著者
渡辺 一志 辻 幸治 米山 富士子
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.37, no.4, pp.405-411, 1993-03-01

In archery, highly reproducible release is required during shooting to get a good score.Shooting in archery consists of eight different techniques. The last phase of these techniques is follow-through, which all eight have in common. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the muscle activity at follow-through and performance. In ten healthy archery club members, we recorded the muscle activity of six regions from both sides of M.deltoideus (pars acromialis), M. trapezius (pars ascendens), M. trapezius (pars descendens) by means of electromyogram. Integrated electromyograms of 1 second each at the aiming phase and the follow-through phase were calculated in order to evaluate this technique. The results obtained in this study were: 1) The skilled archers sustained high level (above 80%) muscle activity in the follow-through phase. 2) A significant correlation (r=0.791 r<0.05) was observed between the muscle activity on the draw side and the best score in a single round.3) The performance in archery was effected by the continuation of muscle activity in the shoulders, the neck and the back at follow-through. The continuation of muscle activity in the draw side seemed to be especially significant for archery performance.
著者
服部 恒明
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.51, no.4, pp.435-446, 2006-07-10
被引用文献数
3 5

Obesity is a condition resulting from excess body fat, and is associated with several risk factors for chronic diseases in later life. Hence, the prevention of obesity is a public health priority, with much of the concern focusing on childhood and adolescence. Recently, body mass index, calculated as weight divided by height squared (BMI, kg/m^2), has been widely used as a surrogate measure of adiposity for children and adolescents, and international age- and sex-specific cut-off points to define overweight and obesity have been proposed. Various surveys using the international BMI criteria have revealed that the prevalence of child obesity is accelerating throughout the developed world. However, BMI is a measure of excess weight relative to height, rather than excess body fat. The interpretation of BMI among children and adolescents is further complicated by the changes that occur in weight, height, and body composition during growth. There is a now a considerable body of evidence that during the growth stages, weight increase is frequently due to an increase in fat-free mass rather than fat mass. Therefore, application of the BMI norm to define overweight and obesity in children and adolescents should be done with caution. Furthermore, it is necessary to be aware that adopting an international standard for a specific population may introduce error because the relationship between BMI and adiposity is race-specific. For this reason, it is expected that race-specific standards of BMI with additional body composition-related information for children and adolescents will become available in the future to ensure reliable assessment of adiposity levels.
著者
木下 秀明
出版者
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.50, no.3, pp.259-273, 2005-05

Until about 1920, swordsmanship was known as kenjyutsu or gekiken (gekken). Now, however, it is well known as kendo. This article attempts to clarify the reasons why kendo took the place of kenjyutsu. As the Japanese Ministry of Education first adopted gekiken in 1911 as a field of gymnastics, the Ministry ran a special school for swordsmen selected from middle schools across the entire country. Such a move was necessary because most swordsmen were not qualified as school instructors. Fortunately, a book written by a participant who recorded the lectures from this special school remains. From the manuscript, it is clear that, despite the fact that swordsmanship which consisted of fencing with bamboo swords was renamed gekiken, the Ministry instructed that the aim of swordsmanship practice was not to advance its techniques, but to build up spiritual endurance. A lecturer at the school, Sasaburo Takano, the first swordsmanship instructor at the Tokyo Higher Normal School, did not comment about the naming of swordsmanship, because he used both the terms bujyutsu (martial arts including kenjyutsu) and budo (martial arts including kendo) to describe the relationship between practice and the aim of martial arts. However, it is very interesting that another lecturer at the school, Michiaki Nagai, who was the only professor of gymnastics, argued that because the characters geki and ken emphasised technique over spirituality, gekiken should not be used at all. Thus what he emphasised was not gekiken but kendo.
著者
木下 秀明
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.51, no.2, pp.151-163, 2006-03-10

