著者
蔭山 雅洋 岩本 峰明 杉山 敬 水谷 未来 金久 博昭 前田 明
出版者
一般社団法人 日本体育・スポーツ・健康学会
雑誌
体育学研究 (ISSN:04846710)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.59, no.1, pp.189-201, 2014 (Released:2014-06-13)
参考文献数
31
被引用文献数
10 3

The present study measured isometric muscular strength and mean power elicited by trunk twisting and trunk rotation during pitching in 28 university baseball pitchers aged 18-22 years. Based on the correlations among these measurements, the purpose of the study was to clarify 1) the influence of ball velocity on isometric muscular strength, trunk power output during the stretch-shortening cycle (SSC) and trunk rotation during pitching and 2) the influence of augmentation which is an index of SSC elicited by trunk rotation on trunk rotation during pitching. We also determined mean power and augmentation during concentric (CT) and SSC rebound (RT) throws of medicine balls weighing 5 kg while twisting the trunk. Augmentation while throwing the medicine ball was positively correlated with ball velocity (r=0.619, p<0.01), and augmentation of the medicine ball was positively correlated with torso rotation velocity at 18-27% and at 46-75% (r=0.398-0.542, p<0.05), and trunk twist velocity at 60-66% (r=0.378-0.395, p<0.05) of the second phase (from stride foot contact to instant release of the ball) during the pitching motion. In addition, pitched ball velocity was positively correlated with the velocities of pelvic rotation at 37-78% (r=0.378-0.488, p<0.05), torso rotation at 46-87% (r=0.391-0.711, p<0.05) and trunk twist at 63-83% (r=0.375-0.499, p<0.05) during the second phase of the pitching motion. These results indicate that pitchers with a larger ball velocity can use SSC movement generated by twisting the trunk, which effectively increases trunk rotation from the first half to middle of the second phase, and they can also increase trunk rotation during the second phase.
著者
池本 淳一
出版者
一般社団法人 日本体育学会
雑誌
体育学研究 (ISSN:04846710)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.59, no.2, pp.529-547, 2014 (Released:2014-12-20)
参考文献数
41
被引用文献数
1

This paper focuses on the position of “Ju-ken” matches and their promoter, Kenji Kano, in Japanese boxing history. A “Ju-ken” match was a match between a judoist and a boxer, and such bouts were held from the middle of the Taisho era to the early Showa era in Kobe, Tokyo and Osaka. The main organizer of these matches was the “International Ju-ken club”, whose owner Kenji Kano was the nephew of Jigoro Kano. This study divides the history of Ju-ken into three periods, each with respective features.   The first period was from October 1919 to April 1921. Ju-ken at this time was intended to reform judo into a competitive sport through fighting with boxing. Although judo had been well established at that time, it was facing a challenge due to loss of its spirit and form as a martial art during the process of sportification. Jigoro Kano, the founder of Judo, was unhappy with this change. By studying boxing, karate, aikido, stick fighting and other martial arts, he aimed at creating a ‘Martial Art Judo’. His nephew Kenji Kano pursued martial art-oriented judo as well, but his approach to reconstructing judo as a martial art was through mixed martial arts games, the “Ju-ken match”.   The middle period was from May 1921 to March 1925, when Ju-ken evolved into a spectator sport that encapsulated the struggle for superiority in terms of nationality and ethnicity. Because Kodokan prohibited their members from participating in any mixed-martial arts match from April 1921, Ju-ken became a spectator sport. In addition, after charity matches following the Great Kanto Earthquake, in order to bring more excitement to the game, Ju-ken heightened the opposition and rivalry based on the nationalities and ethnicities of the athletes.   The final period was from April 1925 to August 1931, when Ju-ken changed into a show that was intended to provoke nationalistic emotions among the audience. After the development of “normal” boxing, Ju-ken held normal boxing matches in their games and adopted new boxing-like rules. These new rules and the point systems put foreign boxers at a disadvantage when fighting against Japanese judoists, ensuring that Japanese would always defeat foreigners.   Finally, through assimilation of knowledge and focusing on boxing, this study argues that Ju-ken matches created a background for localization of modern boxing in Japan.
著者
熊原 秀晃 西田 順一 坂井 洋子 金平 真由美 金平 桂一郎 進藤 宗洋 田中 宏暁
出版者
一般社団法人 日本体育学会
雑誌
体育学研究 (ISSN:04846710)
巻号頁・発行日
pp.14008, (Released:2014-05-22)
参考文献数
27
被引用文献数
1

