In this study, the relationship between the physical fitness of college baseball players found from 6 field tests and a performance evaluation by coaches was investigated. The purpose was to ascertain whether the results would be similar to those obtained in a previous study. The subjects of the study were 43 college baseball players (mean age, 20.7 +/- 1.4 years; mean athletic career, 10.9 +/- 2.6 years). Referring to the previous study, the field tests of physical fitness were composed of 6 items: throwing distance, back strength, medicine ball throwing, standing long jump, T-test, and base running. For capabilities in batting, fielding, and running, the coach's evaluation was expressed by T scores. The results of the analysis indicated that those players with high evaluation scores had significantly better test results in comparison with those players who were rated low in the evaluation. Although the multiple regression models of the previous study were associated with a middle goodness of fit, a significant correlation was found between physical fitness found in the field tests and performance. The results from a partial correlation analysis indicated a significant correlation between the following: batting evaluation with back strength (p < 0.01) and medicine ball throwing (p <0.01); fielding evaluation with throwing distance (p < 0.05); and running evaluation with medicine ball throwing (p < 0.01), standing long jump (p < 0.05), T-test (p < 0.01), and base running (p < 0.01). It is certain that the performance of college baseball players is related to their physical fitness.

BackgroundIn Japan, although the incidence of overweight (BMI ≥ 25) is still low compared with that in Europe and the United States, the prevalence of type 2 diabetes has increased over the last 15 years,. In both Japanese and Caucasian populations it has been reported that a high level of cardiorespiratory fitness protects against the development of type 2 diabetes. However, there are no reports focused specifically on athletes that investigate whether high cardiorespiratory fitness at a young age can prevent disease later in life. We examined the relationship between cardiorespiratory fitness at a young age and the development of type 2 diabetes in Japanese athletes using a cohort study.MethodsThe cardiorespiratory fitness of male alumni of the physical education department of Juntendo University, as measured by stored data of a 1,500-m endurance run in college (1971–1991) was compared with their incidence of type 2 diabetes as determined by follow-up questionnaires (2007–2009). This study used Cox’s proportional hazards models and adjusted for age, year of graduation, BMI, smoking, and sports club participation at college age.ResultsWe collected data on cardiorespiratory fitness at college age and medical history survey data during 2007–2009 from 570 male alumni. The median follow-up period was 26 years (IQR: 23–29 years), and 22 men had developed type 2 diabetes. An inverse relationship was observed between incidence of type 2 diabetes and level of cardiorespiratory fitness at time of college after adjustment for age, year of graduation, BMI, smoking, and sports participation. The adjusted hazards ratio and 95% CI by category (low, medium, and high) were 1.00 (reference), 0.40 (0.14–1.13) and 0.26 (0.07–1.00) (p = 0.03 for trend).ConclusionsA high level of cardiorespiratory fitness at a young age can help prevent type 2 diabetes later in life.

BackgroundHypertension is developed easily in Asian adults with normal body mass index (BMI) (~23 kg/m2), compared with other ethnicities with similar BMI. This study tested the hypothesis that slightly increased BMI at young age is a risk factor for future hypertension in Japanese men by historical cohort study.MethodsThe study participants were 636 male alumni of the physical education school. They had available data on their physical examination at college age and follow-up investigation between 2007 and 2011. The participants were categorized into six categories: BMI at college age of <20.0 kg/m2, 20.0–21.0kg/m2, 21.0–22.0kg/m2, 22.0–23.0kg/m2, 23.0–24.0kg/m2, and ≥24.0kg/m2, and the incidence of hypertension was compared.ResultsThis study covered 27-year follow-up period (interquartile range: IQR: 23–31) which included 17,059 person-years of observation. Subjects were 22 (22–22) years old at graduated college, and 49 (45–53) years old at first follow-up investigation. During the period, 120 men developed hypertension. The prevalence rates of hypertension for lowest to highest BMI categories were 9.4%, 14.6%, 16.1%, 17.5%, 30.3%, and 29.3%, respectively (p<0.001 for trend), and their hazard ratios were 1.00 (reference), 1.80 (95%CI: 0.65–4.94), 2.17 (0.83–5.64), 2.29 (0.89–5.92), 3.60 (1.37–9.47) and 4.72 (1.78–12.48), respectively (p<0.001 for trend). This trend was similar after adjustment for age, year of graduation, smoking, current exercise status and current dietary intake.ConclusionSlightly increased BMI at young age is a risk factor for future hypertension in Japanese men.

