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12 .20A smartwatch or fitness trackerWith the spread of smartphones, the number of people who wear a watch has probably decreased. In fact, I do not see many students wearing one in my classes. I also stopped wearing a simple wristwatch at some point after getting a smartphone.However, I see more and more people wearing high-tech gadgets on their wrists recently. Some wear a smartwatch, and others wear a fitness tracker. Are there clear differences between them? In the past, there seemed to be a clearer divide, but they share some common features now. Which one sounds better to buy?A smartwatch is usually more versatile than a fitness tracker. Trackers are usually devices intended to monitor health and physical activities whose features often include steps, heart rate and sleep tracking. Some of the more advanced ones even track stress levels, skin temperature, and breathing rate. Smartwatches usually come with all these features plus even more.Smartwatches are like extensions of smartphones. You can text and answer phone calls on the smartwatch, and some advanced ones allow you to pay train fares like built-in Suica and PASMO. However, more is not always better. Smartwatches are generally more expensive than fitness trackers. Smartwatches also tend to have large displays, which can be uncomfortable on the wrist.After debating which to buy, I actually bought a fitness tracker a few years ago, and I think I made the right choice. It has motivated me off my couch. It tracks my daily activities such as steps taken and calories burned, in addition to my heart rate and sleep. Being able to see how many steps I take every day makes me want to walk more than I usually do. I was once both surprised and excited to see I took more than 16,000 steps on campus. Another feature I really appreciate is sleep tracking. My fitness tracker not only tracks how many hours I sleep but also the amount of time I spend in light, deep, and REM sleep. By syncing my tracker to my smartphone app, I can see my weekly sleep patterns. I have figured out that my brain and body function well when I sleep for about seven hours and a half. I am pretty happy and satisfied with the features of my fitness tracker, but if you want to enjoy more features and can afford one, a smartwatch may be a better choice for you.Photo Credit: PixabayQuizQ1. Does the author have a smartwatch?Q2. What kind of features does the author’s gadget have?Q3. What does the word “versatile” in the third paragraph mean?Scroll down ↓ for the answersA1. NoA2. It tracks steps taken, calories burned, heart rate, and sleepA3. It means “able to be used for many different purposes.”Sachiko Aoki
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08 .17American Subculture in England: Basketball (Part 2)
(continued from last week)
Alternatively, Japanese sports education and culture has quite a long history of basketball. In 1917, Japan entered a basketball team in the Olympic games for the first time. When I first came to Japan to teach English, I was so jealous to realize that much like American children, Japanese children have grown up for generations learning the game that I had grown to love.
In my middle school’s changing rooms, our sports teachers decorated the walls with posters of various famous sports stars. I knew a lot of those faces from watching TV, but there was one poster in particular that caught my attention. It was a photo taken from above the basketball ring, looking down. There was a tall handsome man training on his own, jumping high into the air with a basketball in one hand. In the bottom left corner of the poster was a small red box with the word ‘Nike’ in it. I didn’t know who he was then, but that is my first clear memory of seeing the world-famous Michael Jordan. I wanted to know more.
A few years later at high school, I got my first chance to learn how to play. The school had an old indoor court that had no 3-point line, and three larger spaces in a building that we nicknamed ‘the shed’. I made new friends with other boys and girls, some who knew more about basketball than me, and we began to practice and teach each other. Although the high school had a team, it was nothing like a Japanese school’s sports clubs. Practice was only once a week. Some of the older students told us about a private club that was being run at evenings and weekends by a professional player in the neighboring town called Gateshead. We nervously made the journey over there to see if we could take part. I remember walking onto my first proper basketball court and being amazed by the speed and intensity of the game and the players. I was hooked. I must have played, watched, and talked about basketball every day between the ages of 15 to 22. I was never a great player, but I loved the game and I still do now.
Photo Credit: Markus Spiske@pexels.com
Blog Quiz
1. When did Japan first enter a basketball team into the Olympic games?
2. What famous sport star did the author become interested in as a middle school student?
3. How often did the author’s high school basketball team practice?
Scroll down ↓ for the answers to the quiz.
Quiz Answers
1. 1917
2. Michael Jordan
3. Once a week
Ben McDonough -
08 .10American Subculture in England: Basketball (Part 1)
Football (soccer), as it is called in my native country, is by far and away the most popular sport in the UK, and like other hugely popular sports, football culture is ‘not just a sport’ to those who love it, it is a way of life. The north east of England has a long history of football culture. My hometown of Newcastle upon Tyne, much like many other cities and towns throughout the UK, has thousands of people who loyally follow the various local football clubs, from school teams, to amateur teams, to the big-money big-business teams of the premiere leagues. Of course, there are people who actively dislike football and the culture surrounding it, so when the larger culture is not appealing, subcultures emerge from groups of people who have different beliefs and interests. These days, basketball is a globally popular sport thanks to the NBA, its amazing athletes, and the Internet. However, in 1990’s England, being a basketball fan meant that you were part of a subculture.