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of acute exercise mimicking boxing on affect and mood states. In a randomized crossover design, sixteen adults (35.8±6.6 yrs) underwent both a boxing exercise program based on shadow boxing (Boxing) as well as a boxing program combined with a focus mitts workout (pad work) (Boxing+Mitts). The Waseda Affect Scale of Exercise and Durable Activity (WASEDA) and the Profile of Mood States-Brief Form (POMS-Brief) were administered before and after both exercise programs. There were no gender differences in any psychological scales before and after the programs as well as in heart rate during exercise. The Boxing+Mitts program tended to show a lower exercise intensity, defined as the percentage of the average heat rate reserve (HRR), than the Boxing program (40.4±13.3 vs. 50.4±17.5%HRR, p<0.10). However, both programs were considered to give a moderate level of exercise intensity on average, which is regarded as the minimum intensity required to improve individual cardiorespiratory fitness. The Boxing program significantly improved all three scales of negative affect, positive engagement and tranquility assessed by the WASEDA. Moreover, the POMS-Brief showed an iceberg profile after the program, which was followed by significant decreases in the scores of tension-anxiety, depression-dejection, anger-hostility and confusion, and a significant increase in the vigor score. In addition, a composite score of total mood disturbance calculated by summing the subscale scores changed in a positive direction. The Boxing+Mitts program was shown to lead to similar changes in the WASEDA and POMS-Brief. However, no significant program×time interactions (by two-way ANOVA) were observed in any of the scales. These results indicate that acute boxing-style exercise programs would improve negative psychological variables and enhance both feelings of pleasant activation, as well as relaxation. A further study is warranted to explore whether any long-term (chronic) effects on mental health exist, and to compare these programs with other modes of exercise.
著者
苅山 靖 圷 将太 三澤 孝康 寺本 祐治
出版者
一般社団法人 日本体育学会
雑誌
体育学研究 (ISSN:04846710)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.65, pp.1041-1048, 2020 (Released:2020-12-24)
参考文献数
29

The aim of this study was to investigate the characteristics of the stretch-shortening cycle (SSC) movement ability of male field hockey players by using various jump tests. Thirty-seven male field hockey players in a national top-level university team performed 3 jump tests (countermovement jump [CMJ], rebound jump [RJ], and drop jump [DJ]). The coach of the participating team subjectively evaluated the players’ footwork ability (sprint running and change of direction movements) during field hockey games. The results of all the analyses were as follows: 1) The top-level field hockey players had higher RJ and DJ abilities than lower-level field hockey players. 2) A significant relationship was observed between the subjective evaluation points and the abilities in the various jump tests (CMJ, RJ, and DJ). These results indicate that CMJ, especially RJ and DJ, are important SSC abilities for the performance of male field hockey players. Moreover, the CMJ, RJ, and DJ tests can be used for player selection and talent identification focused on footwork.
著者
堀内 元 中島 大貴 桜井 伸二
出版者
一般社団法人 日本体育学会
雑誌
体育学研究 (ISSN:04846710)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.62, no.2, pp.575-586, 2017 (Released:2017-12-19)
参考文献数
29
被引用文献数
4 4

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the generation, absorption and transfer of mechanical energy during baseball batting, focusing on the lower extremities and torso. The batting motion and ground reaction forces acting on each foot of 79 amateur baseball players were recorded using a motion capture system and 2 force plates. The joint forces and joint torques were calculated using inverse dynamics. In addition, the mechanical powers as a function of each joint torque were calculated to assess the generation/absorption of mechanical energy. The mechanical powers as a function of joint forces and joint torques acting on each segment were calculated to assess the transfer of mechanical energy. The main results were as follows:  1. In the phase from contact of the stride foot to the peak lower torso rotational velocity (lower torso acceleration phase), the mechanical energy was generated and flowed into the lower torso as a function of hip joint torque.  2. In the lower torso acceleration phase, the mechanical energy flowed out from the lower torso to the upper torso as a function of torso joint torque.  3. In the phase from the peak lower torso rotational velocity to impact (swing phase), the mechanical energy was generated and flowed into the upper torso as a function of torso joint torque.  4. In the swing phase, the mechanical energy of the bat increased rapidly, and this amount of change was significantly correlated with the bat head speed at impact.  5. Though the analysis phase, the change in the mechanical energy of the torso was small.  These results suggest that both hip joints generate mechanical energy and that the torso acts as a pathway of mechanical energy during baseball batting. In addition, the transfer of mechanical energy from the torso to the upper extremities and the bat contributes to increasing the bat head speed at impact.
著者
中澤 篤史
出版者
一般社団法人 日本体育・スポーツ・健康学会
雑誌
体育学研究 (ISSN:04846710)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.56, no.2, pp.373-390, 2011 (Released:2011-12-28)
参考文献数
41
被引用文献数
4 1

