There’s more to coaching than the context: a Bourdieusian account of an embodied athlete

Abstract

A growing body of work focuses on coach and athlete agency within the complex, social field of coaching. Little attention, however, has been given to athletes' life histories and how these might influence their engagement with the coaching process. The purpose of this paper is to examine how key and cumulative events in Faye's (all names are pseudonym) life influenced her engagement in distance running and with the coach with whom she worked. The findings highlight that, whilst Faye's preferences were not entirely stable, she was predisposed towards a specific type of coach, in this instance, Dave. Dave promoted working conditions that encouraged athletes to see their bodies-as-machines, to follow his orders, and not to take shortcuts. Although, on the surface, Faye 'bought into' Dave's coaching, the dialectical interactions between the established set of working conditions and Faye's embodiment raise a number of questions pertinent to coaching scholars and practitioners.

Exploring the interplay of interpersonal and contextual dynamics in youth sports injuries: a comprehensive narrative review

“…A total of 15 studies were included in the review. 25 39 Overall, the predominant focus of the studies was on sports in European countries. 25 3236 37 39 Three studies were conducted in North America, 33 34 38 and one in Oceania.…”

“… 25 39 Overall, the predominant focus of the studies was on sports in European countries. 25 3236 37 39 Three studies were conducted in North America, 33 34 38 and one in Oceania. 35 The participant composition of the studies varied: eight only included female participants, 25 3034 39 one included only male participants 33 and six incorporated a mix of female and male participants.…”

“… 25 3236 37 39 Three studies were conducted in North America, 33 34 38 and one in Oceania. 35 The participant composition of the studies varied: eight only included female participants, 25 3034 39 one included only male participants 33 and six incorporated a mix of female and male participants. 3132 35 38 The size of the participant cohorts ranged between 1 and 24 athletes.…”

“… 3132 35 38 The size of the participant cohorts ranged between 1 and 24 athletes. The studies employed diverse research methodologies, including individual and group interviews, 25 2831 35 as well as ethnographic methods and participant observation. 2930 32 34 Details about the purpose of each study, the units of analysis and the key findings are presented in online supplemental material 1 .…”

Youth athlete learning and the dynamics of social performance in Norwegian elite handball

“…Social classifications, such as being recognised as a ‘promising’ athlete, have the potential to change the lives of players, through increased opportunities and attention. By submitting themselves to the authority of accepted athlete development and coaching practice, athletes come to embody accepted values and enact these through mutual surveillance (Barker and Bailey, 2016). Through their behaviour, athletes can also contribute to such classifications being sustained, withdrawn, or changed.…”