-item and the simple version, both of which were sufficiently high. Cross-validation using the data of the remaining 103 children resulted in extraction of the same movement patterns observed for the 410 children, and the match rate was 94.2% between the analysis result of 6-items and the simple version. Based on these results, we created a simple version of the evaluation criteria for the straddle vaulting that can accurately classify proficiency with a small number of items without using latent class analysis. In the future, the usability of the simple version in face-to-face evaluation and the further validity will require verification.

This study aimed to clarify whether the relative age effects exist among Japan national athletes who participated in the Olympics and World Athletics Championship from 1991 to 2021 by discipline. We obtained 500 athletes' birth month from a website. The following disciplines were classified: short distance (sprints, hurdles, relays: n＝168), middle-to long-distance (middle-distance, long-distance, marathon, walking race: n＝252), jumping (n＝52), throwing (n＝24), and combined (n＝7). Athletes' birth months were divided into four quarters: April–June, July–September, October–December, January–March. Chi-squared goodness of fit test and residual analysis were used to confirm biased distribution of birth month. The proportion of male short-distance athletes who were born between April and June was significantly higher, which may be due to advantage of physique (e.g., height and BMI). On the other hand, the proportion of male jumping athletes who were born between January and March was significantly higher, indicating that discipline transfer in their youth may have an influence on the relative age effect of jumping athletes. In conclusion, the relative age effect was seen among male short-distance and jumping athletes. These results suggest that athletic training systems in Japan have yet to mitigate the advantages caused by the relative age effect because young athletes' disciplines are selected too early, without careful consideration of the relative age effect.

This study focused on achieving the goal of “social and emotional skills” presented by the OECD (2015), including collaboration with others, and the subordinate constructs for emotional control (patience, self-control, passion for achieving goals, sociability, respect, compassion, self-esteem, optimism, and confidence). The study aimed to develop a rating scale to assess the social and emotional skills of children in the middle and upper grades of elementary school. The preliminary study examined constructs and their validities for the questions used in the scale and extracted 44 in total. This study used the test-retest method to analyze the reliability of 755 data points collected from children in the middle and upper grades of elementary schools. The ICC was within a range of 67–90 for all the questions, confirming temporal stability. The exploratory factor analysis showed that Cronbach's alpha coefficient was .60 or above for every factor, ensuring reliability within factors. Next, the study analyzed the exploratory and confirmatory factors and extracted the following seven factors (a total of 21 items): self-esteem, sociability, respect, compassion, patience, self-control, and passion for achieving a goal, which matched the model that identifies social and emotional skills (GFI=.954, AGFI=.937, CFI=.965, RMSEA=.042). These findings suggest that the rating scale to assess social and emotional skills developed in this study has sufficient credibility and validity (construct validity) to measure and evaluate the social and emotional skills of elementary school children.

This study aimed to elucidate the developmental characteristics of motor control ability of gripping and jumping from childhood to adulthood. The participants were instructed to perform two movements, i.e., gripping and standing long jump, first with maximal effort (maximum task) and subsequently with 50% subjective effort (half task). Participants' force (gripping) and actual distances (jumping) were recorded and analyzed. The relative values of the half task were calculated based on the maximum task. Furthermore, the constant and absolute errors from the target value (50%) were evaluated. We compared the age (5, 11, 17, 19-20, and 30-49 years of age), movement (gripping and jumping) and sex (male and female).

Consequently, absolute errors in half task were greater in 5-year-old age group than in other age groups in both sexes and movements. As regards the movements, gripping in both sexes had greater absolute error than jumping. Moreover, there were no relationships between the errors of gripping and jumping in each age group and sex. In conclusion, this study indicated that the developmental process in the motor control ability significantly improves from children to school age for both male and females, regardless of movements. A common characteristic of all ages was that jumping were more accurately controlled than gripping.