In Japan, teachers not only teach students inside the classroom, but also manage extracurricular sports activities outside the classroom. This system of extracurricular sports activities is a distinctive feature of school education in Japan, and is totally dependent on the voluntary attitude of teachers. Although extracurricular sports activities are not included in the Course of Study, teachers are positively willing to manage them as school educational activities. Why should this be so? Furthermore, the contents of extracurricular sport activities seem to have no relationship with school education. Then, how do teachers identify sports as school educational activities? In order to examine these questions, this study focused on teachers' interpretations of difficulties in combining sports with education, as these difficulties ultimately determine whether teachers are positively willing to manage extracurricular sports activities. In managing school educational activities, teachers inevitably encounter certain difficulties (e.g. coping with diversity among students). How, then, do teachers interpret these difficulties? The purpose of this study was to clarify the reasons why teachers are positively willing to manage extracurricular sport activities in Japan by analyzing their interpretations of difficulties with combining sports and education. The data were gathered by fieldwork at a public junior high school in the Kanto area. At this school, 12 teachers who managed extracurricular sport activities were observed and interviewed. Among them, a male teacher managing the rugby club was the most positive. This study focused on this individual as a case example to examine the reasons for his positive attitude. This teacher divided the students into a high-skill and a low-skill groups in order to coach them efficiently. However, that division caused high-skill students to bully those with a low skill level, which obviously was not desirable in educational terms. However, the teacher interpreted the presence of a bully as a good opportunity to educate his students. Therefore, this difficulty was “solved” by the interpretation of this particular teacher. In conclusion, various individual teachers' interpretations can “solve” certain difficulties and allow them to combine sports with education, allowing them to positively manage extracurricular sports activities as school educational activities without any conflict.
著者
大峰 光博 友添 秀則 長島 和幸
出版者
一般社団法人 日本体育・スポーツ・健康学会
雑誌
体育学研究 (ISSN:04846710)
巻号頁・発行日
pp.13011, (Released:2013-07-08)
参考文献数
37
被引用文献数
3 1

In baseball games, there are instances where a pitcher deliberately targets a batsman of the opposing team with a pitch in order to retaliate against a previous strike on their own player by the opposing team. The present study focusing on major league baseball aimed to clarify the nature of the responsibility sensed a pitcher who finds himself in a similar position after a batsman on his team has taken an intentional hit from the opposing team's pitcher in order to analyze the structure of the pitcher's dilemma. We looked at the situation not only from the viewpoint in which the pitcher's responsibility is considered an obligation, as proposed by Takikawa, but also from the obligations concept proposed by Sandel. We found that there is a responsibility to comply with the official baseball rules to discourage any retaliatory hit on a batsman in order to avoid any intentional injury to a member of the opponent's team. On the other hand, responsibility for an intentional hit on a batman can be considered an obligation in order to implement an unwritten rule that condones such retaliatory action. Therefore the structure of the responsibility is considered to be an obligation that generates a dilemma for the pitcher and promotes conflict. On this basis, the difficulty of resolving the problem related to a retaliatory hit was highlighted. Furthermore, the possibility of analysis in accordance with the responsibility concept for ethical issues in sport was suggested. We discuss the concept of responsibility as an obligation that presents a conflict, and consider which course of action should have priority in such cases.
著者
鈴木 秀人
出版者
一般社団法人 日本体育・スポーツ・健康学会
雑誌
体育学研究 (ISSN:04846710)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.66, pp.409-427, 2021 (Released:2021-06-16)
参考文献数
37

