A series of articles discusses the development of ballet instruction in secondary and higher education, beginning ballet in high school and in college, teaching techniques, ballet for visually handicapped students, and methods for the prevention of injuries in beginning students. (JN)

Fitness runs are planned activities that make running more interesting. The paper outlines five types of fitness runs, all of which can be modified to conform to different facilities, age groups, or available time. The activities have students playing detective, playing cards, deciphering words, learning about calories, and playing wolf. (SM)

Schools in the Seattle (Washington) area are leaders in a trend toward a new "success-oriented" physical education. Schools offer a wide variety of activities that provide opportunities for participation, success, and fun for every student; teach cooperation and problem solving in addition to skills; and promote attitudes and habits that…

Coaching adolescent athletes can be challenging because of their varying degrees of physical, emotional, and social development and/or maturity. How much and how well each athlete develops tactically, psychologically, emotionally, and physically is directly influenced by these factors. This article discusses that the main reasons athletes…

Former baseball star Jim Lefebvre (1983) claimed that hitting a baseball may be the most talked about but least understood skill in all of sports. Historically, hitting instruction has been based on intuitive thinking by "hitting gurus," rather than on scientific fact, which has contributed to this lack of understanding (DeRenne, Stellar, &…

Sedentary lifestyles are often to blame for overweight and obesity, which is the second leading cause of preventable deaths in the U.S. (USDHHS, 2001). While video games have historically been identified as the culprit of inactivity, new interactive video games make participants break a sweat. Some physical educators have begun integrating this…

Conference proceedings from this national symposium on hard scientific research and developments in teaching tennis, squash, racquetball, and badminton are divided into several sections. The first deals with sports medicine and the biomechanics of the racquet sports. The second part discusses the pyschological and sociological aspects of…

The importance of educating students about obesity is stressed. Desirable instructional goals include: (1) providing accurate information about obesity; (2) preventing obesity (if possible); (3) treating it; and (4) making students aware that much of the prejudice against fat people is irrational. (PP)

Observations of the Chinese educational system made during a two-week tour are recounted. (LH)

The aim of this article is to provide teachers with interesting and intelligible ways of interpreting fitness test results to students. Also shown are ways that fitness testing can be used to diagnose fitness needs, provide a basis for exercise prescription, help monitor progress, and individualize fitness education concepts. (IAH)

Secondary level physical education teachers can have their students use math concepts while working out on the weight-room equipment. The article explains how students can reinforce math skills while weightlifting by estimating their strength, estimating their power, or calculating other formulas. (SM)

Describes a creative interdisciplinary program for K-3 students that involves setting up a rain forest in the gymnasium to teach students gymnastic skills in the context of the Amazon rain forest. The paper describes how to set up the rain forest and teach a variety of classes. Rainforest resources are included. (SM)

An innovative physical education course incorporating unique field experiences, high levels of participation, and reinforcement of individual responsibility was designed and implemented in a pilot project. When compared to traditional physical education classes, mixed results were obtained for various physical fitness measures and knowledge…

Examined whether brief, take-home fitness and wellness lessons given to college physical education activity classes could teach students lifetime fitness concepts. Pre- and post-intervention surveys found that intervention students showed significant cognitive improvements compared to controls. They engaged in regular physical activity and…

As teachers, their goal is to help all their students to become physically educated people. Each of the five characteristics of the physically educated person is important, but consistent with the focus of this article, the author has concentrated on those characteristics that relate most to physical activity and fitness promotion. The following…