The decline in children's physical fitness has become a widely recognized problem in recent years. To address this issue, the Japanese government introduced the New Physical Fitness Test in 2008. The latest report shows that more than 80% of elementary schools throughout Japan have been complying with this directive. According to the Japan Sports Agency, 71.1% of the schools were using the test results to help develop their yearly plans; however, as the questionnaires were answered by each of the schools, it is unclear whether the elementary school teachers were actually using the test results effectively or not. The purpose of this research is to identify elementary school teachers' attitude toward the physical fitness test, and to determine how they are utilizing it as an educational tool to stimulate and promote students' personal fitness goals. The research was conducted among 840 teachers who are currently working at elementary schools across Japan. The questionnaires consisted of a total of 11 questions, of which nine required descriptive answers. The KJ method was used to categorize each answer into smaller groups of similar answer. The results showed that the elementary school teachers had both positive and negative perceptions of the physical fitness test, and the two major findings were as follows: (1) Although some of the teachers used the fitness test in their class, they were unable to identify a relationship between the education guidelines and the fitness test; therefore, they could not utilize the test results effectively. (2) Teachers felt burdened by the limited time they have to prepare and manage the New Physical Fitness Test. According to these findings, there should be clearer guidelines on how to use the test effectively, so that both teachers and students will be able to utilize the assessment and implement it to improve their fitness.

The purpose of this study is overview of injuries to elementary school children in Physical Education Classes by grade level and gender. The data provided by the Japan Sport Council, on injuries in children of seven from 2013 to 2019. The results revealed the following:

(1) Injuries rates in Physical Education Classes increases with grade. When comparing injuries rates between boys and girls by grade, there was no significant difference. So, injuries rates in Physical Education Classes were about the same for both boys and girls.

(2) In five disciplines-dodgeball, warm-up and cool-down exercise, horizontal bar, swimming, and soccer and futsal- these injuries rates were higher in boys than girls in any grade. And in three disciplines-basketball, hurdles, skipping rope- these injuries rates were higher in girls than boys in any grade.
There is a difference between boys and girls in what has a high incidence of injuries.

(3) The incidence of injuries due to vaulting horse exercise increases with grade in boys, but 4th graders were the highest in girls. Injury rates were similar for boys and girls in lower grades, higher in girls than boys in middle grades, and higher in boys than girls in higher grades. Injury rates were similar among boys in the 4th, 5th, and 6th grades, and girls in the 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th grades.

(4) The incidence of injuries due to mat exercise increases with grade in boys and girls. Injury rates were similar for boys and girls in 1st, 2nd and 6th grades, and higher in girls than boys in other grades. The rate of injury occurrence was higher in 5th and 6th grades than 25% for both boys and girls.

The present study compared the effects of support using the bubble tube visual stimuli in a dimly lit environment on physiological indicators over time for each of Prader-Willi syndrome, Down syndrome, Autism Spectrum Disorder, and healthy students, and noted the usefulness of developmental support. As a result, no change in transcutaneous arterial blood oxygen saturation (SpO₂) was observed in any of the students. However, heart rate was lower (p<0.01) 5 and 10 minutes after the students with Prader-Willi syndrome, Down syndrome, and Autism Spectrum Disorder were placed in a dimly lit environment than in a brightly lit environment before the start of the support, indicating a relaxing effect that led to emotional stability. The developmental usefulness of this study suggests that the acceptance of visual stimuli of the bubble tube in a dimly lit environment has a modifying effect that lowers the threshold of response and increases the responsiveness of the autonomic nervous system. Future work is needed to examine the effects of color and illumination changes under different conditions and to investigate sensory aspects other than visual factors.

This study aimed to clarify the types and frequencies of fundamental movement patterns (FMP) during leader-led play with preschool children and examine their characteristics by comparing them with those observed during free play. The participants consisted of 12 children (10 boys and 2 girls) aged 6.1±0.3 years, attending an authorized childcare center in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. Videos capturing 30 minutes of leader-led play and free play in the playground were analyzed to identify and count the FMP. The FMP was classified into 34 types and further categorized into three movement categories: stability, locomotion, and manipulation. Additionally, we conducted three physical fitness tests (25-m dash, standing long jump, and ball throwing) to investigate the correlation between FMP usage and physical fitness. The result showed that the average frequency of FMP during leader-led play was significantly lower than that during free play. This difference was particularly notable in terms of manipulation frequency and the number of FMP types and locomotion. Conversely, leader-led play exhibited a significantly higher frequency of stability and a greater number of manipulation types compared to free play. Furthermore, leader-led play demonstrated less variation in the frequency of FMP among participants compared to free play. A significant correlation was found between FMP and physical fitness score in both leader-led play and free play, specifically with the frequency of stability. These findings clarified that using the FMP may differ depending on the play contents and individual differences in physical fitness scores.

