This paper explores my “sense making” when a male cross-country runner was coaching performed below expectation. My initial understanding of his poor performance was to blame him for “lacking” the appropriate mental toughness. As a result, I located the “problem” within him and subsequently ignored many of my own taken-for-granted coaching practices as perhaps contributing to his poor performance. In this paper, provide an alternative reading of my judgement of this athlete's poor performance through Michel Foucault's theory of disciplinary power. conclude by suggesting that many everyday coaching practices may have a number of “hidden” or problematic consequences attached to them that coaches should consider in an effort to evaluate the effectiveness of their coaching and to enhance their athletes' performances.
The aim of this study was to consider the retirement experiences of British male professional association footballers by utilising Foucault's analysis of discipline discussed in Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison. Specifically, we drew upon Foucault to consider how, through the various techniques and instruments of discipline, the professional football context produces 'docile footballing bodies' and how this might influence a player's experiences in retirement. We gathered our empirical material using a Foucauldian-informed interview framework with 25 former professional male football players between the ages of 21 and 34. Our analysis suggested that retirement from football was both a challenge and a relief for our participants, and that their extended period of time within football's strong disciplinary apparatus significantly influenced how they experienced their retirement.
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