This PhD explores the embodied practices and experiences of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) practitioners and coaches with a specific focus on exploring the process through which different varieties of embodied knowing are developed. A contemporary full contact combat sport, Mixed Martial Arts is an amalgamation of various disciplines of unarmed combat sports and arts. Over the course of this thesis, I develop an understanding of the processes and varieties of experiential knowing that are, I argue, central to MMA. The hybrid and evolving nature of this contemporary sport enables me to draw analytical attention to the ongoing craft of developing experientially ways of knowing. I demonstrate how embodied ways of knowing MMA are developed in practice through experience and in reciprocal relation to the surrounding environment. I attend in particular to the interplay of the corporeal, perceptual, social and intersubjective constituents of these processes. My analysis is guided by an interdisciplinary and phenomenologically oriented framework which draws from the phenomenology of Merleau-Ponty, anthropological studies on ‘ways of knowing’, physical cultural studies and sociology of embodiment. This study reveals how practitioners engage with processes of enskillment and body pedagogies as central elements to understanding the ways in which skills are developed for MMA. By exploring the practices of MMA coaches in depth, I provide analytical insight into coaching as a distinct skill and how this is developed. Thus this study extends the understanding of knowing MMA beyond skill through a consideration of the experiential ways of knowing of pain and injury, exploring how tacit and explicit understandings of different kinds of pain are developed through practice in interactions with other practitioners and coaches. I examine the intertwining of injury stories, experiences and practices shared between fellow mixed martial artists and coaches to offer insight to how the management, treatment, negotiation and the culture of training whilst injured develop into specific ways of knowing injury. My findings contribute substantially to an emerging body of work that has begun to explore the potential of phenomenology, for study of embodiment, physical culture and, I argue, to how ways of knowing sport are achieved in practice. My analysis is based on insider participant-observation data collected during a twelve-month period of ethnographic fieldwork in two MMA gyms in the North-East of England, complemented by nineteen semi-structured interviews with non-elite recreational MMA practitioners, fighters and coaches.

This thesis analyses the process of transnationalisation of the practice of capoeira, an Afro-Brazilian martial art form, in France and in the United Kingdom. The expansion of capoeira accompanied Brazilian emigration in search of better living and working conditions abroad, but also resulted from the adaptation and appropriation by local practitioners. Through ethnographic research among capoeira groups in France and in the UT<, in particular interviews with group leaders and their students, the thesis unveils the power relations that organise the market and the mechanisms employed by the capoeiristas to ensure their legitimacy against their competitors. The results show that capoeira groups became vectors of new forms of sociability, and the source of identities related to lifestyle claimed as "alternative" by its practitioners. These of new identities capoeira groups do not have as their main reference the working world or the state. In a context of intense circulation of individuals, capoeira groups in big cities like Paris and London are emerging as new location strategies; they are located in new "dynamic places," to which its members are perceived to be connected. The analysis reveals the mechanisms controlling the expansion of the practice, which is implemented by the capoeiristas themselves.

No description available.

Martial arts participation rates exceed those reported for a number of higher- profile physical activities (Sport England, 2002), however little research has been conducted to investigate the purported motivation and benefits participants derive (e.g. Jones, McKay and Peters, 2006; Ko, Kim and Valacich, 2010). A specific area often discussed is the notion of personal growth (Ko et al., 2010), either through a form of psychotherapy (e.g. Monahan, 2007), extenuating what may be deemed positive personality attributes (e.g. Kurian, Caterion and Kulhavy, 1993), lowering depression (e.g. Bodin and Martinsen, 2004), reducing aggression (e.g. Twemlow, Sacco and Fonagy, 2008) or reducing stress (e.g. Yan and Downing, 1998). Such personal growth is deemed to be transformatory in nature (e.g. Lancaster, 2004; Luskin, 2004; Hartelius, Caplan and Rardin, 2007). Due to issues of generalisability within martial arts research (e.g. Jones et al., 2006), one style which has lacked a tradition of academic research has been selected for a case study. Wing Chun is a unique style, developing exponentially over the past forty years: a style which retains its fighting heritage, utilising exclusive training methods (e.g. Rawcliffe, 2003). Given the pragmatic nature of Wing Chun, an hermeneutic approach has been adopted to investigate the histo-philosophical motivation for the inception of the style to provide a context from which to explore current participant motivation. Initially, an inclusive theoretical taxonomy has been developed for subsequent analysis. This hermeneutic analysis has been conducted through the development of a 360 degree mixed-methodological approach (e.g. Tashakkori and Teddlie, 2008) utilising exploratory and explanatory stages (e.g. Creswell and Plano-Clark, 2007) to ascertain the validity of the taxonomy. Findings are subsequently discussed in relation to the mixed-methodological approach.