I started first (elementary) school in 1985 and I was never very good at playing football. I didn’t understand why so many boys wanted to play it. Equality in sports was still an underdeveloped idea, so in those days, it was very rare to see girls playing football, and even rarer for a school to have a girls’ football club.
At middle (junior high) school, I found out in P.E. class that I enjoyed athletics the most, especially the high jump and the long jump. It was exhilarating to throw myself as high and as far through the air as I could. The school had a football team for which many boys were very keen to play. My teachers suggested that I take part in athletics competitions. However, P.E. classes and serious competitions are two different worlds. It was so boring to sit and wait for my event in the day’s long schedule.
European or American basketball game highlights were only very rarely shown on British TV. I was intrigued by this strange looking game that was played in a small space with only ten people on the court. I didn’t know until I was much older that there was a small but loyally followed English professional basketball league. Also, like many other schools across the UK, my middle school had a very large grassy field with a football and rugby pitch, but it didn’t have a basketball court.
(To be continued next week)
Photo Credit: Markus Spiske@pexels.com
Blog Quiz
1. What is the most popular sport in The United Kingdom?
2. What sport did the author enjoy playing most in junior high school?
3. How often did the author see basketball on TV when he was in junior high school?
Scroll down ↓ for the answers to the quiz.
Quiz Answers
1. Soccer (football)
2. Athletics (long jump and high jump)
3. Rarely
Ben McDonough -
02 .04Principles of Weight TrainingA holiday tradition that is not so common in Japan is making a New Year’s resolution. The Cambridge dictionary defines a New Year’s resolution as “a promise that you make to yourself to start doing something good or stop doing something bad on the first day of the year.” Some of the most common resolutions concern health, and many people decide to get in shape by joining a gym. In January many gyms and health clubs will be filled with new members, but by Valentine’s Day most of them will have quit. Why? There are a variety of reasons why someone might quit; ranging from the time required to the expense, but many people will quit because they are dismayed with the results of their hard work. These people might go to the gym three times a week for one month only to see a little muscle growth, or a slightly smaller waistline. The likely reason why these people are disappointed in their results is because they do not understand some basic principles of weight training. To build muscle it is important to understand four principles of weight training: hypertrophy, progressive overload, calories in versus calories out, and the importance of compound exercises.The first important concept to understand is hypertrophy which is defined as increase in bulk, through the thickening of muscle fibers. A common misconception is that muscles are made in the gym. In reality however, weight training damages the muscles, creating micro-tears in the tissue. These micro-tears heal themselves when one sleeps, creating a bigger and stronger muscle.Progressive overload was originally defined by DeLorme and Watkins (1948) as “the need for greater demands to be placed on the body during successive workouts over time if improvement is to be achieved.” In other words, it is necessary to work a bit harder than last time every time one goes to the gym. To achieve progressive overload, variables that can be manipulated include: weight, volume (number of repetitions or sets), rest time, speed, and frequency.In order to build muscle, the body requires adequate nutrition, which is commonly referred to as “calories in versus calories out.” This means that if one burns more calories than they eat they will lose weight. If one burns less calories than they eat then they will gain weight. Therefore, in order to build muscle it is necessary to take in more calories than the body requires for maintenance.Finally, an important principle that beginners should know is the difference between compound and isolation movements. Compound movements are exercises which use several body parts at once such as squats, barbell rows, bench press, etc. Isolation movements are those which exercise only one or two body parts at once such as arm curls. For building overall strength and mass, compound movements have been shown to be superior.This is a brief introduction to some key concepts in weight training. For more information, check out some books or videos on YouTube. You do not need to have all the answers before you begin training. Just go to the gym and start working out!Photo Credit: Victor Freitas@pexels.comJohn Syquia
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10 .25Rugby Union Explained SimplyThe Rugby Union World Cup is happening in Japan from September 20 to November 3, 2019. France is set to host the next one in 2023. If you have been watching the world cup and said: “What is going on?” I am here to help you with that.About rugbyRugby is a physical sport. It is a popular sport in New Zealand, South Africa, Australia, England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and France. The object of the game is to score points against your opponents while stopping them from scoring.Each rugby team consists of 15 players. There are 8 forwards, big men that do a lot of the hard work in the game. Trying to run the ball, tackling, scrums, line-outs, and mauls. They have the number 1 - 8 on their jersey so it is easy to find them on the field. Then there are 7 backs. (number 9 - 15) they are usually the smaller quicker players. And they are sometimes the last line of defense, or they are the quick ones who try to get through the opponent's gaps when attacking.Rugby is played on a rectangular field, 100m long by 70m wide. There is a try zone at both ends of the field and H shaped goalposts. The sport is played with an egg-shaped ball. The game is played in two 40 minute halves. The half ends when there is a stoppage in play after 40 minutes. For example, when the ball is kicked out, knocked on, or there are penalties against the attacking team.Scoring in rugbyThere are 4 ways to get points in rugby.1 - TryThis is when your team gets the ball into the try zone and touches it on the ground there. It is worth 5 points.2 - conversionThis happens after a try. Your team has a chance