Hirobumi Daimatsu was a legendary sports coach in Japan, especially after coaching the Japanese women’s national volleyball team (“the Oriental Witches”) that won the World Championship in 1962 and the gold medal in the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games. He was famous for his extreme training methods and had a great influence on coaching methodologies for Japanese sports as a whole. Although many studies have examined his way of thinking from various perspectives, the relationship between his war experiences and his approach to coaching has not been analyzed sufficiently. The present study aimed to examine how Daimatsu’s first-hand war experiences (“keiken”) developed into his coaching beliefs (“taiken”), focusing specifically on a theory created by Yoshida that war veterans’ understanding of their experiences had been changing over time from when they re-entered society and grew older. Yoshida made this transformation clear by referring to 5 periods since the end of the Second World War in 1945. Firstly, many demobilized soldiers including Daimatsu had to face civilians who hated the Japanese military just after defeat. They lost their morale, from 1945 to around 1950 could not talk about the military or the War. Secondly, even after former professional officers and wartime politicians had been rehabilitated, the veterans themselves still found it difficult to positively address some topics related to the War in the 1950s. Thirdly, the generation that had experienced the War who shouldered the responsibility of reconstruction from the destruction and devastation gradually gained confidence and became able to talk about their wartime experiences. Some of them discovered a positive meaning in their own experiences on the battlefield from the late 1950s to the late 1960s. Daimatsu was a typical example of the third period because he spoke clearly about the positive meaning of his war experiences. Penultimately, in the 1970s and 1980s, that generation of Japanese became able to accept the responsibility for the War, especially in Asia, and to gradually acknowledge the negative aspects of their experiences. Finally, in the 1990s, a small number of survivors chose to disclose tragic stories that had not come to light previously. Thus, Daimatsu was only one of a generation that had experienced the War and who became recognized as a spokesman for many of that generation who held common feelings.
著者
森下 義隆 矢内 利政
出版者
一般社団法人 日本体育学会
雑誌
体育学研究 (ISSN:04846710)
巻号頁・発行日
pp.17004, (Released:2018-02-15)
参考文献数
27
被引用文献数
2 1

The purpose of this study was to examine within-subject differences in bat-swing trajectory between intentional hitting towards the same field and towards the opposite field. 19 industrial league baseball batters and 16 collegiate baseball batters performed same-field hitting (SH) and opposite-field hitting (OH). The movement of the bat during the swing was recorded with two high-speed cameras (1000 fps) for 3D analysis. At the instant of ball impact, the striking surface of the bat faced towards the same field in SH and towards the opposite field in OH. The bat-head trajectory immediately before impact was directed obliquely upward in SH, whereas it was directed obliquely downward in OH. Throughout the swing, the projection angle of the bat on the vertical plane was greater in OH than in SH, and the ratio of the translational component of the bat-head speed to the resultant bat-head speed was significantly greater in OH than in SH. These results suggest that the characteristics of the bat swing in OH provide a suitable impact condition to drive the ball towards the opposite field, as evidence has demonstrated that (1) a batted ball is likely to travel towards the opposite field when the lower half of the ball is hit by a vertically inclined bat, and (2) the striking surface of the bat is unlikely to turn to face towards the same field when the contribution to the resultant bat-head speed is generated more by the translational component of the bathead speed than by the rotational component.
著者
木下 秀明
出版者
一般社団法人 日本体育・スポーツ・健康学会
雑誌
体育学研究 (ISSN:04846710)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.51, no.1, pp.33-48, 2006 (Released:2008-01-25)
参考文献数
11
被引用文献数
1 1 1

This paper attempts to clarify the process of change from Gekiken and Kenjutsu to Kendo at the beginning of the 20th Century. The former two terms were widely used to mean swordsmanship with a bamboo sword. However, only the latter term is currently employed, despite the fact that it had been scarcely used at the time of the former two. At the end of the 19th Century, Gekiken was disliked by intellectuals because it marked a change from a real martial art to competition with a bamboo sword, and Kendo began to find favor instead of Gekiken even though the principle of Kendo had not been properly defined. In 1908, Shizuo Sakaguchi, a student, suggested that the concept of Kendo should consist of not only Kenjutsu training but also the mental discipline that is required for swordsmanship. However, his ideas did not gain immediate acceptance. In 1909, the Tokyo Higher Normal School changed the term Gekiken to Kendo, thus following the mainstream trend of adopting Kendo without any set idea of its content. Although in 1911 the Ministry of Education permitted Gekiken to be taught in secondary schools, the School intended to retain the term Kendo as a descriptor, and therefore it became necessary to properly define its content. Accordingly, Michiaki Nagai, the only professor of gymnastics at the School, emphasized the mental aspects of Kendo, as the suffix “-do” means “the way” for perfection of swordsmanship, as opposed to Gekiken and Kenjutsu, as the terms mean literally “hitting with” and “handling” a sword. The first special school for swordsmanship instructors was set up by the Ministry in 1911, and thereafter use of the term Kendo spread to all schools. The final aspect of this change of thought was the adoption of the term Budo instead of Bujutsu, meaning “martial art”, by the Great Japan Martial Virtue Association in 1919.
著者
三浦 健 図子 浩二 鈴木 章介 松田 三笠 清水 信行
出版者
社団法人日本体育学会
雑誌
体育學研究 (ISSN:04846710)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.47, no.2, pp.141-154, 2002-03-10
被引用文献数
1

