The season is soon summer.

It is time for swimming classes to begin in earnest.


There are many schools where swimming, which had been canceled due to the influence of the new corona, will be resumed for the first time in three years.


It seems that various influences and changes can be seen in the field.

School swimsuits are flooded with orders

Swimsuit makers have been very busy with the resumption of swimming classes for the first time in three years.



Founded in 1938 in Gose City, Nara Prefecture, "Nanwa Textile Industry" has manufactured and sold about 100,000 swimwear annually for elementary and junior high schools nationwide.



Swimming classes were canceled due to the spread of the new corona infection, and orders have dropped sharply recently.



However, this summer, as the movement to resume nationwide for the first time in three years is spreading, orders for swimwear are being ordered one after another from all over the country, and we are busy responding.

According to this manufacturer,


▽ orders from the lower grades of elementary school and junior high school students who are taking swimming lessons for the first time since enrollment are increasing, and


▽ replacement of swimsuits in the upper grades of elementary school has also overlapped, which is an average year. It means that there are about 2.5 times as many orders.



In anticipation of an increase in orders for this year, we have increased the purchase of fabrics and continued production ahead of schedule, but orders flooded this month and some schools are not in time for delivery. That is.

(Mr. Takeshi Nishikawa, Sales Department)


"The reaction to the Korona-ka is great, and we have received orders that exceed our expectations. We would like to strive for production so that we can deliver the products as soon as possible."

Waves of change in swimwear

This manufacturer, which has a history of more than 80 years, is said to have witnessed changes in school swimwear.

Speaking of school swimsuits, trunks type with naked shirts for boys and one-piece type for girls used to be the standard, but recently, different types of swimsuits are gaining popularity.



One of them is a swimsuit called "separate type", which is divided into two upper and lower pieces for both men and women.

The top is short sleeves and long sleeves, and the bottom is half pants and half pants with a skirt.



The exposure of the skin is less than that of the conventional type, and it is made of a material that blocks ultraviolet rays, which means that it can protect the skin from the strong summer sun.



Another reason for its popularity is that it can be worn regardless of gender by changing the combination of the top and bottom.



According to this manufacturer, about 70% of the products we produce now are these new types of swimwear.



Here is a summary of how the design of swimwear has changed.

Recently, a "genderless swimsuit" with the same design for men and women has appeared.


"Footmark", a manufacturer of swimming equipment in Sumida Ward, Tokyo, has started selling this product.

This "genderless swimsuit" has a separate upper and lower design, with long sleeves on the top and shorts on the bottom to reduce exposure, and the chest and hips, which show differences due to body growth, and the loose silhouette of the buttocks. I am devising to become.



According to the manufacturer, recently, efforts have been made to consider children with sexual minorities, such as making it possible to choose not only skirts but also pants at school, and swimwear has been developed to reduce the difficulty of choosing by gender and increase the choices. As a result, it will be introduced at three schools this year.



The person in charge of the manufacturer said, "There are voices that not only children with sexual minorities but also want to refrain from exposing their skin due to various reasons such as body shape, hair, atopy, etc. Wearing such a swimsuit will dispel anxiety about swimwear. I hope you will take a positive approach to the swimming class. "

Infection control for swimming for the first time in 3 years

And swimming classes that have been resumed in various places for the first time in three years.


At the site, we are careful about infection control.



At Seitoku Elementary School in Nada Ward, Kobe City, swimming classes were held from the 16th for the first time in three years, and in the sixth hour, about 70 children, half of the fifth graders, participated.

The children were divided into four groups into the pool, taking care not to take off their masks and make a voice, and immediately floated or swam a short distance to check the feeling of water.



As an infection control measure,


▼ changing clothes is distributed not only in the classroom but also in the home economics room, etc.


▼ The poolside is marked at 1-meter intervals so that children can keep a distance from each other.



One of the boys said, "I'm sorry I couldn't speak out, but I hadn't had a swimming class for a long time, so it was a lot of fun."



Principal Hiroyuki Akagi said, "Of course, we are taking measures against infection, but since we are swimming for the first time in a long time, we are focusing on getting used to the water. It was nice to see a happy face." ..

The pool utilizes a sports club

As swimming classes resume, some schools are starting new initiatives.



Utilization of a private pool.



In Hirakata City, Osaka, from this year, we started an initiative to utilize private pools and staff in elementary school swimming classes.

On this day, 60 people from the 5th grade of Hirakata Municipal Tonoyama Daini Elementary School came to the sports club in Hirakata City.

The school is a 3-minute walk away.



Swimming class for 5th grade since 2nd grade.

Some children haven't swam for a while.



Therefore, we divide the children into groups according to their swimming ability, and assign swimming school staff to each group so that they can teach efficiently.



Children will be in class for the first time in three years ...



"It's a lot of fun. The staff will teach you kindly."


"Because it's indoors, it can be done in the rain and it won't be canceled."



The main aim of the city to utilize private facilities in swimming classes is It is to reduce the burden on teachers and reduce expenses.



According to the Hirakata City Board of Education, by using a private pool, the cost of maintaining and managing the pool can be reduced by about 2 million yen per school per year, and the labor of cleaning for teachers can be reduced.



Another advantage is that you can easily make a learning plan because you can swim without worrying about the weather such as rain and heat stroke.

(Principal Yoko Yamamoto)


"There was also a place where I couldn't get used to exercising because of Korona-ka. Swimming is a whole-body exercise, so I'm hoping that it will have great results in improving physical fitness. This time, it's a new initiative. There may be some issues, but I would like to consult with the club members and create better ones. "

Swimming for the first time in 3 years Where do you need to be careful?

Swimming class for the first time in 3 years.



What kind of guidance is required?

Professor Atsunori Matsui of Naruto University of Education, who is familiar with swimming education, said, "Each school must devise guidance on the premise that it could not be done for two years. Children will become more and more disliked, so it is necessary to gradually bring them to the content handled in the grade while checking whether they can make basic movements. "



On top of that, "Swimming lessons have the main purpose of developing an attitude of familiarity with water, acquiring self-preservation ability, keeping oneself safe, not drowning at the waterside, and acquiring the ability to do so. On top of that, it's important to know how to do it in the water. If you couldn't get enough time to enter the pool due to the corona, the danger of water and the theory for swimming outside the pool, etc. I think it is necessary to devise ways to supplement swimming learning, such as learning. "



Regarding the fact that the movement to outsource to the private sector is spreading, Professor Matsui said, "There are advantages such as the school eliminating the trouble of managing the pool and the need for water bills. However, it trains the swimming distance and speed. Private swimming schools and schools have different roles, so even if you outsource it, I would like the school to take the initiative in learning as physical education, rather than throwing it all at once. "



(Osaka Broadcasting Station coverage group)