Accurately judging a situation during soccer is one of the important factors for executing superior performance. In order to acquire decision making ability, in practice and instruction sessions, it is considered desirable to adapt scientific knowledge to coaches' rules of thumb and experiences. However, it has been pointed out that practice and instructions based on scientific evidence are hardly executed. Therefore, in this review, we aimed to examine the relationship between the perceptual-cognitive skills and coaching science related to decision making for the perceptual-cognitive skill research in soccer through an overview of the research results that have been clarified so far about each factor of pattern recognition, visual search behaviors, and anticipation that constitute perceptual-cognitive skills, and the knowledge that supports them. In addition, one of the important tasks in perceptual-cognitive skill research is acquiring perceptual-cognitive skills and developing effective coaching and training methods. Therefore, from the standpoint of motor learning research, we discuss future works on perceptual-cognitive skills of soccer, while exploring the relationship between acquisition of perceptual-cognitive skills and coaching science. It is suggested that the theoretical background clarified through this review would be useful for obtaining scientific knowledge about decision making in an environment with severe temporal and spatial constraints.

    It has been an important issue to develop quantitative method for analyzing team tactics in football games. In this paper, time-series data of the ball and the player positions were stochastically represented by using Hidden Markov Model (HMM). First, the time-series data was classified into two patterns of effective offense and non-effective offense based on the offensive performance after the ball takeover. HMM for each offense pattern was constructed by using machine learning method from the time-series training data. Then, the time-series data was automatically classified into two offense patterns by using HMM classification method. The classification rate was more than 90％ for the training data and more than 80％ in the testing data. Also, the classification test was performed for a part of the time-series data in the interval from the ball takeover to the instant when the ball was carried at a reference pitch line. The classification rate was approximately 70-90％ for the training data and 70-85％ in the testing data in cases where a certain number of states were set up in HMM. Moreover, the occurrence probability of HMM was compared between the effective offense and the non-effective offense. The result showed significant differences of the playerʼs formations between two offense patterns. These results demonstrated that HMM modeling for the time-series data was an effective method to analyze the team performance in football games.

    The aim of this study was to clarify the elements based on the drive motion as individual tactics action in basketball focusing on “punching” technique. For this purpose， it went the three-dimensional motion analysis of drive movement of the good players and the weak players of the drive motion. Total 12 players who belongs to the top-level college basketball team took part in the study. Out of those, 6 players were skillful at drive motion. The other 6 players were degree of being weak at drive motion. The findings of the research showed that there are several features of good playerʼs drive motion, and it can be considered that the points for successfully performing the drive motion can be suggested as follows: (1) to bend the body forward so as to obtain the acceleration. (2) to step forward to the inside foot beside defense. (3) to minimize the time to put the inside of the shoulder. (4) to help with the movement of the shoulder by pushing out a ball forward.

    The Aim of this study was to clarify the saving motion which soccer goalkeepers (GKs) have to acquire preferentially by analyzing the performances of GKs during games. Data were obtained from 27 official games such as 2014 Kanto University League and others. 54 GKs were sampled for analysis. 1398 performances of GKs were recorded on videos. We categorized 303 saving motions into seven motion patterns: diving motion with preparatory motion, diving motion after side step with preparatory motion, and so on. And we classified 1095 motions except the saving motion into seven items such as goal kick, throwing after the ball catching and so on, and counted up these items. The novel findings were as follows: (1) the most counted GK-specific motion is the saving motion. Especially, the diving motion with preparatory motion is most counted. (2) In most cases, GKs jump lightly as the preparatory motion before saving motions. (3) According to results from the shot area and the shot height, it is clear that GKs corresponded to the shot kicked from the inside of the penalty area to various heights. (4) It is assumed that it is necessary for GKs to acquire the diving motion with preparatory motion to correspond to the shot kicked from the inside of the penalty area to various heights. In addition, it is thought that the findings in our study are useful for biomechanical analysis of diving motion of GKs. (237 words)

    The purpose of this study was to examine experimentally effects of probability information about course distribution on anticipation response in tennis serve. Subjects were twelve expert and twelve novice female players. They were required to predict a direction of tennis serve on a display using probability information given by pushing a right or left button as quickly and accurately as possible. The probability information of the opponentʼs serve, ratio of right and left, consisted of six conditions; non-instruction, 8:2, 6:4, 5:5, 4:6, and 2:8. The non-instruction condition was assigned first, and the other conditions were assigned randomly. They were instructed to the subjects prior to beginning the task. The results indicated that there was a significant interaction between skill level and instruction conditions in response time and anticipation timing but not accuracy that was higher than chance level in each of both groups. For expert group, there was no significant difference between instruction conditions in response time and anticipation timing, whereas their anticipation response was fast and accurate in the all conditions. Therefore the expert group was not affected by contextual cues of probability information. For novice group, response times and anticipation timings in 8:2, 5:5 and 4:6 were significantly faster than them of control condition. Hence, it was concluded that it would be very important to predict a serve course using both of contextual cues and body language cues, and that would be especially essential to acquire and reinforce an anticipatory skill based on more beneficial body language cues.

