“Just Existing Is Activism”: Transgender Experiences in Martial Arts

This study focuses on transgender experiences in martial arts. Interviews with three Finnish and two British transgender martial artists were thematically analyzed, and findings were interpreted through the lens of queer theory. Two themes were identified related to the ways that transgender martial artists experience their sporting contexts, namely martial arts as an empowering and inclusive context and the challenges related to being transgender in martial arts. Two themes were also identified when it comes to participants’ strategies for coping with cis-/heteronormativity in martial arts. Whenever possible, participants employed social change strategies, whereas other times, they drew on…

Identity tensions in dual career : the discursive construction of future selves by female Finnish judo athletes

To date, few studies have explored how changes in the practices, policies, and politics of sport and education may be implicated in how young athletes think about and plan for the future. Drawing on cultural praxis and feminist poststructuralist frameworks, this paper explores whether and how dual career (DC) policies and practices in Finland guide female judo athletes’ imaginings about their future. Discourse analysis was used to analyse interviews with three adolescent (aged 16) and three young adult (aged 20, 23, and 27) elite female judo athletes. Differences were found in the ways the athletes in the different age groups constructed their future athletic, civic and gendered selves. We …

The identity negotiation of female judo athletes in Greece and Finland

Negotiating female judoka identities in Greece : A Foucauldian discourse analysis

Abstract Objectives The objectives of this paper are to trace the discourses through which female Greek judokas articulate their sporting experiences and to explore how they construct their identities through the negotiation of sociocultural beliefs and gender stereotypes. Design This article is based on interview data from a larger ethnographic research with women judo athletes, grounded in a cultural praxis framework. Method Ten semi-structured interviews were conducted during fieldwork in Greece. Interview data were analyzed drawing on a Foucauldian approach to discourse analysis. Results We identified four concepts—biology, gender, femininity, and judo/sport—that were central to unearth…

Tackling discrimination in grassroots sports : a handbook for teachers and coaches

The purpose of this handbook is to provide the definitions and the different kinds of discrimination, racism, harassment, and violence (e.g. ethnic, sexual etc.). After reading this handbook, coaches and PE teachers will be able to identify/recognize critical incidents. The handbook is a tool designed to be used by teachers and coaches. It gives information about different types of discrimination and presents ideas and resources for dealing with these items when working with children and young athletes. It aims to increase the awareness of discrimination problems in youth sport, report their consequences, propose measures and practices that can be used in the sports field to prevent discrim…

Narrative and discursive perspectives on athletic identity : Past, present, and future

Abstract Objectives The dominant role-based conceptualisations of athletic identity have recently been challenged in favour of theoretical perspectives that view identity as a complex cultural construction. In the present study, we analysed empirical studies on athletic identity positioned in narrative and discursive approaches to gain an insight into the use and subsequent contribution of these approaches to knowledge production in this research topic. Design and method A total of 23 articles, of which 18 narrative studies and five discursive studies, were identified in a systematic literature search. We used the meta-study method to analyse these studies in terms of basic assumptions, met…

“Some Women Are Born Fighters”: Discursive Constructions of a Fighter’s Identity by Female Finnish Judo Athletes

Martial arts and combat sports have been traditionally associated with masculinity, and a range of contradictory meanings have been attached to women’s engagement and experiences. The present study draws on cultural praxis and feminist poststructuralist frameworks to explore how female martial artists are subjectified to dominant cultural discourses surrounding fighting and competition. Interviews with nine female judoka (judo athletes) were gathered in Finland and analyzed using Foucauldian Discourse Analysis (FDA). The FDA revealed that in female judoka talk, judo was constructed as a sport for all, but also as a male domain and a manly sport with fighting and competition as innate mascul…

What do we know about the sporting experiences of gender and sexual minority athletes and coaches? A scoping review

Scholarship on gender and sexual diversity in sport has advanced during the last decade and it is nowadays recognised that we need a better understanding of how to facilitate inclusive sport cultures that allow all people to participate as themselves. The purpose of this scoping review was to map research activity on the sporting experiences of gender and sexual minority (GSM) athletes and coaches, identify gaps in the literature and provide suggestions for future research, policy and practice. Our literature search in four different databases yielded 58 relevant studies. Based on their focal areas, five dominant interconnected themes were identified: (1) identity, (2) discrimination, (3) c…

