Li-hong leo Hsu

DOI:

Abstract

The main purpose of this paper is to address three possible approaches for promoting Olympism and Sport Culture Education in East Asia. These three approaches are addressed as follows: The first approach is through personal reflection. The starting point is not to introduce far away ancient history of Greece or un-imitable Olympic stars` achievements, but by showing our personal story with our youngsters. That is to reflect upon our personal life - which is also the philosophy of our life (sporting life). For this I shall call it "The Art of Sporting Life" which deals with "The Meaning of Sporting Life", "The Values of Sporting Life" and "The Aesthetics of Sporting Life". The second approach is through the inspiration of East Asian pop culture. By revealing this powerful pop-cultural phenomenon as an example, it is hoped that our high power ranking policy makers can learn from this and plan a few more sophisticated strategies to promote Olympic Education programs in our region. The third approach is through creating akind of cross-cultural Olympic Education curriculum among East Asian Universities. The aims are two-fold: a. to build friendship among all international students. b. to increase multicultural interaction and mutual understanding between regional students and international students. This idea can be further developed in cooperation with an international association called UMAP (University Mobility in Asia and the Pacific: www.umap.org). This is another aspect for us to think about Olympic Education in terms of multicultural exchange among East Asian Universities. Ultimately, if we set up an Olympic Education Research Institute (OERI) in East Asia or an East Asian Olympic Academy (EAOA), then that would be a perfect opportunity for trans-cultural and cross-cultural studies.

Key Words

Olympism, Sport Culture Education, East Asia, UMAP

Min Hyun Kim

DOI:

Abstract

This research analyzes the influence of Taekwondo players` experience of winning a competition for the last one year and their self-management on self-confidence, based on those who have attended national championships, classified by the players` level. A total of 301 players who attended the national championship of this year participated in the research and they answered to the questionnaires of self-management and self-confidence which were used in the study of correlation of each question and in Stepwise Multiple Regression Analysis. Regarding the correlation of self-management and self-confidence, the result of this research showed statistical significant correlation of the players` level, the result of each competition, and the experience of winning a competition based on their self-management. Regarding the influence of self-management on self-confidence, there were some difference found, according to the level of Taekwondo, players` experience of winning a competition and the result of game. This study suggests a way how Taekwondo players` self-management can enhance their self-confidence, which is the main factor of best performance.

Key Words

Self-Management, Self-Confidence, Level of Players`, Experience of Winning, Result of Game

Lynn D. Housner , Valerie Wayda

DOI:

Abstract

Childhood obesity has become a worldwide epidemic with serious implications for health and associated health care costs. Regular physical activity has been identified as an important component of an overall strategy to address the obesity crises. In the present paper a number of school-based and community strategies that can be used by physical educators to provide opportunities for increased PA for children and their families are presented.

Key Words

Childhood Obesity, Physical Activity, School and Community-based Interventions

J G Lee , J C Spence

DOI:

Abstract

A few standardized questionnaires are currently available for measuring physical activity among Korean children. The Physical Activity Questionnaire for Older Children (PAQ-C) has been supported as a valid and reliable measure of general physical activity levels among children. The purpose of this study was to test the reliability of a Korean translation of the PAQ-C. A convenience sample of 21 boys and 27 girls (ages 8-14, grades 3-9) was recruited from a Korean school and two Korean churches in Edmonton Alberta, Canada. To be included in the study, children needed to be able to read both Korean and English. Children were asked to complete both a Korean and English version of the questionnaire, one week apart. A significant test-retest correlation between the Korean and English versions of the PAQ-C was found (rtotal = 0.79, rboys = 0.80 and rgirls= 0.78). Statistically significant relationships existed between the two time points for all items on the questionnaires (ranging from r = 0.51 to 0.83, p < 0.01). In summary, the Korean version of the PAQ-C appears to be a reliable measure of physical activity. The results of this study will allow physical activity levels to be more accurately assessed among children in Korea.

