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"Physical education" now July 28, 16:10

What kind of memories do you have when it comes to physical education classes in elementary and junior high schools?

Long-distance running that challenged to update personal best while breathing.

Dodgeball that escaped to the end.

Or is it pool time competing with friends to see which one will dive longer?

The memories of exercising with many classmates are more memorable than in other subjects.

"Physical education" is also an entrance exam!

Some junior high schools offer "practical skills" in physical education for entrance examinations.

At Keio Futsubu School, questions are given every year by combining some practical skills such as dribbling the ball, throwing the ball toward the wall, and splitting forward and vaulting box.

According to the school, seeing how hard they work does not mean that they will not be evaluated unless they are good at it.

What is "Physical Education" now?

Do you know that the physical education class has changed significantly with the times?

We asked Masami Otsuka, a professor at Josai International University, who is familiar with the history of physical education, about how it has changed compared to before.

Professor Masami Otsuka of Josai International University

"It has changed to prevent children from being overwhelmed, injured, and to eliminate victory and defeat."

In fact, the content of the lessons is changing.

One of them is long-distance running.

In fact, endurance running, which measures the time by running a fixed distance to the end, such as 1 km or 2 km, is becoming less common.

Instead, there is a shuttle run that makes multiple round trips over a distance of 20 meters.

The endurance is measured by how many times you can make a round trip, so if you can't run anymore, it will end at that point and you don't have to run a long distance.

In addition, dangerous "gymnastic formation" and heavy-duty "rabbit jumping" are no longer performed.

Surprisingly, the "physical education sitting" that the teacher instructed when listening to the story or waiting for the turn is disappearing.

Nowadays, the number of schools where children can sit as they like, such as agura and sitting sideways, is increasing.

Professor Otsuka

"It seems that many children don't like being forced to sit down. I think it's better to adjust to the situation, not to sit in the gym anytime, anywhere."

Concerns about physical education now

Today's physical education is changing to "do not overdo it," but Mr. Otsuka is concerned that it may lead to a decrease in the physical strength of children.

According to the Japan Sports Agency, the Japan Sports Agency investigated how much junior high school students exercise in a week other than physical education classes. There were also about 18% of students.

On the other hand, about 22% of boys had less than 7 hours a week, and about 8% had less than an hour.

It can be said that the role of physical education in building physical fitness is increasing as the amount of exercise time outside of class tends to decrease.

However, Mr. Otsuka thinks that if the tendency to "do not overdo it" becomes excessively strong, it will not be able to fully fulfill its role.

New "Physical Education" Initiatives

Under these circumstances, some schools are paying attention to the fact that some schools are incorporating exercise called "coordination training" into their physical education classes.

It is said that by performing multiple movements at the same time, such as clapping your hands and pushing your legs back and forth and left and right, you can stimulate your brain and nerves and effectively improve your athletic ability.

It is hoped that if it can be successfully incorporated into classes and made children feel interesting, it will lead to improvement in physical strength.

Professor Masami Otsuka of Josai International University

"Physical education is a subject that can be clearly shown that children will be able to do such things by drawing out their original characteristics and making efforts. Physical education classes will continue to change even more. I think I'll go

Due to the Korona-ka, it is not easy for children to exercise easily now.

In addition to infection control measures such as disinfection, many schools also exclude children's crowding and contact exercises from physical education classes.

I hope that the spread of the infection will soon be resolved and that children will be able to fully enjoy the changed physical education.

In "Migake, Curiosity!" Of "Weekly Maru-Knowledge News" (broadcast at 8:25 am on Sunday), we will delve into the news every week on the subject of current affairs presented in the entrance examination.

Let's think of "why?", In fact, "in the first place" that you want to know as a Kamakura caster.

You can also review the past on the corner homepage.

Please take a look from the link below.

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/special/maruwaka-migake/