We have been operating the High Performance Gym (HPG) for Olympic and Paralympic athletes. Our main job is to conduct performance tests and movement screening. During the state of emergency in April and May of 2020, our facility was closed. Instead, we have provided instruction videos of corrective exercises to be used for athletes in their homes. After reopening the HPG, we have had to rethink our daily operations and assessment methodology. Athletes show new and varied requirements for their assessment/training at the HPG since the COVID-19 pandemic. The athletes we have supported have chosen to prioritize aerobic/anaerobic training with cycle ergometers to assess their daily performance.

When resuming sports activities after a prolonged period of inactivity, injury risk is a concern due to a sudden increase in workload. Research on load management during sports activities has developed at an accelerated rate in recent years, and the relationship with injury risk is being recognized. This paper outlines the measurement methods of various load data, mainly session RPE, and then discusses how to process and interpret the data from the perspective of injury prevention.

Due to the spread of COVID-19, many athletes were forced to refrain from their activities during April and May 2020. After this period, 14 out of 15 nutritional counseling interviews carried out by dietitians, with the athletes who resumed their trainings, were related to weight management. It is considered important to choose a well-balanced diet to maintain the immune system, and to consume food in a way that matches energy expenditure in order to prevent unintended changes in body composition. This is a necessary perspective not only for COVID-19, but also for all the other circumstances causing self-restraint of activities.

A sports hiatus is an undesirable life event for an athlete. In sport psychology, injuries and slumps have been studied as unfavorable experiences in an athlete’s life. In this study, we highlight the results of previous studies on the suspension of athletic activities due to injury. We also examine the psychological challenges and countermeasures regarding undesirable life events, caused without one’s direct involvement (social situations and environmental changes). Results indicated that a sports hiatus is an unfortunate event for athletes and should be avoided, however, it may be necessary from a psychological and emotional perspective. Moreover, it enables athletes to have sufficient time for personal development.

There was a possibility that different landing strategies may be obtained by increasing the box height during a single-leg landing task. It was useful for prevention of ACL injury and rehabilitation. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of different landing height on the trunk, pelvis, lower limb joint angle, joint moment, ground reaction force, and lower limb muscle activities during single-leg landing. The subjects were 17 female athletes. The motion task was single-leg landing with the dominant leg from the 30cm or 45cm height box. Measurements were performed using a three-dimensional motion analysis system, force-platform, and surface electrodes. On the 45cm-height box, increased trunk forward tilt angle and joint movements on the frontal plane and horizontal plane of the hip, trunk, and pelvis were observed. And, the increased valgus moment of the knee joint and increased quadriceps muscle activities was observed. Therefore, the landing motion had a high risk of ACL injury. It is considered that single-leg landing motion with different box height is useful for injury risk screening and rehabilitation.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of KOSHIWARI, which are traditionally performed in sumo wrestling, on range of motion of hip joint, muscle strength of around hip joint, athletic ability and dynamic balance, compared to the wide stance squat (WS-SQ), which is a typical exercise for the lower limb. The exercise intervention was conducted over 8 weeks. Each of these measurements were taken prior to the exercise intervention and again at 4 and 8 weeks. The 8-week of intervention, changes in hip abduction range of motion, hip adduction and extension strength, and dynamic balance ability were noted. In particular, there was a significant difference in hip adduction strength between KOSHIWARI and WS-SQ, suggesting that KOSHIWARI may be more effective than WS-SQ for improving muscle strength of around hip joint.

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between mood/emotion and sports injuries among freshmen and senior male members of a university rugby club. For this, the Japanese version of the shortened form of the Profile of Mood States was administered eight times between early April, 2019 and the end of July, 2019. The subjects were divided into those who had suffered sports injuries within a week after implementing the survey (hereinafter the “Injured”) (8 freshmen and 10 senior members), and those who had not suffered any sports injuries (hereinafter the “Uninjured”) (111 freshmen and 108 senior members). Results from a two-way analysis of variance demonstrated that scores on the Tension-Anxiety and Confusion subscales of the shortened form of the Profile of Mood States were significantly higher among injured freshmen compared to their uninjured counterparts. Our findings suggest the need to pay attention to signs of increased tension/anxiety or confusion among freshmen rugby players.