Michiaki Nagai, the only professor of gymnastics (now known as physical education) at Tokyo Higher Normal School, was the only person who maintained that the aim of kendo (swordsmanship) should be not simply to advance its techniques but to build up spiritual ability through swordsmanship practice, taking the place of gekiken, a part of kenjutsu (swordsmanship), which was hitting practice with a bamboo sword. He first suggested this idea at the first special school for swordsmanship instructors selected from middle schools across Japan, held by the Ministry of Education in 1911. The aim of this article is to clarify when Nagai decided to change the name from gekiken to kendo by researching all of his articles and books describing martial arts, including swordsmanship, published from 1909, when he returned from abroad study, to 1915, when he wrote the foreword for kendo, the first great reference book for instructors, written by S. Takano, the swordsmanship instructor of the School. It is concluded that because Nagai did not have any idea about the name for swordsmanship with a bamboo sword at the beginning of his research, he used gekiken as the subject name for the School. However, he decided to use kendo instead of gekiken in August 1910, when the School adopted kendo as the subject name. As soon as the Ministry adopted gekiken as the official term for the school subject in July 1911, he acted publicly to use kendo for the School, in spite of the decision of the Ministry.
著者
高橋 幸一
出版者
Japan Society of Physical Education, Health and Sport Sciences
雑誌
体育学研究 (ISSN:04846710)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.56, no.1, pp.19-30, 2011
被引用文献数
2

In recent decades, much evidence for women's sports in the ancient world has been uncovered. In ancient Greece, men concentrated on politics, wars, athletics, and the like, whereas desirable womanly qualities were considered to be beauty, modesty and obedience. Accordingly, no women's events were included in the ancient Olympic Games. It is said that married women were not allowed to be present at Olympia during the games, although unmarried women were permitted to watch the games. Except in militaristic Sparta, athletics were usually for male citizens.<br> However, in the festivals of Hera, only girls could compete in foot-races. Like the boys, Spartan girls paraded naked in the presence of the men and participated in foot-races, wrestling, discus and javelin. Tryphosa, but also her two sisters, competed in and won foot-races in several major athletic festivals, but not at Olympia. Although married women could not compete in the Olympics, they could win Olympic victories in the equestrian events. Thus it is certain that women did participate in athletics. This paper examines the participation of women in sports at the Olympic Games and the festivals of Hera.<br> Except for the priestess of Demeter Chamyne, married women were forbidden to attend the Olympics as spectators. Unmarried women and girls were also excluded from watching the games. In order to prevent bribery, trainers had to present themselves naked and undergo physical examinations. Unmarried women competed every four years in foot-races at the festivals of Hera held at Olympia. Some have suggested that the Heraian games became Panhellenic, but there is no historic evidence for this. The local festivals in which only women and girls were able to participate took place separately from the Olympics.<br> Kyniska of Sparta was the first women's Olympic victor in the four-horse chariot race. Agesilaus persuaded his sister Kyniska to enter a chariot race at Olympia and showed that Olympic chariot victories could be won by wealth and not by manly courage. However, it is certain that Kyniska was exceedingly ambitious to enter the Olympic Games, winning twice in all. However Kyniska's victories did not lead to the spreading of women's sports or to improvement of women's rights.<br>
著者
竹中 晃二 大場 ゆかり 満石 寿
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.157-168, 2010 (Released:2010-07-20)
参考文献数
17
被引用文献数
1

The Relapse Prevention Model (RPM) has provided a framework for successful long-term maintenance of some types of health behavior. The purpose of this study was to identify high-risk situations for inducing exercise slip and lapse, which may lead to real relapse, and to clarify the coping strategies in this regard for Japanese regular exercisers, from the viewpoint of the RPM. We examined 677 regular exercisers by obtaining open-ended responses about 1) their typical high-risk situations as immediate determinants interfering with their planned exercise, 2) their coping responses to those situations, and 3) subsequent patterns of exercise outcome. High-risk situations included fatigue, bad weather, bad conditioning or injury, work or academic obligation, troubles in personal life, interpersonal relationships, and getting into a groove, although the frequency orders differed according to gender. Females were more aware that interpersonal relationships were associated with a higher incidence of exercise slip and lapse than did males, whereas males identified fatigue as the highest risk. Positive coping strategies as problem solving and behavior strategies as execution of routine work were most commonly employed, and were associated with positive exercise outcome for both females and males. On the other hand, the usage of negative coping strategies tended to lead to slip and lapse. These results suggest that adoption of coping strategies regarding high-risk situations is associated with exercise outcome, although the effects differ between males and females. These data demonstrate the importance of coping ability or strategy for exercise and suggest that slip and lapse may result from ineffective coping with high-risk situations. These findings confirm and extend previous work on the application of the RPM for examining exercise slip and lapse. Measurement issues and knowledge derived from this study are discussed in relation to future application to real practice.
著者
下田 学 福永 哲夫 金久 博昭 川上 泰雄
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.53, no.1, pp.87-97, 2008-06-30 (Released:2008-09-13)
参考文献数
33