Women fighters as agents of change: A Brazilian jiu jitsu case study from Finland

Brazilian jiu jitsu (BJJ), a grappling system of combat, evolved from the teachings of a Japanese judoka who moved to Brazil in the 1920s. Focusing on ground fighting, BJJ is rapidly evolving into a combat sport with competitions taking place worldwide (Hogeveen and Hardes, 2014; Spencer, 2014). Unique to the BJJ culture is the way that the ‘secrets’ of the sport are transferred from expert to novice and from one club to the other. Clubs are organised into international ‘teams’, shaping global communities of practitioners that share techniques and philosophies. Unlike many other martial arts that insist on the traditional way of passing knowledge from one teacher to many students behind the…

"Successful and feminine athlete" and "natural-born fighter" : a discursive exploration of female judoka's identities in Greece and Finland

Despite feminist concerns about the asymmetrical distribution of power in martial arts and combat sports (MACS), sport psychology research has overlooked issues of inequality and socio-cultural difference, as well as their effects on athletes’ experiences and identity negotiation. The present doctoral dissertation explores the intersection of gender, culture, and identity in judo through the lens of cultural praxis and feminist poststructuralist frameworks. The aim was to explore in what ways the cultural context shapes the experiences and identities of female judoka (judo athletes). Two specific objectives were set: to trace the discourses (systems of knowledge) through which female judoka…

“Just Existing Is Activism” : Transgender Experiences in Martial Arts

This study focuses on transgender experiences in martial arts. Interviews with three Finnish and two British transgender martial artists were thematically analyzed, and findings were interpreted through the lens of queer theory. Two themes were identified related to the ways that transgender martial artists experience their sporting contexts, namely martial arts as an empowering and inclusive context and the challenges related to being transgender in martial arts. Two themes were also identified when it comes to participants’ strategies for coping with cis-/heteronormativity in martial arts. Whenever possible, participants employed social change strategies, whereas other times, they drew on…

An imagery intervention for highly skilled judo athletes

Psychological Research on Martial Artists

In this article, we problematize sport psychology research on martial artists and offer some suggestions for advancing our knowledge in this area of research and practice. First, we review the previous research in the field. Then we introduce “cultural praxis” as a theoretical framework that will guide our analysis. Finally, we engage sociological studies of female fighters in conjunction with the adopted theoretical lens to outline the limitations of sport psychological research with regards to the experiences of women. It seems that the majority of the studies have used the male athlete as the norm, while research on the female athlete remains limited and focused on “differences”. Focusin…

“Women easily feel that they have lost a year if they don’t ski faster” : Finnish ski coaches’ discursive constructions of gendered dual career pathways

Objectives Earlier qualitative researchers studying athletes’ dual careers (DCs) have shown that sociocultural discourses on gender are ingrained in DC policies and practices, creating gender inequalities and hierarchies. In this study, we aimed to extend this body of research by examining how Finnish elite youth ski coaches discursively construct athletes’ education and gender in their talk and coaching practices. Similarly, we examined how coaches’ beliefs about athletes' holistic development are interlinked with broader sociocultural discourses on gender. Design Qualitative study. Methods We conducted semi-structured interviews with 10 Finnish ski coaches (seven male, three female) aged …

(Re)negotiating an athlete's identity during training and researching judo in Finland

A meta-study of athletic identity research in sport psychology: Current status and future directions

ABSTRACTThe aim of this meta-study is to provide a critical synthesis of qualitative research on athletic identity in sport psychology. A total of 108 empirical studies were identified, including 63 quantitative studies, 40 qualitative studies, and five mixed methods studies. Qualitative and mixed methods studies were reviewed with the meta-study method, which involves a meta-analysis in terms of theoretical perspectives, methodologies, and findings. In our discussion we focus on evaluating and critiquing the current status of qualitative research on athletic identity and outlining recommendations for improving methodological rigor. It is concluded that both quantitative and qualitative stu…