In a bid to keep children physically active at a time when many sporting activities have been curtailed due to the new coronavirus outbreak, athletes from across the sports spectrum are uploading online videos showing exercises and training that can be done at home.
On March 4, Tomoko Hagiwara, a swimmer who competed at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, posted a video on her Twitter account demonstrating an exercise that can be done at home to hone the kick off and glide technique used at the start of swimming races. A junior national swimming tournament had been canceled the previous day.
"It might be hard to move on from this disappointment, but let's try some simple steps to move our bodies," Hagiwara said in the video, which was filmed in her home.
Hagiwara wanted the swimmers to keep their spirits up. "I figured the swimmers would probably be feeling a little down, but I wanted them to positively start building toward the day when they can swim again," Hagiwara said.
Hagiwara had uploaded at least 10 such clips as of Wednesday.
"I got a message from a parent who said they were doing the exercises with their son. That was so pleasing to hear," Hagiwara said. "I want to continue helping people involved in swimming."
An online project spearheaded by Tomohiro Chujo, an analyst for the Japanese men's hockey team, and ice hockey officials from Toyama Prefecture is also gaining a following. Launched in early March, the "kyuko dream" (school closure dream) project involves posting on Instagram and other social media platforms. Initially, the project focused on hockey and ice hockey training videos, but the range of sports covered gradually expanded to basketball, rugby and skating as contributors nominated other people to post videos.
"Video games aren't the only thing to do at home," Chujo said. "I hope kids will use these videos to gain an edge over their rivals this spring."
Professional sports teams are also throwing their support behind efforts to keep children moving. For five consecutive days from March 10, the Chiba Lotte Marines pro baseball team uploaded training videos to YouTube featuring rookie and top draft pick Roki Sasaki. "I hope these videos will help people realize there are actually some proper training exercises that can be done at home," Sasaki said.
On March 11, the Japan Football Association started a website called "Sports assist you -- What sports can do for you now." In addition to making previously charged training videos for individuals available for free, the website also has content updated daily, including videos introducing training techniques used by leading Japanese players plying their trade overseas, including Yuto Nagatomo (Galatasaray, Turkey) and Takashi Inui (SD Eibar, Spain).
Courtesy of Chiba Lotte Marines
Chiba Lotte's Roki Sasaki, left, stars in a training video the pro baseball team uploaded online.
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