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of varying inter-contraction intervals on central and peripheral muscle fatigue during intermittent contractions. Six healthy men carried out maximal unilateral isometric plantar flexions 50 times, separated with an interval of 2, 4, 10, or 30 s. Supramaximal electrical stimuli (twitches) were imposed percutaneously on the tibial nerve during and after every 10th contraction to assess the level of voluntary activation. The surface electromyogram (EMG) was recorded from the medial and lateral gastrocnemius (MG and LG) and soleus (Sol) muscles. Plantar flexion torque and other parameters were maintained over contractions with 30-s intervals, while the torque as well as EMG activity of the MG, LG and Sol and the level of voluntary activation decreased significantly under conditions using 2-, 4-, and 10-s intervals. The amount of decrease in the parameters was greater for shorter intervals. With 2-s intervals, the twitch torque decreased significantly, the half-relaxation time of the twitch torque increased significantly, and the EMG mean power frequency of the MG and LG shifted significantly toward lower frequencies, whereas no significant changes were found under other conditions. These results indicate that there are differences in the contributions of central and peripheral fatigue, both of which are a function of inter-contraction interval.
著者
池田 瑞音 宮永 豊 下條 仁士 白木 仁 水上 正人 吉田 廣 目崎 登
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.53, no.2, pp.287-295, 2008-12-10 (Released:2009-02-25)
参考文献数
30
被引用文献数
2

The purposes of this study were to examine the effect of teeth clenching on isokinetic muscle strength during isokinetic elbow (60, 120 degrees per second) and knee (60, 180 degrees per second) extension and flexion using a BIODEX isokinetic dynamometer. Twenty-five American football players (19.6±1.3 years) with normal occlusion served as subjects. Isokinetic muscle strength of the elbow and knee, extension and flexion strength were measured during tooth clenching (Bite), biting with a soft biteplate (Soft), biting with a hard biteplate (Hard), and without tooth clenching (No-bite). Analysis of the peak torque per body weight and the time to peak torque yielded the following results:1) The peak torque per body weight of elbow extension with Soft was significantly higher than with Bite and No-bite (120 deg/s, p<0.05).2) The time to peak torque of elbow extension with Hard was significantly slower than that with No-bite and Soft (60 deg/s, p<0.05), and those with Bite and Hard were significantly slower than that with No-bite (120 deg/s, p<0.05).3) The peak torque per unit body weight of knee flexion with Bite and Hard were significantly lower than that with No-bite (60 deg/s, p<0.05), and that with Bite was significantly lower than that with No-bite (180 deg/s, p<0.05).4) The time to peak torque of knee flexion with Soft and Hard were significantly slower than that with No-bite (60 deg/s, p<0.05), and that with Bite, Soft and Hard were significantly slower than that with No-bite (180 deg/s, p<0.05).These findings suggest that tooth clenching and the materials of the biteplate are factors that lead to increased isokinetic muscle strength of elbow extension and to decreased isokinetic muscle strength of knee flexion. Thus it appears that tooth clenching and the materials of the bite-plate do not influence isokinetic elbow flexion muscle strength or knee extension muscle strength.
著者
小林 義雄
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.20, no.1, pp.31-44, 1975-08-25

高所における有酸素作業におよぼすビタミンEの単独効果を検索するために, 男子12が名高さ4,500mに相当する低圧室での自転車エルゴメーターによる作業テストに参加した. 二重盲検法によって, 1日1.200mgのビタミンEとプラセボが6週間投与され, 続く6週間に両者はスウッチされて投与された. 同一最大下作業時の酸素消費量(Submax Vo_2)と心拍数, 回復期の酸素消費量と静脈血乳酸値および, つづく all-out ridingによる最大酸素摂取量(max Vo_2)等がビタミン投与の効果を測定するパラメターとして用いられた. 6週間にわたるビタミンE投与の結果, max Vo_2は14%増加した. さらに最大下作業にもとづく酸素負債および静脈血中の乳酸値はそれぞれ20%と17%低下した. これらの諸結果から, ビタミンの大量投与は急性低圧環境における有酸素作業成績を高めるのに効果的に働いたものと考えられる.
著者
鶴岡 英一
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.20, no.3, pp.167-176, 1975-12-10

