Norikazu Hirose

Waseda University | Sōdai · Faculty of Sport Sciences

This study aimed to investigate the acute effects of altering the braking rate of force development (B-RFD) and amortization force (Amf) during countermovement jumps (CMJs) on CMJ height. Nineteen healthy men and women with training experience participated, performing six CMJ variations at different velocities (preferred and fast) and depths (knee...

Background Sport specialization is associated with increased risk of overuse injuries. However, the effects of sport specialization on the risk of overuse injury may differ by specific sport and sociocultural parameters. This study aimed to determine the associations of sport participation and training volume with previous overuse injuries in Japan...

This study aimed to characterize muscle activity in male soccer players with a history of hamstring strain injuries (HSI) during accelerated sprinting. Thirteen patients each in the HSI group (history of HSI) and in the healthy group (with no history of HSI) were included. 26 male soccer players of which 13 with and 13 without HSI history were incl...

To compare the electromyographic (EMG) activity of the biceps femoris long head (BFlh), and semitendinosus (ST) muscles during the Nordic Hamstring Exercise (NHex) while setting the ankle joint positions at plantar flexion, dorsiflexion (neutral), and dorsiflexed (neutral) position with support. Male volunteers randomly performed the following exer...

Background: The Kerlan-Jobe Orthopedic Clinic (KJOC) questionnaire is a self-reported performance and functional assessment tool with good reliability and validity for overhead athletes with shoulder and elbow injuries. This study aimed to develop a Japanese version of the KJOC (J-KJOC) to clarify its reproducibility and validity for use by Japanes...

Background The benefit of performing the Nordic Hamstring Exercise (NHE) on an inclined board has been described, however, isometric hamstring activation in different knee and hip angles has not yet been thoroughly explored. Purpose This study investigated the effect of variations in knee and hip angles during the isometric performance of the NHE...

First-time lateral ankle sprains often lead to chronic ankle instability (CAI), with 47% facing recurrent injuries, emphasizing the need for preventive measures. Side-cutting movements in sports pose a risk for CAI individuals due to potential biomechanical control alterations. While the hop-stabilization warm-up program has proven effective in pre...

INTRODUCTION Previous studies have reported a gradual decrease in biceps femoris (BF) electromyography (EMG) activity after the break-point angle (BPA) during the Nordic hamstring exercise (NHE). However, no investigation has been conducted on BF EMG activity before and after BPA as calculated using a smartphone application (Nordic Angle app). HYPO...

Objectives The purpose of this study was to examine longitudinal growth changes in physical characteristics, muscle-tendon structure properties, and skeletal age in preadolescent boys and to compare the relationship between the changes in physical characteristics and muscle-tendon properties and the changes in chronological and skeletal ages. Meth...

Nishiumi, D, Yamaguchi, S, Kurokawa, T, Wakamiya, K, and Hirose, N. Force-velocity profiling during the braking phase of countermovement jump: Relationship to eccentric strength and validity of the 2-point method. J Strength Cond Res 37(11): 2141–2148, 2023—The aims of this study were threefold: to investigate the force-velocity profile during the...

The promotion of the blue carbon increase can be considered as an effective measure to achieve the government’s target of carbon neutrality by 2050 which is absorbed by marine organisms such as marine plants. Generally, seaweed grows on the surface of concrete blocks installed in the coastal area depending on the nature of the block installation lo...

Introduction: Chronic groin pain is prevalent in Australian football and soccer in male athletes. Therefore, various therapeutic exercises have been implemented in the rehabilitation. However, key aspects of effective therapeutic exercises that lead to early return-to-play (RTP) have not been well understood. Therefore, the purpose of the syste...

Background Changes in electromyographic (EMG) activity of hip extensor muscles and knee flexion angles at peak biceps femoris long head (BFlh) EMG activity by different shank angles during razor curl (RC) exercises are unknown. Aims We investigated the changes in EMG activity of hip extensor muscles and knee flexion angle at peak BFlh EMG activity...

Background: Risk factors for throwing injuries related to pitching mechanics are unknown. Insufficient pelvic rotation during pitching may be a risk factor for shoulder and elbow injury. Hypothesis: This cohort study aimed to identify biomechanics risk factors for throwing injuries in young baseball players. We hypothesized that excessive mechan...

The purpose of this systematic review was to summarize the associations of eccentric force variables during jumping and eccentric lower-limb strength with vertical jump performance. A literature search was conducted in September 2022 using PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus. Thirteen cross-sectional studies investigating the relationship between ec...

Context No prior study has examined inversion position testing in individuals who have experienced sports related concussions. Objective To investigate whether the inversion position testing (IPT) would un-mask symptoms in asymptomatic concussed collegiate athletes during the return to play progression assessment. Design Case-Control Study. Sett...

