The high-speed swimsuit, Laser Racer, which appeared in 2008 aiming at the Olympic Games in Beijing, resulted in a big change in the record updates just by wearing the swimsuit. Prior to the Olympics 2008, the individual capacity of the swimming techniques and the physical strength decided the world records. However, this instrument "swimsuit" enabled also nameless athletes with no outstanding technical capabilities but with only physical strength to break the so-called "sanctuary" world records expected not to be broken easily. In 2009, the Laser Racer evolved into the whole body rubber swimsuit. The world swimming association, FINA, who took the swimsuits manufacturerʼs side to approve the high-speed swimsuits at the beginning, had noticed the unusualness fact at last. FINA decided to reapprove the swimsuit of which cloth and shapes were same as the past mostly. The world records, however, established in these two years with the high-speed swimsuit, built a big wall in the racing records in the future in swimming. In order to break such a big wall, improvement in swimming techniques is expected. Furthermore, the author believes that it is very important for the swimmers to be built large to become top athletes. Therefore, it is proposed that not only training on the technical side and physical strength side of the swimming but also height of the swimmers needs to be improved in the future training program.

This study identifies the characteristics of the combat techniques used in martial arts practiced in the Middle Ages; it also clarifies the relationship between the ethics of martial arts and those of Bushi warriors that practiced martial arts.

The documentation of martial arts is confined to textbooks on martial arts practiced in the Edo era, and there are few descriptions of martial arts practiced in the Middle Ages. Books on “Heiho" not only serve as textbooks describing strategies and tactics but also details personal combat techniques. Therefore, this study referenced books on “Koshu-ryu Heiho, " including Heiho Hidensyo on combat techniques and Koyo Gunkan to gain an insight into the ethics of warfare.

The following results were obtained by this study:

1. In Heiho Hidensyo, the word heiho refers to combat techniques for the purpose of killing or simply inflicting injury. Martial arts practiced in the Middle Ages (heiho) had three characteristics: (1) “total compatibility," ensuring that the various arms work in unity; (2) “situational flexibility, " to innumerable circumstances the enemy could create and the situations on the battleground that could be diverse; and (3) “technical flexibility, " to the various rather than a fixed approach for combat in terms of employing arms or physical techniques.

2.In Koyo Gunkan, the word yumiya refers to combat techniques to kill or inflict injury, and the word bu-gei refers to combat arts with special ability. Such words that refer to combat ability have ethical implications. These preliminary signs indicate that combat techniques were employed in keeping with the mentality of the Bushi class.

This study aims to identify factors that influence body control, which is necessary for locomotion, and conduct a comparative analysis between 4- and 5-year-olds. The participants were asked to jump onto an unstable surface to test their body control. Further, we identified and studied the factors that influence the time taken to complete the task from the perspective of physical strength and the characteristics of the movement.

The results showed that the standing broad jump and the side jump, which were used to assess physical strength, had a meaningful correlation with the time taken to complete the HUS task across both age groups. However, factors such as the position of the head, the degree to which the leg is bent, and the presence of the taking in advance of eyes in the landing situation jumping consecutively were found to have a meaningful correlation with the time taken to complete the HUS task only among the 4-year-olds.

These results show that there is a remarkable difference between 5- and 4-year-olds in terms of physical control as indicated by factors that influence movement when performing the HUS task. They also show that factors such as the position of the head or the degree to which the leg is bent had an influence on the time taken to accomplish the HUS task among 4-year-olds.

Therefore, we conclude that when it comes to the development of athletic performance, the locomotion skills are developed first, followed by performance.

The goal of this research was to evaluate the strength of teams and to make objective materials for positioning by estimating the strength of each team member using AHP.

The Interscholastic Athletic Competitions were surveyed and their 5 tournaments were analyzed and examined.

Analytic Hierarchy Process, so called AHP, is a technique for decision that helps decision makers by paired comparison of the importance of each element. This time, referring to Kinoshita's reports in which he attempted estimation in Judo Tournaments by means of AHP, we tried to evaluate the strength of Sempo, Jiho, Chuken, Fukusho, and Taisho of each team as well as that of teams by the results of tournaments using arithmetic-geometric mean method with simple calculation.

As a result, we have found the following:

1) It is possible to evaluate the strength of teams by estimating that of individual players by means of AHP, which has been proven effective.

But the evaluation mainly for players of the teams who lose in an early stage is less accurate than that for top team members, and that remains an issue.

2) It has turned out that a few players in 5-person team tournaments determine winning or losing of the teams, though it is not always because player positions change by tournaments. It has been suggested however that positioning main players in the first and the last is effective.

Martial arts originating from Japan are being practiced across the globe, and without exception, the practice of kendo is thriving in various parts of the world. Although the practice of kendo across the world centers largely on competition just as it does in Japan, interest in kendo does not stop at competition for practitioners. There is a strong focus toward the culture behind kendo as well. In other words, kendo practitioners outside of Japan have a strong desire to acquire knowledge regarding budo, or martial arts, culture. However, it appears that accurate, quality information is scarce and limited.

Although the authors have held several cultural lectures across Europe that have been well received without exception, there is a question as to whether the information that was shared complied with the requests and needs of foreign kendo practitioners. The goal of this research is to accurately understand the awareness of martial arts culture in kendo practitioners overseas.

Traditionally, the major categories regarding martial arts culture discussed by academic societies have been as follows: sorcery and religious idealism, bushido, ascetic training, performing arts, methods of the mind/heart, physical body, relationship between body and mind, technique, equipment, practice, and self-discipline through swordplay. Based on the above topics, a survey was conducted asking overseas kendo practitioners what they would like to know.

The Cochran Q test was used to compare the frequency with which each item was selected, and the Tukey method was applied for multiple comparisons. The significance level was configured at α= 0.05.

The results of the survey are listed below:

― The items selected with the highest level of frequency were spiritual training and self-discipline, traditional proper technique, and the relationship between mind and body. All of these items were selected at a rate of over 75%.

― The selections showing the 2nd highest frequency were the theory of kata and cultivation of moral character through budo. The selection ratio for these items was over 60%

― Furthermore, the items that surpassed a 50% selection ratio (from highest to lowest) were as follows: recent techniques developed for winning matches, history of technique, traditional view on techniques, bushido, Japanese view of mind and body, and history of training method.