In recent years, sport tourism has been promoted due to its expected contribution to regional revitalization. In Japan, the Rugby World Cup was held in 2019 and the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games were held in 2021, attracting attention to spectator-type events, and studies targeting sports spectators have been conducted. In spectator sports, most of the studies have been conducted on team sports, and most of the sports spectator studies have been conducted on professional sports. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to clarify the relationship between positive affect and behavioral intentions among spectators of track and field events, which have not been focused on in sports tourism research. This study was based on a questionnaire survey of spectators of track and field events, obtaining valid data from 71 parts of the population living outside the host area. Results revealed that pleasant feelings of high arousal had a positive effect on re-watching intention and word-of-mouth intention. We believe that organizers of track and field events can be effective in working to increase the positive affect of high arousal in order to encourage spectators’ behavioral intentions. Future research should focus on emotions before and after watching the games, and the effects of changes in spectators’ emotions on their behavioral intentions.

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The purpose of this study was to qualitatively analyze and elucidate the proficiency experience of a short-term intensive learning process for beginning skiing university students based on their own reflective reports. The subjects of this study were 6 novice skiers who participated in a university ski training class. All subjects had no previous skiing experience and were learning to ski for the first time. The data collected and analyzed were free-response statements written after the end of the skiing practice, reflecting on their own learning experience throughout the four days of skiing practice. The obtained data were analyzed by the SCAT (Steps for Coding and Theorization) qualitative analysis method. As a result of the analysis, the proficiency experiences of novice skiers were finally divided into 4 categories, namely : “confusion and anxiety associated with learning to ski,” “awareness and embodiment through learning based on learning strategies,” “desire for a learning environment that supports and promotes learning,” and “experiencing joy through learning to ski” and it became clear that these factors were explained in a cyclical relationship. The subjects used a learning strategy in which they objectively perceived themselves as confused and anxious in the face of psychological and technical challenges, set goals to improve their skills, made plans to achieve their goals, viewed their own learning efforts and psychological status from a meta-viewpoint, evaluated their actions and results, made the best use of the learning environment, and actively provided feedback to achieve the next goal. They used a learning strategy in which they made the best use of the learning environment, evaluated their actions and results, and actively provided feedback to achieve the next goal. As a result, they gained a sense of improvement, found meaning in the process of learning to ski, and showed an attitude of commitment toward further improvement.

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The purpose of this study was to focus on the life stories of proficient kendo players and to clarify what kind of experiences they went through from the time they were exposed to kendo to the present day to become proficient in kendo. The subjects of this study were two persons who hold the 8th dan in kendo and have a history of teaching kendo. Both are outstanding kendo players who have won several championships at major tournaments in Japan, and both have extensive experience teaching kendo. Data collection was through a one-on-two narrative interview conducted by the two authors. The interview data were transcribed, and the narratives by the subjects, referring to Sakurai (2006), were focused on how they made sense of their proficiency in kendo. Furthermore, following the method of dialogical constructivism, we focused on the narratives of the two experts and presented them. The results of the analysis confirmed that the two subjects’ kendo mastery was shaped by their “memorable kendo experiences in their childhood,” which formed their orientation in the subsequent kendo proficiency process, and that they immersed themselves in “exploratory training experiences” in order to improve their kendo skills. The dialogical constructivist approach revealed that expert kendo practitioners, through their interrelationships with their surroundings, studied and devised their own kendo skills and training methods, and engaged in thoughtful and demanding yet engrossing practice. Furthermore, the value system of kendo experts is a process of continuous mastery as a kendo instructor as well as a kenshi, and it is a complex structure that is not limited to mere improvement of kendo skills. This new viewpoint suggests that there are two parallel axes of kendo proficiency ; one as a kenshi and the other as an instructor.

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In this study, three-dimensional surface property measurements and aerodynamic force measurements were conducted to clarify the relationship between aerodynamic properties and surface shape changes resulting from the fabric stretch with millimeter-scale features such as grooves and dimples on the surface. The results showed that the relationship between changes in surface shape derived from the fabric stretch and aerodynamic properties differed depending on the fabric surface features. Dimpled and simple knit fabrics showed a very high positive correlation between surface roughness and minimum drag’s wind speed. For the grooved knit fabrics, there was no relationship between the change in surface topography and the minimum drag’s wind velocity due to the fabric stretch used in this study. The following are suggested for the selection of knit fabrics in competitions. When adjusting the compression according to the athlete’s preference or readjusting the size according to the athlete’s body changes, grooved knit fabrics may be preferable because they have smaller aerodynamic changes due to fabric stretch. If dimpled knit fabrics or simple knit fabrics are selected, the surface roughness of the fabric should be designed considering the stretch of the fabric when worn by the athletes.

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The purpose of this study was to compare the time from first base to second base between bent-leg sliding run and run-through run. The subjects were 11 uninjured college baseball players. Running time from first base to second base and 10 m passing time were measured. There were no significant differences in either the time to pass 10 m or the time to reach second base for each running method. The results of this study suggest that neither method of base running from first to second base produced faster results and therefore both methods can be accepted.

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The manual lifting of objects is considered to be a risk factor for low back pain (LBP). Although the association between lifting motions and LBP is controversial, it is believed that lifting motions that involve flexion of the knee joint as well as the hip joint (squat method) are appropriate for preventing LBP, in contrast to motions that do not flex the knee and involve forward bending of the trunk (stoop method). The purpose of this study was to investigate how experts in exercise instruction linguistically express lifting motion or posture by the squat method. Twenty-seven high school or university physical education teachers or certified exercise instructors were presented with a photograph of a lifting motion and asked what expression would be used when instructing about the squat method. 70-80% of the participants answered that it was easy to give instructions about the lifting motion verbally. The most common expressions were those relating to ‘hip position’, squatting, ‘trunk posture’ and ‘gaze’. However, the highest response rate for these expressions was 55%, and there were no common expressions among most of the participants. These results indicate that there is a variety of terms used to express the same motion or posture, even among experts in exercise instruction, and they suggest that expressions vary among different experts.

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Why do athletes choose to become second-career teachers? This qualitative research explores the factors influencing elite athletes’ choice of becoming a teacher after retirement. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ex-professional athlete teachers (7 baseball players and 7 football players) to discuss the reasons for career choice and factors influencing their decision. The data, which were recorded, transcribed and analyzed through the application of principles from Grounded Theory, resulted in 20 concepts in 9 categories. Examples of categories include achievement of a stable livelihood, desire to remain involved in their sports, and influence of significant others. Ex-professional baseball players samples “needed” to become teachers in post-retirement to lead high school club activities due to the former student baseball eligibility restoration system. Meanwhile, former J. League players tended to become teachers to secure a stable future for themselves.

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In Japan, it has been pointed out that “children no longer play outside”. Although there are children who are active in sports groups and after school clubs, it is uncommon to see children playing outside, not only on the school grounds, but in the area as well. The purpose of this study was to identify the ideal conditions for school grounds to encourage children to exercise spontaneously on the grounds during breaks. As part of a comparative study between turfed and non-turfed school grounds, we conducted a video survey comparing the differences in children’s play during breaks on both turfed and non-turfed school environments. The survey revealed the need for features such as grass, playground equipment, and natural objects in the environment, to encourage children to play outside. The survey showed that in turfed environments : (1) The number of children playing outside increases, (2) this is especially effective in inducing outdoor play among girls. (3) A wider variety of types of play appears. (4) A wider range of movements is observed, such as crouching.

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