Subconcussive head impact in sports is a complex public health issue. Near point of convergence (NPC) values have shown to reflect subclinical neuronal damage; however, the longitudinal pattern of NPC changes in association with subconcussive head impact remains unclear. This prospective longitudinal study examined the NPC response in a single Japanese collegiate American football season through a series of repeated measurements. This prospective longitudinal study of Tokai Collegiate American Football Association Division 1 players included baseline measurements of NPC and 2 preseason practices and 2 in-season games. Outcome measures were obtained for each time (a total of 9 points). The 33 included players were all men, with a mean±SD age of 19.8±1.2 years. There was a significant difference in NPC values from baseline to post-game 2; p<0.001. Relative to baseline (mean±SD NPC: 5.90±2.16 cm), NPC values were significantly increased at post-practice 1 (7.99±2.57 cm; p<0.001), pre-practice 2 (7.29±2.57 cm; p<0.001), post-practice 2 (8.03±2.40 cm; p<0.001), post-game 1 (7.09±2.41 cm; p<0.01), and post-game 2 (7.18±2.15 cm; p<0.01). This longitudinal case study suggests that Japanese collegiate American football players experienced changes in NPC as the competitive season progressed. The oculomotor system may have an adaptive capacity to subclinical head impact, regardless of race or ethnicity; nevertheless, the mechanism for such an adaptive capacity remains an open question and warrants further investigation.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the characteristics of medical support for children conducted by a specialist in physical education and sports medicine in cooperation with Yogo teacher (= school nurse) at a public elementary and junior high school. The survey was conducted at one public elementary and junior high school in Ibaraki Prefecture for two years from the 2017 to 2018 school year. A certified athletic trainer by the Japan Sports Association and a licensed health and physical education teacher visited the school to provide medical supports for health education on the musculoskeletal system during the growth period. As a result, the rate of utilization was increased with the continuous support activities particularly in the age of junior high school students. In terms of the content of supports, the percentage of “physical consultation” was higher than “first aid”. Providing “icing”, “exercise procedure”, and “taping” were specifically frequent. It is necessary to continue to examine a system that enables us to collaborate with school nurses and teachers effectively.

The purpose of this prospective study was to investigate the injuries in Japanese female collegiate basketball players during one season. We investigated the injury rate, injury situation, types of injury, location, severity, and days until full recovery and return to play.

Overall, 13 injuries were documented and the injury rate was 1.36/1000 player-hours. The most frequent injury location was at the ankle. Of all the injuries, 84 % were severe injuries that required more than 29 days until full recovery and return to play.

In comparison to previous studies, it took longer for full recovery and return to play. Based on this assessment it is considered necessary to take measures towards injuries introducing prevention methods to offset these occurrences for the future.

This study examined the experiences in sports, lifestyle, previous and present history of injury and illness, physical and mental burden during sports activities, general health concerns, and request of professional support in 141 junior high school students who belonging extracurricular sports club in public junior high school using paper pencil questionnaire. As the result, high severe past injury proportion was observed in students who experienced zero, three or four kinds of sports event in their childhood. A short sleep duration was observed in test period, and this trend was remarkable in girl. A skipped breakfast was observed in 3.8% of boy and 7.4% of girl, and their sleep duration tended to be shorter than the average value of all participants. The awareness in sleep of both gender, and that in physical condition of girl were higher than that in nutrition. In addition, a lot of participants seek for the professional support of training in muscular strength, sports specific technique, and physical fitness. These results suggested that understanding individual history of past sports experiences, life style such as sleep duration and skipped breakfast, and awareness in general health is crucial for managing safety and health management in junior athletes.