本研究では,もらったパスをできるだけ短時間に反動的に出すチェストパス能力を高めるトレーニング手段を明らかにするために,大学男子バスケットボール選手25名を対象にして,胸部上に落下したボールを受け止め即座に投げ上げる反動付きチェストパス(RCP)と反動を伴わないチェストパス(PCP)を,4種類の重さのボールで実施させ,その際の接手時間(RCPtc)と投げ上げ高(RCPh,PCPh)について検討した.さらに,このチェストパス能力とベンチプレスにおける最大挙上重量(BPmax)との関係についても検討した.本研究の結果は次の通りである.(1)バスケットボール(0.6kg)・1kg・3kg・5kgとボールの重量が重くなるほど,RCPhおよびPCPhは,いずれも有意に低くなる傾向が認められた.一方,RCPtcは有意に長くなる傾向が認められた.(2)RCPhとRCPtcの関係は,いずれのボール重量においても,有意な相関関係は認められなかった.これらのことは,短時間に投げる能力と大きな仕事をして高いボール速度を獲得する能力は独立した二つの能力であることを示すものである.(3)この二つの要因(RCPhとRCPtc)からみたポジションの特性について検討すると,ガードポジションの選手(Guard Player)が他の選手(Non Guard Player)に比較して,RCPhに有意な差はないが,RCPtcは有意に短いことが認められた.これらのことは,Guard Playerは,上肢におけるバリスティックなパワーが高く,短時間にパスを遂行する能力に優れていることを示すものである.(4)RCPにおいては,RCPhとRCPtcのいずれにおいても,バスケットボールを用いた場合と,1kg・3kg・5kgのボールを用いた場合との間のいずれにおいても有意な相関関係が認められた.しかし,上肢の筋力を評価するBPmaxとの間には,いずれにおいても有意な相関関係は認められなかった.これらのことは,バスケットボールにおけるチェストパス能力を高めるためには,1kg・3kg・5kgのボールを用いたトレーニング手段が,ベンチプレスなどの手段よりも直接的には効果のある可能性を示すものである.これらの結果は,バスケットボール選手のためのチェストパス能力を高めるためのトレーニング法を考える場合に有益であるとともに,上肢のプライオメトリックスに関する原則を考える場合の一助になると思われる.
著者
村越 真
出版者
一般社団法人 日本体育・スポーツ・健康学会
雑誌
体育学研究 (ISSN:04846710)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.55, no.1, pp.177-191, 2010 (Released:2010-07-20)
参考文献数
29

The 2007 statistics from 11 prefectural police departments in central Honshu (the largest island in Japan) regarding incidents in mountain areas were subjected to detailed analysis to assess the risk levels associated with mountain activities. These statistics were also compared with published statistics on mountain incidents that form the current basis for analysis of mountain incidents. The results of this analysis were: 1) The highest incidence rate is in the 50-69 age group for men, and the 40-59 age group for women. 2) A high percentage of incidents among people over the age of 40 and people getting lost reflected characteristic of incidents among people who were picking wild vegetables. 3) Incidents that were not officially classified as “getting lost”, but began when someone got lost their way, had a high risk of fatal injury. 4) Incidents that involved people getting lost were due not only to poor navigation skills but also to poor planning, a lack of general knowledge about mountain areas, and low basic skill levels. The importance of detailed analysis of mountain incidents for promotion of mountain safety is discussed.
著者
蔭山 雅洋 鈴木 智晴 藤井 雅文 中本 浩揮 和田 智仁 前田 明
出版者
一般社団法人 日本体育学会
雑誌
体育学研究 (ISSN:04846710)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.61, no.2, pp.517-535, 2016 (Released:2016-12-14)
参考文献数
37
被引用文献数
2 5