    This article aims to find a clue to developmental processes of techniques by reviewing the transition of game rules in the racket type sports and the terminology items related to techniques described in the literature. The results will be summarized as follows.
1. A general rule of the modern tennis, consisting of a total of 35 articles, was adopted in 1923. For around 90 years after the establishment, it is considered as the major changes; both legs can be away from the ground in the case of service, and “tie- break” was introduced.
2. In 1922, the basic rule of modern table tennis was enacted in England. In 1931, the international competition rules, including 47 articles, were established. Then, more than ten-time revisions on the rules could be made from 1937 to 2014.
3. The fundamental rules of the modern badminton competition were established by “Laws of Badminton,” issued in 1934. The rules made a major change; “rally point system” was replaced with “a side-out system” in 2006, and 21 points in three games matches could be applied in all games.
4. In technical terms of tennis, “volley” was shown in all references. The technical term of table tennis, “drive,” was included in 82％ of references. With regard to badminton, “smash” was presented in all references. Badminton has the most technical terms about service, stroke, and shot.
5. Figure 4 shows the developmental process model (hypothesis) of the techniques of racket type sports.

    本研究は，バスケットボール競技の得点場面における長身者の有利性の有無を検証した．関東大学バスケットボール連盟リーグ戦（2013年度）の公式記録（全選手317名）をもとに，フリースロー（FT），2ポイントフィールドゴール（2FG） 及び3ポイントフィールドゴール（3FG）のそれぞれで，身長とショット成功確率（SSR）の相関関係を調べた．その結果，2FGにおいてのみ，身長が高いほどSSRが高かった．本研究では，さらに，対戦相手の妨害を受けないFTに着目し，36名のバスケットボール熟練者で，バスケットまでの距離が異なる条件下において身長とSSRの相関関係を調べた．しかし，2FGエリアから3FGエリアに至る5段階（1.0mから7.0mまで）のいずれの距離においても，長身者のショット成功確率が高いことを示す相関関係は確認されなかった．これらの結果は，バスケットに近い（2FG）エリア内で，且つ対戦相手との競い合いの中で放つショット場面においてこそ，長身者の強い有利性が発揮されることを示唆する．

    The purpose of this research was to develop objective guidelines on factors affecting the outcome of the overtime in the basketball game which had not been elucidated so far. In the questionnaire survey method (n＝13), we extracted how the top coaches of Japan think about the items that would affect the outcome of the overtime. And then by carrying out one way analysis of variance (n＝70), important items influencing victory or defeat were extracted in the overtime that coaches consider. According to it, coaches found out that “turnover”, “mental” and “defense rebound” are thought to be important for winning the overtime. Next, logistic regression analysis was conducted on the items affecting the outcome of the overtime from game statistics (stats) (n＝51), The items affecting the outcome of winning or losing were extracted. In the result of logistic regression analysis, it turned out that “preliminary points”, “3point shoot”, “foul on”, “defense rebound” and “inside score in the paint area” are items that affect win or loss in the overtime. From the above, it turned out that there was a difference between the items affecting the outcome of the extended game in which coaches are thinking and the win defeat that actually affected the result in the overtime. In order to win the overtime of basketball, we aim to earn a preliminary score by scores with in the paint area and 3point shoot, to positively play and get a foul and conclude that defensive rebound is important.

    The purpose of this study was to compare the movement of upper limb that catches a ball while infielders catch a grounder at various skill levels of baseball. This study included amateur baseball players (high level group) and college baseball players (middle level group). We photographed their movement as fielding the grounder by a high-speed camera (300Hz). The 3-dimensional coordinates of the segment end-points of body, glove, and ball were calculated by DLT method. The calculation items included the catching position, adduction/abduction angle of left shoulder joint, horizontal adduction/abduction angle of left shoulder joint, flexion/extension angle of left shoulder joint, flexion/extension angle of left elbow joint, and palmar flexion/dorsal flexion angle of left wrist joint.
    The result of this study was concluded as follows.
    1) There was no significant difference in the catching position between both groups.
    2) The adduction and horizontal adduction of left shoulder joints in the high level group were significantly smaller than the middle level one (p<0.05).
    3) The flexion of left shoulder joint in the high level group was significantly smaller than the middle level one (p<0.05).
    These movement was caused by the timing of right foot grounding and movement of lower limb and trunk.

    This study aims to examine the strategies used to strengthen the training of elite open water swimmers and their implementation. A detailed case study recorded the strengthening strategies, their content, and the results of their implementation with respect to an athlete who was chosen to represent Japan in open water swimming. This study examined the following three aspects of the strategies used to strengthen open water swimming: (1) Improve lactate threshold, (2) upper body strength and muscle endurance, and (3) speed burst training. Based on the results, the following issues were identified: 1) the individual training methods of open water swimming are insufficient, 2) there is a lack of experts in the training of open water swimmers, 3) the swimming 1,500mFreestyle in 15’30” potential is inadequate for competitive swimming, 4) A lack of experience is observed at international meets, such as in cornering, water supply, and direct contact, 5) the psychology of open water swimming athletes is unclear. It is believed that resolving the issues identified in this case study will result in the effective training of highly competitive athletes in the future.