: The factorial concept of inferiority complexes and their relationship to students' personal characteristics regarding physical education. Japan J. Phys. Educ. Hlth. Sport Sci. 61: 663 680, December, 2016 AbstractWe investigated the factorial concept and features of Japanese elementary and junior high school students' inferiority complexes in relation to physical education. Fifth and sixth graders (n＝ 341) and junior high school students (n＝336) completed 3 questionnaires: one created for this study and consisting of questions regarding inferiority complexes in relation to physical education; another made up of stress cognitive appraisal questions (Suzuki and Sakano, 1998); and a third relating to perceived competence in school life and self-esteem (Sakurai, 1992; Sakurai and Matsui, 2007).Factor analysis revealed 2 inferiority complex concepts, namely``complex focused on motor skills'' (C MS) and``complex focused on psychosocial and physical factors causing feelings of inferiority to develop into an inferiority complex'' (C PPF). Two-way analysis of variance revealed that female elementary and junior high school students were more likely than males to have a C MS, and that male junior high school students were more likely than male elementary students to have a C PPF. Correlation analysis revealed that hating to participate in physical activities, play sports, and attend physical education classes was strongly correlated with having an inferiority complex in relation to physical education. Multiple regression analysis showed that psychosocial development around the time of puberty in‰uenced the relationship between self-competence and the presence of an inferiority complex. It also in‰uenced the relationship between cognitive appraisal of the perceived threat or impact of inability to fulll physical education assignments and the presence of an inferiority complex. These results suggest that in order to recognize inferiority complexes in relation to physical education, it is important to consider the diversity of students' focuses on their inferiority complexes and to make allowances for their states of psychosocial development.

The present study aimed to clarify the effects of a method of teaching backstroke skills that focuses on breathing and its influence on improving breathing skills. The subjects were nine female collegiate recreational swimmers who could swim backstroke for approximately 25 m. The subjects participated in an educational course comprising eight units. The first half of the course mainly focused on acquiring basic backstroke skills and the second half mainly focused on refining stroke motion and being able to breath in synchrony with stroke motion. The effects of the program were assessed by analyzing intra-nasal pressure (INP), swimming velocity (V), stroke rate (SR) and stroke length (SL). Backstroke skills were evaluated based on observational standard criteria. As a result, the subjects' INP changed their breathing pattern in synchrony with stroke motion. The score of the observational standard criteria was significantly increased for all items. In addition, although V and SL were significantly improved, there was no significant difference in SR. These findings suggest that the method of teaching in this study was effective for recreational swimmers.