Background A recently developed smartphone application (Nordic Angle) allows the automatic calculation of the break-point angle (BPA) during Nordic hamstring exercise (NHE) without transferring the collected data to a computer. The BPA is the point at which the hamstrings are unable to withstand force. However, the validity of the BPA values obtain...

Increasing the braking and amortisation forces during a countermovement jump (CMJ) increases the early-half concentric mean force (EMF) which can enhance muscle contraction velocity in the latter half of the concentric phase. This may negatively affect exertion force, owing to the force–velocity relationship and not increase the jump height. This s...

This crossover trial aimed to investigate whether additional loading of unilateral Nordic hamstring exercise on a sloped platform would increase the biceps femoris long head electromyographic activity. Participants were randomly allocated to unilateral Nordic hamstring exercise under three conditions: bodyweight only (BW) or BW with an added weight...

This study aimed to investigate the preventive effects of the FIFA 11+ for one‐season and over three consecutive seasons on the injury incidence rates in collegiate female football players in terms of duration of intervention. A total of 763 collegiate female football players from seven teams belonging to Kanto University Women Football Association...

Single-leg landing (SLL) stability deficits are common dysfunctions after lateral ankle sprain (LAS), and are associated with reinjury and needs to be addressed. SLL stability deficits could be associated with impact absorption ability. Thus, we evaluated these relationships. We recruited 46 patients with chronic ankle instability (CAI) and 64 cont...

The change-of-direction speed is an essential physical component in basketball. This study aimed to reveal the relationship between change-of-direction kinematics and the related motor abilities in basketball players. Motor abilities, including squat, sprint speed, vertical jump, and horizontal jump, were measured in 14 male collegiate basketball p...

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of an experimental short-time warm-up consisting of a small number of intermittent high-intensity sprints on explosive muscle strength performance in soccer players and to identify recovery times after performing the sprints. Furthermore, we evaluated the reliability of a smartphone app in jumping...

# Background Previous studies have shown that performing the Nordic hamstring exercise (NHE) with different board slope angles can affect hamstring activation. However, changes in muscle length with different board slopes can alter joint angles leading to the moment arm (MA) at the knee changing during the NHE. # Purpose This study aimed to inve...

Objectives To examine the incidence and survival rates of sudden cardiac arrest that were documented during school organized sports in Japan. Design Retrospective cohort study. Methods Insurance claim data of cardiac events (sudden cardiac death and sudden cardiac arrest with resultant disabilities) that occurred during Japanese high school organ...

The neuromuscular activity in the hamstring and quadriceps muscles is vital for rapid force control during athletic movements. This study aimed to investigate the recruitment properties of the corticospinal pathway of the biceps femoris long head (BFlh) and rectus femoris (RF) muscles. Thirty-two male subjects were participated in this study. Corti...

Introduction Self-massage using a foam roller (foam rolling) has been used to improve joint range of motion (ROM). However, the effect of foam rolling on the morphology of a targeted muscle, tendon, and muscle-tendon unit (MTU) has not been fully clarified. This study aimed to investigate extensibility changes in the gastrocnemius muscle (GM), MTU,...

Context: This study aimed to examine the differences in electromyographic (EMG) activity of the biceps femoris long head (BFlh) and semitendinosus (ST) muscles, break-point angle (BPA), and the angle at peak BFlh EMG activity between bilateral and unilateral Nordic hamstring exercise (NHE) on a sloped platform. Design: This study was designed as...

Hamstring strain often occurs when an opponent unanticipatedly perturbs an athlete’s movements. We examined the neuromuscular responses of hamstring and trunk muscles during unanticipated trunk perturbations in athletes with and without a history of hamstring strain injury. Male college athletes (11 with a history of a unilateral hamstring injury a...

Background Trunk movement is considered to be involved in lower extremity injuries. Hamstring strain injuries often occur when movements are unanticipatedly perturbed by the opponents. Objective To examine the neuromuscular responses of the hamstring and trunk muscles during unanticipated trunk perturbations in the athletes with and without a hist...

Purpose: To examine differences in resistance exercise-induced hormonal responses among young athletes according to their maturity levels. Materials and methods: A total of 12 collegiate and 32 junior high school male athletes were enrolled. The junior high school participants were divided into pre-peak height velocity (PHV) and post-PHV groups,...

Purpose: To examine differences in resistance exercise-induced hormonal responses among young athletes according to their maturity levels. Materials and methods: A total of 12 collegiate and 32 junior high school male athletes were enrolled. The junior high school participants were divided into pre-peak height velocity (PHV) and post-PHV groups, ac...