明治期における広島県の学校運動会の変遷を検討して, 欧米には例をみない学校行事といわれている運動会の特質を明らかにしようとした. 考察結果は次のように要約される. 1. 学校運動会は体育奨励のために始められ, 初期の数年間はこの性格が比較的純粋に維持された. 2. 1890年頃から学校運動会はその民衆動員的性格のため様々に利用され, 学校行事から地域社会の行事へと変質を余儀なくされた. 3. 1900年以降, 運動会の教育性の回復を求めて批判が高まるが, 教育の枠組を越えてしまった運動会は, 教育関係者の努力にもかかわらず, 実質的には変化しなかった.
著者
加藤 謙一 山中 任広 宮丸 凱史 阿江 通良
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.37, no.3, pp.291-304, 1992-12-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate cross-sectionally the development of running speed, step frequency, step length, running form, and maximal anaerobic power (MAnP) in high school boys. Subjects were 134 high school boys ranging from fifteen to seventeen years of age. They participated in power tests including the 50 m dash, maximal bicycle pedalling, vertical jump and long jump. They were videotaped during the 50 m dash to analyze their running form.Variables analyzed were: 1) 50 m running time, running speed, step frequency and step length, 2)step time, support time and non-support time, 3) path of the whole body center of gravity (CG),4)maximal anaerobic power, vertical jump, and long jump. The results were summarized as follows; 1. The running time for 50 m decreased from 7.44 s to 7;14 s with age. Running speed increased from 7.70 m/s to 8.00 m/s with age. Step frequency increased, while step length and step length/body height ratio showed no significant change. The increase in running speed resulted, therefore, from the increase in step frequency rather than the step length. 2. MAnP increased from 766.0 W to 823.6 W with age, but no noticeable change occurred in the MAnP/body weight. 3. At each age, significant correlations were found between step frequency, step length,and step length/body height except step length/body height of fifteen year old boys. Furthermore, running speed and variables for physical fitness such as MAnP showed significant correlations. Running speed and MAnP/body weight showed a significant correlation for each age group. 4. The relationship between running speed and the CG motion indicated that it was important to shorten support time, increase step frequency and reduce the bouncing motion of the CG in order to improve running speed. The relationship between running speed and the motion of the lower limbs suggested that motion of the toe relative to the hip during support phase, forward motion of the free leg and backward swing motion of the toe prior to foot contact at high speed help to improve running speed. 5. Based on the averages and the standard deviations of variables examined for each age group, running performance was classified into five categories. Averages of step frequency, step length, step length/body height, MAnP/body weight, vertical jump and long jump for the categories were listed in Table 6. This will be useful to evaluate the running performance of students and teach sprint running in physical education classes.
著者
栗原 崇志 生田 香明 中塘 二三生 播本 定彦
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.29, no.4, pp.285-294, 1985-03-01