Key Words

Exercise, Child, Questionnaire, Korea, Measurement

Sun A Chung

DOI:

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to provide the ways for improving health level among older people in society and also to describe the opportunities for health promotion based on policy, environment, nutrition, and exercise. There are many opportunities to promote health in old age. Accumulating evidence now shows that maintaining healthy lifestyles in old age is associated with health gain. Physical activity or exercise programs for elderly people represent a good investment for health promotion because of the considerable potential for health gain. Therefore, health promotion activities should target the most disadvantaged groups in the community especially older people. In addition to on a long term level, priority needs to be given to ensuring that elderly people have adequate pension provision to enable healthy living environments, lifestyle choices and access to health, social care, and exercise as well.

Key Words

Health Promotion, Older People, Lifestyle, Social Care, Environment, Nutrition, Exercise

Jung Hwan Park , Jeffrey James , Yu Kyoum Kim

DOI:

Abstract

The current study is an examination of the magnitude of the home advantage during interleague play in Major League Baseball. Interleague play provides a unique opportunity to assess the impact of a rule factor, the Designated Hitter (DH), and a learning factor, facility familiarity. Secondary data was used to analyze the home advantage during interleague play in Major League Baseball. Win-loss records, team statistics (e.g., team errors), and player statistics (number of Hits and Runs Batted In (RBIs) for designated hitters and pitchers were collected from Major League Baseball`s archives (www.mlbreference.com), Data was collected beginning with the 1997 season, the year interleague play began, through the 2007 season. Three hypotheses were tested. The results indicated during interleague play both the American and National League teams had higher home winning percentages than their respective away winning percentages. There were, however, no significant differences between the home winning percentages during interleague play compared to regular season play. The results further indicated that the National League teams committed fewer errors, both home and away, during interleague play compared to the American League teams. Finally, the batting performance of the American League team`s designated hitters (hits, batting average, RBI, and bases on balls) was higher than the batting performance by the National league team`s designated hitters.

Key Words

Hiroki Yanagisawa , Hideaki Soya , Ippeita Dan

DOI:

Abstract

Recently a growing number of human studies have reported the beneficial influence of acute moderate exercise on cognitive functions. Neurocognitive investigations into such neural substrates have mainly been performed using electroencephalography. However, we recently introduced multichannel functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), which is a noninvasive and nonrestrictive optical method to monitor cerebral hemodynamics reflecting regional neural activation. We found improved cognitive performance for Stroop interference elicited by an acute bout of moderate exercise that coincided with enhanced cortical activation in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. In a previous study, we set the duration of the exercise at 10 min, but the extent to which we could shorten exercise duration remained uncertain. Thus, here we assessed the effects of various durations of acute exercise on neurocognitive performance during an incongruent Stroop task. We present the first experimental evidence that a minimum of 10 min of acute exercise with an intensity of 50% of the maximum oxygen intake is necessary in order to improve cognitive performance on a Stroop interference test. In combination with facilities enabling strict physiological control, fNIRS is a promising tool that will serve to cultivate a novel application in sports science namely, elucidating, in detail, the cognitive effects of physical exercise.

Key Words

Acute Moderate Exercise, Cognitive Performance, Color-Word Stroop Task, Prefrontal Cortex

Jacob J. Sosnoff , Jean M. Samson , Sung Hoon Shin

DOI:

Abstract

Older adults are more variable in their movement than their younger counterparts. Variability occurs across multiple timescales. It has been speculated that different processes contribute to motor variability at unique timescales. It is possible that variability at different timescales may provide unique information about the influence of aging on the sensorimotor system. The purpose of the current investigation is to examine the influence of aging on motor variability across multiple timescales. In order to examine this question, seventy-eight individuals (37 young and 41 old) produced sub-maximal isometric force output five times a day for five consecutive days. Within trial variability was quantified with coefficient of variation. Across trial variability was indexed as the standard deviation of individual trial CV. Across day variability was indexed as the standard deviation of the across trial variability. Overall, older adults were found to have greater within trial, across trial and across day variability compared to young adults. Variability was found to be associated across all the timescales of investigation. Older adults were found to have stronger associations between within trial variability across sessions. The findings are supportive of the notion that older adults are less adaptable in their motor output. Further research is needed to better understand the mechanisms driving age-related differences in motor variability across timescales.

Key Words

Force Variability, Motor Control, Isometric Force Production