Limited literature has investigated epidemiology of sports-related fatalities during high school organizes sports in Japan. Therefore, the purposes of this study are to determine the frequency and incidence rate of sports-related fatalities in Japanese high schools by cause and sports, and to examine the type of on-site first responder. Insurance c...

An electromyographic (EMG) activity in the hamstring during NHE on incline slope planform with a variation of the knee and hip angle at isometric contraction to identify a preferable exercise for recruiting hamstring activity.

Purpose: To evaluate the effect of the number of high-acceleration movements on muscle damage and the rating of perceived exertion (RPE) in basketball games. Methods: Twenty-one male collegiate basketball players (mean age, 20.0 [1.0] y) were included. A triaxial accelerometer was used to measure acceleration in basketball-simulated scrimmages....

The purpose of this study was to examine whether the NHE with an increased lower leg slope angle would enhance hamstring EMG activity in the final phase of the descend. The hamstring EMG activity was measured, the biceps femoris long head (BFlh) and the semitendinosus (ST). Fifteen male volunteers participated in this study. Subjects performed a pr...

The ideal timing to implement anterior cruciate ligament injury prevention programs with respect to maturation is unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of an injury prevention program on knee mechanics in early-, late-, and post-pubertal females. In the study, 178 adolescent female basketball players were assigned to six...

Objectives This study aimed to clarify the kinematic, kinetic characteristics associated with lateral ankle sprain. Design A 16-month prospective cohort study. Setting Laboratory Participants A total of 179 college athletes. Main Outcome measures Joint kinematics, moment during single-leg landing tasks, and ankle laxity were measured. The atten...

The semitendinosus (ST) muscle is primarily used during Nordic hamstring exercise (NHE), which is often prescribed for preventing hamstring injury, though the biceps femoris long head (BFlh) muscle that is more susceptible to injuries. Thus, this study aimed to identify the modulation of BFlh muscle activity with different knee flexion angles durin...

Introduction ; Maintaining flexibility, often defined as range of motion (ROM), is important. Recently, self-massage using a foam roller (FR) has been used in clinical and/or sports settings to effectively and immediately improve ROM. Many studies have found significant increases in ROM following the FR intervention; however, the mechanism of the e...

This study aimed to investigate the influence of the task type on the relative electromyography (EMG) activity of biceps femoris long head (BFlh) to semitendinosus (ST) muscles, and of proximal to distal regions during isometric leg-curl (LC) and hip-extension (HE). Twenty male volunteers performed isometric LC with the knee flexed to 30° (LC30) an...

Although a 3- to 7-min re-warm up (RW) elicits performance and physiological benefits after half-time (HT), a time-efficient and feasible RW protocol is required for the use of an RW in the athletic setting. This study aimed to investigate the effect of a 1-min RW at high-intensity on the performance and physiological responses during the Loughboro...

Purpose: Lateral ankle sprain (LAS) in childhood can result in lateral malleolus avulsion fractures; additionally, bone nonunion may occur. Physical maturity relates to the development of bone morphology and physical functionality. It is unknown how changes in physical functionality attributable to physical maturity affect young soccer players wit...

In this study, we investigated differences in electromyographic activity in the biceps femoris long head (BFl), semitendinosus, and semimembranosus muscles during 45° hip extension with different knee angles during eccentric, concentric, and isometric hip 0°, and isometric hip 45° conditions with non-external resistance and 5-kg load. Twenty-two ma...

Background: Little is known about the activity of the abdominal internal oblique (IO) and lumbar multifidus (LM) muscles relative to kinetic chain exercises performed in a standing position. Hypothesis/purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the activity of the IO and the LM muscles during weight-bearing exercises. The authors hypothe...

Objective This study aimed to compare the effect of different density foam rollers on range of motion recovery. Method Ten active men completed two, 3-day trials in random order. During the experimental trials, all participants performed 2 min of foam rolling (FR) using a medium-density (medium trial) or hard-density (hard trial) foam roller on th...

This study compared anthropometric characteristics and athletic performance among young Japanese elite basketball players, of the same age category, with various or different levels of maturity and testosterone. The participants were assigned to the Before peak height velocity (PHV) group and the After PHV group based on differences between the est...

Koyama, T, Rikukawa, A, Nagano, Y, Sasaki, S, Ichikawa, H, and Hirose, N. Acceleration profile of high-intensity movements in basketball games. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000-000, 2020-This study aimed to elucidate movements that require greater acceleration during basketball games, their occurrence frequency, and compare acceleration components. E...

Purpose: Proprioceptive function of the lower limbs deteriorates in patients following total hip arthroplasty. Patients show poor balance and rely more on visual information than proprioceptive information. Plantar vibration stimuli can mechanically enhance somatosensory input from the plantar cutaneous mechanoreceptors, thereby improving static ba...

