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Understanding the motivations behind those who partake in extreme sports can be difficult for some. If the popular conception holds that the incentive behind extreme sports participation is entirely to do with risking one’s life, then this confusion will continue to exist. However, an in-depth examination of the phenomenology of the extreme sport experience yields a much more complex picture. This book revisits the definition of extreme sports as those activities where a mismanaged mistake or accident would most likely result in death. Extreme sports are not necessarily synonymous with risk and participation may not be about risk-taking. Participants report deep inner transformations that influence world views and meaningfulness, feelings of coming home and authentic integration as well as a freedom beyond the everyday. Phenomenologically, these experiences have been interpreted as transcendent of time, other, space and body. Extreme sport participation therefore points to a more potent, life-enhancing endeavour worthy of further investigation. This book adopts a broad hermeneutic phenomenological approach to critique the assumed relationship to risk-taking, the death wish and the concept of "No Fear" in extreme sports, and repositions the experience in a previously unexplored manner. This is valuable reading for students and academics interested in Sports Psychology, Social Psychology, Health Psychology, Tourism, Leisure Studies and the practical applications of phenomenology.
[Abstract] Using a phenomenological approach, this study researched the question: "What is the nature of peak-experiences in competitive activities?" Peak-experiences were defined as those moments of highest" happiness and natural flow. Competitive activities included athletics, windsurfing and I video games. I reviewed the literature relevant to the research topic. This included Maslow's writings on peak-experiences, other research on peak-experiences, and material in the sports literature on greatest moments. My research study was unique and significant in that it is a formal phenomenological study of peak-experiences in competitive activities. Phenomenology provided a framework for exploring this subjective human experience, making explicit the implicit meaning and structure of such experiences. My research model was based on Ihde's (1977) hermeneutical rules of phenomenologital reduction, including epoche, description, horizontilization, and imaginative variation. Seven (7) co-researchers were individually interviewed, and these interviews were explored in detail. Twenty-one (21) themes were developed from the interview material, and these were grouped into six (6) major themes and presented in a creative synthesis. The six themes are: elusive, natural, joyful, rewarding, altered consciousness, and intense aliveness. The findings of this research study imply that peak experiences in competition can have a significant impact on an individual's spiritual development, can lead to a better understanding of transpersonal psychology, and can lead to a concept of cooperative competition that can help make education and junior athletic programs more effective.
The study of sport is often thought of simply in terms of the sport sciences. This book explains how a phenomenological approach is capable of revealing the nature and meanings of sport in ways that are beyond the reach of the sciences and how the very concepts required by sport science stand in need of philosophical explanation. The book has a 'didactic' intention, seeking to present and discuss ideas and tools developed in the phenomenological tradition in order to illuminate issues in sport, in such a way as to be understandable for those without any previous knowledge or background. There are clear and straightforward accounts of the ideas of central thinkers, such as Husserl, Heidegger, Merleau-Ponty and Patočka, and applications of central ideas to the analysis of particular issues, such as the nature of risk sports, the feint in football, the problem of the instant replay, the role of the sport psychologist, the idea of 'bodily perception', and the concept of 'transhumanism' in relation to performance enhancement. This book was originally published as a special issue of Sport, Ethics and Philosophy.
The study of sport is often thought of simply in terms of the sport sciences. This book explains how a phenomenological approach is capable of revealing the nature and meanings of sport in ways that are beyond the reach of the sciences and how the very concepts required by sport science stand in need of philosophical explanation. The book has a 'didactic' intention, seeking to present and discuss ideas and tools developed in the phenomenological tradition in order to illuminate issues in sport, in such a way as to be understandable for those without any previous knowledge or background. There are clear and straightforward accounts of the ideas of central thinkers, such as Husserl, Heidegger, Merleau-Ponty and Patočka, and applications of central ideas to the analysis of particular issues, such as the nature of risk sports, the feint in football, the problem of the instant replay, the role of the sport psychologist, the idea of 'bodily perception', and the concept of 'transhumanism' in relation to performance enhancement. This book was originally published as a special issue of Sport, Ethics and Philosophy.