Effects of sprint training were examined on the form in sprint running. Six non-athlete male university students aged 19-20 years engaged in the training program consisted of 50 m and 100 m sprint running three times a day, three days per week, for a period of ten weeks. They ran 50m and l00m using a starting block with maximum effort before and after the training period, and their form in sprint running was filmed at 100 frames per second at 40 m (50 m dash) and 85 m (100 m dash)point from the start 1ine. Further, an accomplished male sprinter (21 years of age) ran 50 m dash and his sprint form was filmed at 40 m point. Length of one cycle (length of two steps), duration of one cycle (time needed for two steps), velocity at the point, sprint record and seven kinematic factors were measured. Kinematic factors were 1) Upper leg angle and angular velocity, 2) Lower leg angle and angular velocity, 3) Knee angle and angular velocity, 4) Locus of toe around trochanter major. Results were as follows. 1) Before training, the toe movement around trochanter major in the former half of swing phase of non-athlete was lower than that of the sprinter (50m dash). 2) After training, the toe movement around trochanter major in the former half of swing phase was higher than that measured before the training (50m dash). 3) After training, maximum angular velocity of upper leg during top speed in 50 m and 100m sprint running significantly became faster than those measured before training. Maximum and minimum angular velocity of the knee during top speed in 50m sprint running significantly became faster than those measured before training. 4) Duration of one cycle at 40 m (50 m dash) and 85 m (100 m dash) point during sprint running shortened after the training significantly. Length of one cycle at the same point in some subjects lengthened, while such was not the case in other subjects. Running velocity which was culculated from duration and length of one cycle improved significantly. It is concluded that the short period of sprint training has the effect to improve sprint form and the sprint ability of male adults.
著者
大久保 英哲
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.54, no.1, pp.1-14, 2009-06-30 (Released:2009-11-05)
参考文献数
24
被引用文献数
3 1

The French military assistance advisory, which visited Japan in 1867, placed emphasis on “development of the body” as basic training for soldiers, and actually gave instructions for this purpose. The textbook used for this instruction had never been identified, but as a result of reviewing Mokuba no Sho (“the book of the wooden horse”, published around 1867) written by Hayashi Shojuro (1824–1896), their interpreter, it was found that this is a translation of the part describing wooden horse exercises in the French manual of army gymnastic exercises, “Instruction pour l'enseignement de la gymnastique”, which was the gymnastics textbook brought to Japan by the French military delegation. In addition to the 200-page text, a total of 18 pages of figures illustrating 33 pieces of gymnastic apparatus and exercises using them, and a plan of an outdoor apparatus gymnastics field with apparatus for 200 to 300 people are attached.The “Instruction” continued to be studied mainly by the army. On the other hand, the Ministry of Education established the taiso denshu jo (Physical Training Institute) in 1878, and invited the American medical doctor, George Adams Leland (1850–1924), to conduct research there. Through his study, the Ministry of Education selected light gymnastics as the most suitable method for the Japanese school physical education system, and it became popular nationwide around 1885 as alumni of the Physical Training Institute spread throughout Japan.In 1883, however, the Ministry of Education instructed the implementation of hohei soren (infantry training) and heishiki taiso (military exercises) for secondary schools in addition to the normal gymnastics. This marks the introduction of the French gymnastics, employed by the army, into school physical education.As we can see, the French military assistance advisory's visit to Japan at the end of the Edo Period and the “Instruction” they brought with them, were quickly followed by the establishment of the Japanese army gymnastics system. Along with the implementation of infantry training and military exercises around 1885, it also left clear traces in the formulation of the modern Japanese physical education system.
著者
山崎 武 金子 公宥
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.17, no.4, pp.213-219, 1973-01-25
被引用文献数
1

126人の大学男子運動部員(7種目)について筋力を測定した. 被検筋は肘関節屈筋群, 同伸筋群, 膝関節屈筋群, 同伸筋群である. それぞれの等尺性筋力はバネ式力量計を使い, 関節角90度の位置で測定した. その結果を要約すると次のようである. 1) 一般に, (i)屈筋力対伸筋力の比は肘の場合3対2, 膝の場合1対3であり, (ii)右側肢の筋力は左側肢のそれより多くの場合に1〜2kg高い. 2) 脚筋力(膝屈・伸両筋力を含む)の第1位は陸上(フィールド)で第2位が柔道であるが, 腕筋力ではこの順位が逆転する. 3) 陸上(短距離)選手は全ての筋力値において第3位を占め, 球技(ハンドボール, バレーボール, サッカー)と体操部は下位に属する. 4) 体操は陸上(短距離)と同様に, 体重当り筋力比が高いが, 一方柔道は(特に)体重当り脚筋力比が低い. 5) 下肢の場合, 筋力/肢部囲の比は, ほぼ脚筋力の運動部序列と一致するが, 腕筋力/肢部囲比では異なり陸上(短距離)とハンドボールが高い値を示す, という結果を得た.
著者
薮 耕太郎
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.53, no.1, pp.123-135, 2008-06-10

