Pedagogical touch: exploring the micro-realities of coach–athlete sensory interactions in high-performance sports

作者：Juyoung Ryou, E. Choi, Okseon Lee · 发表于：Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy · 年份：2023 · DOI：10.1080/17408989.2023.2185600 · 被引用次数：9

ABSTRACT Background Touch has emerged as a social taboo rather than as an educational tool among sport pedagogues, especially in the #MeToo era. Believing that minimising physical contact will protect themselves from sexual allegations, instructors (coaches and PE teachers) are increasingly opting for hands-off practices, which transforms sport into a no-touch zone. Although extant sport literature has focused on the potential risks and controversial issues of intergenerational touch, academic endeavours exploring its pedagogical value in sensory interaction are limited. Purpose This study emphasises the fundamental necessity of pedagogical touch (PT) in high-performance sports. Drawing on Merleau-Ponty’s (1968) ‘flesh’ as an elemental tissue knitting the inter-world by entangling (subjectively sensing and objectively being sensed) the existences of oneself, others, and the world, we examine the micro-realities of PT occurring in coach–athlete interactions. As one of the few empirical investigations using video analysis, this study is expected to complement the current understanding of coach–athlete tactile communication by linking it with Merleau-Ponty’s phenomenological concepts. Methods Sensory ethnography was employed to comprehend the nuances and dynamics of PT in coach–athlete relationships. Sixteen participants, comprising eight coaches and eight adolescent athletes across four high-performance sports (golf, taekwondo, wrestling, and handball), were selected. Empirical...