The e-book for True Competition: A Guide to Pursuing Excellence in Sport and Society is available at a reduced price and allows students to highlight and take notes throughout the text. When purchased through the Human Kinetics site, access to the e-book is immediately granted when the order is received. True Competition: A Guide to Pursuing Excellence in Sport and Society offers a blueprint for maximizing the potential of competition to foster excellence and enjoyment. It provides a novel perspective on competition that challenges traditional beliefs through a research-backed defense that—up until now—has been lacking. With this text, readers will learn the differences between positive and negative competition, and they will discover how to implement change in their organizations, teams, and individual practices. The authors of this groundbreaking book, who are leading experts in sport psychology, redefine what competition is and should be. Unlike the more typical and often socially destructive form of competition—which they call decompetition—true competition brings out excellence in participants, fosters positive character development, and leads to lasting enjoyment. This socially and psychologically positive perspective on competition challenges Alfie Kohn's No Contest: The Case Against Competition, which has been called the definitive critique of competition. The authors propose that competition itself is not problematic; rather, they question how competition is sometimes envisioned, interpreted, and implemented. They provide suggestions for achieving positive outcomes from competition, including creating challenging yet supportive environments in sport programs and teams, fostering the well-being of athletes, and encouraging athletes to handle various situations. The research-based text uses a field-guide approach, in which the components of true competition are presented in chapter 3 and then detailed in the following chapters. This approach helps readers understand competition and how it is being used in their own lives. While the book relies heavily on the arena of sports, it also provides many examples of applying this revised understanding of competition in business, education, politics, and other nonsport environments. To enhance the learning experience, True Competition offers the following features: -A scholarly analysis of competition is presented in a clear and engaging writing style, making the provocative concepts easily accessible to any reader. -Engaging sidebars give examples of how true competition has been created in various environments to shorten the implementation curve for readers. -Q&A sidebars pose practical questions to ponder—just as a parent, coach, or official would—and prepares readers for issues they will confront in the field. By applying the information presented in this text, students, professionals, and athletes will learn how to maximize the benefits of competition by avoiding decompetition. Not only will they understand how to recognize and respond to positive and negative forms of competition, but they also will gain the tools they need in order to promote true competition in their own worlds. Instructions for downloading and accessing the e-book will be provided once the order is complete. Adobe Digital Editions® System Requirements Windows -Microsoft® Windows® 2000 with Service Pack 4, Windows XP with Service Pack 2, or Windows Vista® (Home Basic 32-bit and Business 64-bit editions supported) -Intel® Pentium® 500MHz processor -128MB of RAM -800x600 monitor resolutionMac PowerPC -Mac OS X v10.4.10 or v10.5 -PowerPC® G4 or G5 500MHz processor -128MB of RAM Intel® -Mac OS X v10.4.10 or v10.5 -500MHz processor -128MB of RAM Supported browsers and Adobe Flash versions Windows -Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 or 7, Mozilla Firefox 2 -Adobe Flash® Player 7, 8, or 9 (Windows Vista requires Flash 9.0.28 to address a known bug)Mac -Apple Safari 2.0.4, Mozilla Firefox 2 -Adobe Flash Player 8 or 9 Supported devices -Sony® Reader PRS-505 Language versions -English -French -German
In today's competitive and performance oriented culture many athletes are faced with mind and body separation and objectification. Even physical education programs at the universities are changing into more scientific based names like kinesiology and movement sciences. Movement based degrees are viewed as being subservient to other hard science degrees. Sport and exercise educators are faced with various issues influencing the implementation of adequate programs which would educate the physical and the mental to meet the needs of this group of students. This qualitative study utilizes phenomenology to engage the experience and the experiencer while in sport, human movement, play, and exercise. The focus of this study was to understand the lived experiences in the field of sport and movement to provide a description of how participants find meaning and mind/body connection in sport, human movement, play, and exercise. The data are presented in the words of the participants. Merleau-Ponty (1964) and Reid (2002) argue that to better understand sport and/or exercise phenomenology, one must refer directly to the source and learn from individuals who have experienced in the past. In addition to the body/self participants selected for this dissertation study, the lived sport and exercise experience examples can be located in Appendix E. This dissertation study will explore the phenomenological connection between mind and body and a description of sport experience, including human movement, play, and exercise through storytelling (life narrative approach). The lived experiences conveyed common themes including: (1) competition; (2) play; (3) passion; and (4) enjoyment. The themes were derived from the literature review. For example, what does your literature review tell you are the current themes in mind and body connection and do your interviews mirror, challenge, or add to these themes? Interviews with study participants revealed implications and application of study findings. The approaches suggested by the study results support (1) transformation towards the Natural Athlete and an (2) Appendix for sport and exercise educators.
Underpinned by a philosophy of empowerment, athlete-centred approaches to coaching are defined by a style that promotes learning through ownership, responsibility, initiative and awareness. Perspectives on Athlete-Centred Coaching offers an in-depth theoretical examination of player-focused coaching models, and provides professional guidance for practising coaches. Written by a cast of world-leading scholars and practitioners, and offering a breadth of approaches to, and critiques of, the application of athlete-centred coaching, the book covers topics including: • athlete-centred coaching and holistic development • coaching tactical creativity • athlete-centred coaching in disability sport • team culture and athlete-centred coaching • developing thinking players through Game Sense coaching • supporting athlete wellbeing • athlete-centred coaching and Teaching Games for Understanding • athlete-centred coaching in masters sport. Based on the latest research and offering the most comprehensive enquiry into this central area of coaching theory, Perspectives on Athlete-Centred Coaching is important reading for any students and lecturers of sports coaching or physical education, and practising coaches across any sport.