In the instruction of kicking pullover, practice is often carried out with a single goal of achieving a technique. However, to provide each student with the most suitable exercise tasks and instructions, it is effective to set multiple step-by-step goals in the practice process. Therefore, this study set stepwise goals of kicking pullover movement by applying the latent rank theory to the observational evaluation and extracting the proficiency rank. The subjects were 80 elementary school children (39 boys and 41 girls) and 32 university students (11 males and 21 females) who belong to the athletic club, and the video images of the subjects' kicking pullover movements were observed and evaluated. The latent rank theory adopts a 6-rank model, and as a result of interpreting the movement based on the item category reference profile, three ranks were extracted before the technique was achieved, and three were extracted after the technique was achieved. All proficiency ranks appeared in each grade of elementary school students and university students. Stepwise goals from Goal 1 to Goal 5 were set based on the movement indicated by the proficiency rank of kicking pullover. Goal 1: To take off in an upward direction. Goal 2: To take a large step forward. Goal 3: To keep the body close to the horizontal bar by pulling the elbows to the side of the body. Goal 4: To pinch both legs. Goal 5: To raise the waist and let the upper body rise smoothly. It is expected that the stepwise movement goals can be widely used for exercise guidance for children such as elementary school physical education classes and practical skill guidance for university students.

This study aimed to assess the physical activity and fitness of the students of two primary schools: one in which students commute to school mainly by bus or car and the other by walking. The “A” primary school included 18 students from grade 3 to 6 (mean age; 10.1 ± 1.7 years) and the “B” primary school included 88 students from grade 3 to 6 (mean age; 10.1 ± 1.3 years) in the study. Time and modes of commuting were assessed using a questionnaire, and physical activity was assessed using an accelerometer. Furthermore, physical fitness was assessed using hand grip, sit-ups, sit and reach, side-to-side steps, 20-meter shuttle run, 50-meter dash, standing broad jump, and ball throwing tests. All students from the “A” primary school used bus or car to commute to and from school. Conversely, in the “B” primary school, 19.3% of students commuted to school by bus or car, whereas 20.5% commuted from school by bus or car. Moreover, no significant difference was observed in the sedentary behavior of the students of both schools. In contrast, all other factors (step count, light physical activity, and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity) were significantly higher for the students of the “B” primary school than those of the “A” primary school. Regarding the physical activity guidelines, none of the “A” primary school students and 54.5% of the “B” primary school students fulfilled the guidelines. Physical fitness of the “B” primary school students was significantly higher than “A” primary school students in sit and reach, 20-meter shuttle run, and 50-meter dash. In conclusion, this study suggested that commuting to and from school by bus or car was associated with low physical activity and fitness.

This study aims to clarify the influence of the introduction of rhythmic exercises “Ukiuki Taisou”, which includes movements connected to running, jumping, and throwing, with the intention of acquiring fundamental movements, on the qualitative transformation of fundamental movements in young children. The subjects were 121 children (60 children aged 4-5 and 61 children aged 5-6) in a private kindergarten. For rhythmic exercises, “Ukiuki Taisou” (Kadomoto, 2021) was used. To facilitate the implementation of exercises as part of the kindergarten program: (1) a sports day based around the exercises was scheduled; and (2) a DVD showing how to do them was distributed to parents/guardians. The intervention consisted of daily exercises during the 10 days before the sports day. Two weeks before the sports day and two weeks after the end of the sports day, we examined the children's running, jumping, and throwing as the fundamental movements. Three fundamental movements were evaluated and scored by two people using Nakamura et al's (2011) observational evaluation method. In addition, to grasp the ripple effect at home, we surveyed the viewing situation of the distributed DVDs using an online questionnaire. For the analysis, a paired t-test was performed for each sex and grade for each movement score before and after the intervention. The results show that performance was significantly higher after the intervention (p=0.000-0.018), except for the jumping movement of girls aged 4-5 (p=0.182) before and after the intervention. 70.9% of parents/guardians answered that they “frequently” or “sometimes” watched the exercise DVD at home. From the above, we argue that a cooperative approach to rhythmic exercises, combining the efforts of both kindergartens and parents/guardians, can help improve children's fundamental movements.

This study aims to develop a motor play program based on tennis for preschool children and verify its effects. I created a “rolling teni-ping play” program based on the “teni-ping” developed by Imai (2013) and investigated behavioral and affective changes in 5-year-old children.

Results proved that hitting and keeping the ball moving while performing manipulative actions improved the children's motor skills. This suggests a positive effect on the acquisition of various movements, such as the manipulative skill to hit, the ability to predict the ball sent from the opponent, and the ability to move quickly. In addition, since fun increased and anxiety reduced, it can be said that this program has improved positive feelings among preschool children.