The purpose of this study was to clarify the profiles of lower limb and trunk motion during baseball pitching in relation to differences between the mound and the flat ground, and to determine the motion characteristics while pitching from the 2 locations.  The subjects were 12 baseball pitchers (age 18.6±2.5 yr, height 173.4±6.5 cm, weight 74.7±11.0 kg) who belonged to high school or university baseball teams. Three-dimensional positions of 36 reflective markers attached to each subject were tracked by an optical motion capture system (Mac3D System) with 12 cameras. The ground-reaction forces (GRF) of the pivot and stride legs during pitching were determined using 2 multicomponent force plates. Pitching motion was divided into two phases: phase 1 was defined as the period from when the knee of the stride leg reached maximal height (MKH: 0%time) until the point when the stride foot made contact with the ground (SFC: 100%time), while phase 2 was defined as the period from the SFC until the point when the ball was released (REL: 200%time). Ball velocity was measured using a radar gun.  The results were as follows: 1) The maximum and average ball velocities were significantly higher when pitching was performed from the mound than from the flat ground (p<0.05). 2) Hip/knee flexion angles and hip abduction/extension angular velocities on the pivot leg were significantly greater for mound pitching than for flat ground pitching, and the hip/knee extension angle and hip adduction/internal rotation/flexion angular velocities on the stride leg were significantly greater for the former (p<0.05). 3) The GRF of the stride leg was significantly greater for mound pitching than for flat ground pitching (p<0.01). 4) Upper torso and pelvis angle/angular velocities at SFC and the maximum pelvis, upper torso and trunk tilt angular velocities were significantly greater for mound pitching than for flat ground pitching (p<0.05).  The present results indicate that baseball pitchers show biomechanical differences in the kinematic and kinetic profiles of the trunk and lower limbs when pitching from the mound in comparison with the flat ground, and that high school or collegiate baseball pitchers can increase their pitched ball velocity by using the height of the mound.
著者
伊藤 章 市川 博啓 斉藤 昌久 佐川 和則 伊藤 道郎 小林 寛道
出版者
一般社団法人 日本体育学会
雑誌
体育学研究 (ISSN:04846710)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.43, no.5-6, pp.260-273, 1998-11-10 (Released:2017-09-27)
被引用文献数
18

The present study was designed to investigate the kinematic factors related to sprint running velocity. The subjects were 71 sprinters(49 males and 22 females)who ranged from world class to collegiate level. Movements were recorded around the 60-m point from the start line during a 100-m race(during official races including world championships in athletics, or under experimental conditions)using 16-mm movie or video cameras. The official best time during recording of the movements was 9.86. The correlation coefficients between kinematic data(see Fig.1)and sprint running velocity were calculated for three groups(male, female, and all sprinters). Step length and step length index(step length/body height to exclude the effects of body height)were correlated positively and significantly with sprint running velocity for all groups(male, female, and all sprinter). Step frequency and step frequency index[step frequency・(body height/gravitational acceleration)^<1/2>to exclude the effects of body height]were correlated positively and significantly with sprint running velocity for all groups except male sprinters with regard to step frequency. With regard to leg swing, maximal thigh angle and maximal leg angle showed no significant correlation with sprint running velocity, but the minimal knee angle showed a singificant negative correlation with sprint running velocity for both male and all sprinters. These results suggest that the purpose of high knee drills generally carried out during training needs to be reconsidered. The maximal leg touch down velocity showed a significant positive correlation with sprint running velocity for both female and all sprinters. This probably means that the leg touch down velocity acts to reduce the deceleration at the moment of foot contact and to accelerate the subsequent leg swing back velocity during the foot contact phase. As for the support leg, the maximal leg swing velocity showed a significant positive correlation with sprint running velocity for all groups. Although the maximal hip extension velocity during the foot contact phase was correlated positively and significantly with sprint running velocity for male sprinters, the maximal knee and ankle extension velocity showed a significant negative correlation with sprint running velocity for female and all sprinters. These results suggest that the knee should not be extended to transfer the hip extension velocity effectively to the leg swing velocity during the foot contact period. This was borne out by the fact that the top sprinters entered in the present study hardly extended the knee of the driving leg during the foot contact phase.