It has been considered that budo (the generic name for Japanese martial arts, reconstructed from bujitsu by the Meiji era) began to be spread overseas by elite budo experts from the 19th century, and this has now become a popularly held historical view. Meanwhile, bujitsu (the generic name for Japanese traditional martial arts) experts who had been overseas at that time were considered less significant. Because the difference between budo and bujitsu was fuzzy at the time, bujitsu was considered to lie within the same mission as budo in terms of being spread overseas. By focusing on Shotaro Fukuoka's mission in Paraguay, and particularly on the recipients there, this study reconsiders the mission of budo overseas by non-elite jiu-jitsu (one kind of bujitsu art) experts. The study highlighted three points. Firstly, in the local newspaper, jiu-jitsu was considered to be an effective discipline, both physically and mentally, similar to swordplay and gymnastics. Secondly, jiu-jitsu was adopted by the local sports club as self-defense training. The present study considers that adoption of jiu-jitsu was smooth in the sports club. Thirdly, jiu-jitsu was used for show at mixed martial arts contests organized by the sports club for entertaining the local public. The fact that jiu-jitsu was widely adopted by the local public in Paraguay suggests that Fukuoka's mission was not to seek a certain type of adoption but rather flexibility. Finally, the local sports club became not only a recipient of jiu-jitsu, but also a dispatcher by teaching public jiu-jitsu classes, which enabled various classes of people to participate in jiu-jitsu.
著者
水野 忠文
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.17, no.4, pp.171-177, 1973-01-25

この小論は最近の体育学研究における1つの重要な問題である分化(differentiation)と統合(integration)の問題を具体的事例をあげて考察したものである. 第1に体育学の対象である人間を哲学上の学問分類論から論じ, 学問的操作によって自然存在となる場合と行為の主体としての人間存在となる場合の区別を明らかにした. 第2に具体的事例として脛骨中央部横断面の尖鋭角が新石器時代から現代にかけて男子の場合その鋭角が鈍化する傾向を人類学的知見から考察し, 現代人のそれを超音波法によって計測すると運動能力の高いものの方が普通のものよりその尖鋭角がせまく, 脛骨が扁平性を示すという新事実をとらえた. 最後にこのような事実から, 自然科学的研究を体育に生かすために人文社会科学と結合することの必要を論じ, 統合問題の解決の方向を明らかにした.
著者
桜井 伸二 池上 康男 矢部 京之助 岡本 敦 豊島 進太郎
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.35, no.2, pp.143-156, 1990-09-01
被引用文献数
8

Many joint actions are involved in the throwing motion of a fastball pitch; therefore, two dimensional (2-D) procedures are insufficient for analyzing the throwing motion. In this study,three dimensional (3-D) high-speed cinematography was used to record fastball pitches of varsity baseball pitchers. Two small reference sticks were fixed on the hands and forearms of the throwing arm of the subjects to detect their movements.The direct linear transformation (DLT) method was used for 3-D space reconstruction from 2-D images filmed by two from 2-D images filmed by two phase-locked cameras (200 frames/s).The throwing arm has seven degrees of freedom of joint motion except in the fingers; three for the shoulder, one for the elbow, one for the radioulnar, and two for the wrist. Following seven joint angle changes corresponding to all these degrees of freedom were obtained throughout the pitching motion. 1) horizontal abduction/horizontal adduction angle at the shoulder joint, 2) abduction/adduction angle at the shoulder joint, 3) internal rotation/external rotation angle at the shoulder joint, 4) flexion/extension angle at the elbow joint, 5) pronation/supination angle at the radio-ulnar joint (forearm), 6) radial flexion/ulnar flexion angle at the wrist joint, 7) palmar flexion/dorsi flexion angle at the wrist joint. The results showed that horizontal adduction and internal rotation of the shoulder,extension of the elbow, pronation of the forearm, and palmar flexion of the wrist were the important joint actions for fastball pitching in baseball. Preliminary to these motions were motions in the opposite direction; e.g., horizontal abduction and external rotation of the shoulder,flexion of the elbow, supination of the forearm, and dorsi flexion of the wrist were detected.These motions in the opposite direction would be useful to extend the range of the motion in each joint angle. The results also appear to be connected to intrinsic muscle propertios, that greater power can be exerted during shortening of the muscle when it is stretched just before the shortening action.