Search results for "kamppailulajit"

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

2019

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 …

‘Strong and courageous’ but ‘constantly insecure’: dialogical self theory, intersecting identities, and Christian mixed martial arts

2021

Being a mixed martial arts fighter and a devout Christian seems to present an apparent contradiction that requires identity work to bring these identities into unity. We used Dialogical Self Theory and explored the autobiography of Ron ‘H2O’ Waterman, a professional fighter turned evangelist, to understand how the tensions between the different identities or I-positions were negotiated. We identified two I-positions, ‘Ron the Fighter’ and ‘Ron the Pater Familias’, which related differently to religion, sport, and masculinity. Importantly, the negotiations were not between MMA and faith, but between these two I-positions that served the different needs for self-enhancement and union with som…

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

2017

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…

Continuous play : leisure engagement in competitive fighting games and taekwondo

2023

In order to better understand the development of play and games in modern lives, this article examines two competitive leisure groups: digital fighting game players and traditional taekwondo practitioners. Drawing on qualitative offline/online interviews (n = 56) and close reading of externally documented life narratives (n = 14), we explore how the modes and motives of engagement fluctuate in competitive players over time. The study provides a new developmental approach to continuous competitive play as leisure. Our results show rather than making linear progress from ‘casual’ to ‘serious’ leisure, individuals in both groups perceive their lasting relationships with these activities gradua…

Itämaisten kamppailulajien opetuskokeilu liikunnanopiskelijoille

2001

Psychological Research on Martial Artists

2012

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…

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

2016

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

2018

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…

Representations of authentic Japanese martial traditions : examining perspectives of instructors and students of koryū

2016

Tutkimuksessa käsitellään vanhoja japanilaisia taistelulajiperinteitä, niin sanottuja koryū-lajeja kielenja kulttuurintutkimuksen näkökulmista. Tutkimuksen tarkoituksena on selvittää, millaisia representaatioita Suiō-ryū iai kenpōn, erään japanilaisen taistelulajiperinteen ohjaajat ja oppilaat luovat lajistaan haastatteluissa, millainen rooli tärkeästä globaalista roolistaan tunnetulla englannin kielellä on koryūn kontekstissa, sekä tutkia muita lajin parissa esiintyviä merkityksellisiä diskursseja. Tutkimuksen teoreettisessa viitekehyksessä avataan aiempaa tutkimusta liittyen representaatioihin, japanilaisiin taistelulajeihin, globalisaatioon sekä autenttisuuden käsitteeseen. Keskeisin teo…

Negotiating female judoka identities in Greece : A Foucauldian discourse analysis

2015

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…