to get 2 more points after the try if they can kick the ball between the goalposts. So if you want a better chance at those two points you want to touch the ball to the ground closer to the goalposts. You use a stand to hold the ball in place when you kick it. Regular playtime is stopped for a minute to let the team try to convert. The other team can try to block the kick if they are fast enough.3 - Penalty kickThis is 3 points. When the opposing team does something bad to you, the referee might give you an option to kick for touch or kick for points. It is up to the team. But this is done exactly like the conversion. Regular playtime is stopped for a minute but the team cannot block the kick.4 - Drop GoalA drop goal is 3 points. It is similar to the conversion or penalty kick where you have to kick the ball between the goalposts. The only difference is that with a drop goal, you might have people trying to tackle you as you are doing this. Regular playtime is not stopped, and you have to drop the ball on the ground once before you kick it between the goalposts. You have to drop it correctly or it will be a knock-on.Some important information when watching the gameTackle: -When you wrap your arms around an attacking player with the ball and bring them to the ground. Tackles should not be dangerous. For example, no arms above the neck, no lifting and turning a player over 90 degrees, and no no-arm tackles.If are tackled, you have to release the ball. So you have to hope your teammates are close-by to grab the ball.If you are the tackler you can try to take the ball from the player you tackled. However, you have to be supporting your own weight on your feet. The minute you are supporting your weight on your hands, or knees. You cannot try to take the ball.RuckA ruck is formed when the teams try to get the ball from the tackled player. When a ruck is formed, it means that the ball is protected and that players from the team that doesn’t have the ball, cannot try to grab it anymore. Unless it is not under anyone in the ruck. Then the ball is considered out, and anyone can try to grab the ball.Knock-onWhen the player with the ball loses it and it falls in front of the player. The other team gets the ball and feeds it into the scrum.Forward pass:Passes in rugby should be to the players behind you. If you pass the ball and it goes towards the opponent's try line, that is considered a forward pass, and the other team gets a ball to feed into a scrum.Scrum: -This is when the 8 forwards from both teams fight for a ball that is put in by a scrum half. You will see this after knock-ons, forward passes, held up tries, and kicking out of bounds from the start off.Both teams have to try to keep the scrum up. If it collapses then the referee will try to see who is collapsing it and will penalise the team for collapsing the scrum.If the ball exits the scrum, then anyone can try to take or use the ball. But you have to be careful. If it is under the foot of a player it is considered to be still in the scrum.Line out:When the ball goes off the field the ball is thrown back into the field. If no-one besides the players on the field has touched the ball, then it is OK for the teams to throw it back in quickly and start the game. If not they do a line out. In a line out, the team throwing the ball into the field again, get to choose how many players will jump to get the ball. Usually, you will have 3 - 5 people in the line. You have to throw the ball straight down the middle of the gap the teams make and hope that your team gets the ball back.Maul:A maul is when a player is tackled but is kept on their feet by both teams.If the tackled player can release the ball to their teammates they can keep it. And they can use all members to push the ball forward towards the try line. If the maul stays still and doesn’t move, they are issued a warning to get the ball out of the maul and to start passing the ball. They have 2 warnings before they are penalised.If the player cannot pass the ball to his players, the two teams push against each other. The team with the more forward momentum is declared the winner and gets the ball.When a maul has formed, it cannot be collapsed by the opposing team, unless they have tackled the person with the ball and have brought them down. This leads to a penalty.You cannot enter a maul from the side. If you are pushed away from the maul, you have to run to the back and join again.Set play:A set play if usually a rehearsed move that the players use. They are usually done at the line out or the scrum. These are the times of the game where they know where everyone is and play a routine that will help them maximise their chances of scoring.Double movement:When a player is tackled to the ground and his held by the tackler they have to release the ball. If they try to move along the ground while still being held it is called a double movement and they will be penalised.Advantage:For small things that happen like knock-ons, forward passes, offsides, the referee will play an advantage if the team receiving the penalty has the ball. This means that the game will continue to see if the team receiving the penalty can do something with it. For example, score a try, or move down the field. If yes, he will call advantage and there is no stoppage for a penalty. If there was no advantage then he will stop the play and call the penalty.Short arm penalty:Given for technical offense committed by the opposing side such as numbers at the line out or time wasting at a scrum. A free kick is given, however, if they kick for touch the other team gets the throw in.Longarm penalty:Most penalties are longarm. These penalties allow the team some options. Either kick for touch and then have a line out or take a penalty kick.Conceded try:When the defending team does something that results in a yellow or red card that stops the team from scoring a try when they look like they will score a try. This usually happens when the attacking team is close to the opponent's try line.Yellow card:A player has repeated penalties or does something dangerous, the player is sent off for 10 minutes. He can only rejoin after the 10 minutes and there is a stop in play.Red card:If the player receives a second yellow card or does something extremely dangerous, they are sent off for the rest of the game. The team goes down to 14 members for the rest of the game.I am sure that there are many things that I am missing. However, this is enough information to get you up and running to understand Rugby Union and enjoy the world cup.The BBP Staff