Muscle strengthening activity and high muscle strength were reported to protect against the development of type 2 diabetes in middle age. On the other hand, the reported prevalence of type 2 diabetes is higher in former top-level power sports athletes compared to healthy non-athlete men. High muscle strength may be a risk factor for type 2 diabetes. However, it is not clear whether high muscle strength can predict the future development of type 2 diabetes. This study examined the relationship between muscle strength at a young age and the future development of type 2 diabetes in former Japanese college athletes by a historical cohort study. Subjects were male alumni who graduated from the Physical Education School of Juntendo University. Hand-grip strength at college age (1971-1991) and type 2 diabetes history, as determined by follow-up questionnaires (2007-2009, and 2011), were collected. Relationships between hand-grip strength and new cases of type 2 diabetes were analyzed by Cox proportional hazards models and adjusted for relative risks. Data of hand-grip strength and medical history of 617 subjects were collected. The median follow-up period was 27 years, and 29 men developed type 2 diabetes. There was no relationship between incidence of type 2 diabetes and muscle strength level after adjustment for potential risk factors. The adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals of the low, medium, and high muscle strength categories were 1.00 (reference), 1.12 (0.46-2.70) and 0.70 (0.25-1.92), respectively. We concluded that muscle strength at a young age does not predict the future development of type 2 diabetes in Japanese male athletes.

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We investigated the relationships between power event scores and power/strength tests using the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) scoring table. We sought to identify tests suitable for evaluating the performance of athletes specialized in power events involving different techniques (jumping, sprinting, and throwing). Seventy-four male university-level track and field athletes participated in this study. Standing triple jump, standing quintuple jump, and backward medicine ball throwing were positively correlated with IAAF scores in sprinters (p < 0.05), while forward medicine ball throwing, backward medicine ball throwing, and clean lift (p < 0.05) were associated with IAAF scores in throwers. Standing long jump (p < 0.05), standing triple jump, standing quintuple jump, and anaerobic power (p < 0.001) were positively correlated with IAAF scores in all athletes. Our results demonstrated that standing triple jump and standing quintuple jump were effective indicators of performance in power events in university-level athletes.

Background/ObjectiveSport university students are a unique population because they usually have a strong sport background since early childhood. In this study, we aimed to examine secular trends in grip strength of male, first-year sport university students in comparison with the general population between 1973 and 2016.MethodsExisting data on the grip strength of 6,308 sport university students aged 18 years were examined. The data were obtained from the Juntendo Fitness Plus Study, a study of the Department of Physical Education/Health and Sports Science of Juntendo University. For reference, age- and sex-matched data (18 years old, male) on the grip strength were obtained from a national database.ResultsCompared with the general population, the sport university students had greater body mass index and stronger grip strength at all times.ConclusionsThe grip strength of sport university students significantly declined between the 1980s and 1990s, and it has plateaued since 2000, albeit at low levels. Compared with the peak performance of sport university students in 1984, the grip strength of students in 2016 was significantly lower by 8.1 kg. The downward trends were also confirmed in the general population during the same periods. In conclusion, the grip strength of sport university students has significantly declined over the last few decades.

Objective Evidence suggests that acquiring a high level of handgrip strength early in life and maintaining that strength throughout life may be important for health. In addition, it is thought that sports activities performed during the developmental period are effective in improving handgrip strength, but it is unknown what types of sports are more effective. As a first step, we conducted a cross‐sectional study to compare handgrip strength across different sports (upper‐body gripping sports vs. lower body) in early adulthood. Methods We used the Juntendo Fitness Plus Study data from 1973 to 2018 and selected two types of sporting events with matching physiques (soccer, baseball, and kendo) but different degrees of gripping. Data on 7344 male first‐year sports university students included 1127 soccer, 297 Kendo, and 698 baseball players. Results Those in the lower body‐only (soccer) sports had −3.78 (95% CI: −4.27, −3.29) kg lower handgrip strength than those in the lower + upper (kendo and baseball). Comparing each individual sport found that each sport was different from each other with Kendo > Baseball > Soccer (between each sport, p < .001). In addition, the difference between sports has become greater across time. Conclusions In early adulthood, handgrip strength is greatest in those participating in sports with upper‐body movements compared to those participating in sports that mainly involved lower‐body movements. The three sports we selected are natural activities that do not directly train handgrip strength. Therefore, sport may be one potential method to improve low handgrip strength in children/adolescents during the developmental period.