Previous studies suggest that marathon running induces lower extremity muscle damage. This study aimed to examine inter- and intramuscular differences in hamstring muscle damage after a marathon using transverse relaxation time (T2)–weighted magnetic resonance images (MRI). 20 healthy collegiate marathon runners (15 males) were recruited for this s...

Context: Several studies have reported that self-massage using a foam roller (FR) increased joint range of motion (ROM) immediately. However, the mechanism of increasing ROM by the FR intervention has not been elucidated. Objective: To clarify the mechanism by investigating properties and morphological changes of muscles targeted by the FR inter...

This study investigated the effect of high-intensity cycling re-warm up (RW) within a very short time-frame on the subsequent intermittent sprint performance. Twelve active males completed three trials in random order: control (CON); 3-min RW at 30% of maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) (RW30); and 1-min RW at 90% of VO2max (RW90). During the experimen...

Ankle sprains are the most prevalent injuries, and elevated fear avoidance beliefs after ankle sprain episodes could inhibit athletic performance and contribute to residual symptoms, such as functional and/or mechanical instability. However, it remains unclear how fear avoidance beliefs differ according to conditions of posttraumatic sequelae. The...

Objective: Joint torque differences between healthy and rehabilitated legs are often measured as a clinical index of recovery from muscle strain injury. Unfortunately, it should be noted that this is a questionable evaluation measure of the muscle after injury because it is a composite value including related cooperating muscles. Meanwhile, the us...

This study aimed to examine longitudinal age-related changes in muscle morphology and jump and sprint performances of youth athletes. The subjects of this longitudinal study were 41 youth male basketball players who were assigned to late, mid, and early groups based on differences regarding the estimated age at peak height velocity. The vastus medi...

In this study, we aimed to clarify the characteristics of neuromuscular function, kinetics, and kinematics of the lower extremity during sprinting in track and field athletes with a history of strain injury. Ten male college sprinters with a history of unilateral hamstring injury performed maximum effort sprint on an athletic track. The electromyog...

Itoh, R and Hirose, N. Relationship among biological maturation, physical characteristics, and motor abilities in youth elite soccer players. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000-000, 2019-Studies investigating skeletal maturity and motor abilities in youth Asian elite soccer players are lacking. We aimed to investigate the cross-sectional relationship a...

Background Throwing injuries of the shoulder and elbow are common among youth baseball players. Hypothesis A prevention program will reduce the incidence of throwing injuries of the shoulder and elbow by 50% among youth baseball players. Study Design Randomized controlled trial; Level of evidence, 1. Methods The authors block randomized 16 youth...

Yoshimura, A, Inami, T, Schleip, R, Mineta, S, Shudo, K, and Hirose, N. Effects of self-myofascial release using a foam roller on range of motion and morphological changes in muscle: a crossover study. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000-000, 2019-Self-myofascial release using a foam roller (FR) is effective in improving range of motion (ROM) in at leas...

Objective To assess the discriminability as well as the reliability, and internal consistency of the Identification of Functional Ankle Instability questionnaire translated into Japanese (IdFAI-J). Design Cross-sectional study. Setting Collegiate athletic training/sports medicine clinic. Participants Twenty bilingual and sixty-five collegiate at...

Yanaoka, T, Hamada, Y, Kashiwabara, K, Kurata, K, Yamamoto, R, Miyashita, M, and Hirose, N. Very-short-duration, low-intensity half-time re–warm up increases subsequent intermittent sprint performance. J Strength Cond Res 32(11): 3258–3266, 2018—This study investigated the effect of very-short-duration, low-intensity half-time re–warm up (RW) on su...

Japanese Journal of Clinical Sports Medicine 26(3):355-362 (in Japanese) Clarification of the characteristics of inciting events leading to concussion is important to develop preventive measures of recurrent concussion in the rugby union. The purpose of this study was to clarify situations in which concussion occurred in collegiate rugby union play...

Hirose, N and Tsuruike, M. Differences in the electromyographic activity of the hamstring, gluteus maximus, and erector spinae muscles in a variety of kinetic changes. J Strength Cond Res 32(12): 3366-3372, 2018-This study aimed to clarify the differences in the electromyographic (EMG) activity of the semitendinosus (ST), semimembranosus (SM), bice...

Background: The Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic (KJOC) score has been used to describe various parameters of throwing shoulder and elbow function for the return to play after a long period of rehabilitation, such as after ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction. No study has yet to identify how scapular dyskinesis (SD) in baseball players affects...

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of different durations of half-time re-warm up (RW) on intermittent sprint performance. Using a randomized crossover design, 13 healthy men performed three trials, which consisted of two, 40-min intermittent exercises separated by a 15-min half-time. Half-time interventions were 15 min...