The effect of exercise programmes on psychosocial characteristics, namely self-esteem, of people with visual impairment (VI) is limited. Martial arts practice has been found to improve global self-esteem among different age groups and among people with different abilities, but not for people with VI. This presents a notable gap in the research literature on people with VI. This thesis conducted three studies with the aim of investigating whether martial arts practice improves self-esteem in people with VI, including martial arts mechanisms and strategies for self-esteem improvement. Study one (n = 5) investigated the effect of a martial arts (karate) 10-week programme on the exercise and self-esteem model components (EXSEM) in young adults with VI (age range 19-40 years) following a non-concurrent multiple baseline approach. Visual inspection and graphical approach analysis showed that four participants improved their global self-esteem. Physical self-worth improved for all five participants. Exercise self-efficacy was improved in three participants whereas the other two had high exercise self-efficacy before participation in the karate programme. Exercise self-efficacy and physical self-worth maintained higher scores than the baseline for all five participants for 3 months upon completing the programme. The 3-month follow up results of global self-esteem were lower than the baseline scores for two participants whereas the other three participants achieved higher global self-esteem scores than the baseline scores. Study 2 (n = 12) aimed to identify the mechanisms for self-esteem improvement from the perspective of martial artists with VI following a narrative approach. Results identified two main factors that contributed in the improvement of self-esteem found in this group. Firstly, social self-esteem impacted global self-esteem as instructors unconditionally accepted the martial artists with VI, motivated them and created relationships based on trust. In addition, participants reported that team work in the dojo, trustful relationships among martial arts peers, and feeling respected impacted their social self-esteem. The resultant was improved global self-esteem of the martial artists with VI. The second factor identified showed that global self-esteem improvement was related to intellectual self-esteem, as the martial artists increased their self-achievement awareness and body and spatial awareness and thus helped martial artists in achieving their maximal potential. Study 3 (n = 6) aimed to provide strategies that martial arts instructors utilize to improve self-esteem of their students with VI using an interpretative phenomenological approach (IPA). Participants reported that the first step for global self-esteem improvement of martial artist with VI was social inclusion which needed to be rooted in a personal perception about the abilities of individuals with VI. Most of the strategies that were utilized by the instructors were focused either on social relationships, for example peer tutoring, or martial arts philosophy such as teaching real situations. Furthermore, instructors reported that improvement of the other cognitive and psychological characteristics, namely body awareness and self-confidence improvement, positively affected global self-esteem of individuals with VI. Supporting the multidimensional hierarchical construct of self-esteem, this thesis reports a positive influence of martial arts styles on social self-esteem, physical self-worth, intellectual self-esteem, and consequently global self-esteem in people with VI. Therefore, it is recommended that instructors focus on these three domains to improve global self-esteem of people with VI.

Art martial inscrit dans une tradition sino-japonaise et bouddhiste, le karaté constitue un patrimoine vivant immatériel. Issus de différentes écoles de style, les Grands Maîtres perpétuent les pratiques d’une part en assurant la relève et d’autre part en régulant leurs formes recevables. L’objet de cette thèse porte sur les modalités et conditions par lesquelles la médiation interculturelle des pratiques de karaté s’opère en contexte de globalisation et sous l’effet du temps et des Maîtres. Quatre études complémentaires forment la démarche. 1) L’étude préliminaire restitue le macrocontexte socio-historique des trajectoires migratoires du karaté incarné par des maîtres et des écoles. 2) L’approche ethnographique d’entraînements japonais (cinq dojos remarquables) décrit et modélise les pratiques originelles en regard de formes reconfigurées. 3) L’approche contrastive des discours de Grands Maîtres dans leurs récits de vie (N enquêtés = 4 japonais + 4 français) fait l’objet d’une analyse de contenu. 4) La micro-étude du kata respiratoire Tenshô permet de restituer la dimension anthropo-culturelle du karaté en regard des invariants partagés avec d’autres arts patrimoniaux japonais. Les résultats montrent que la médiation interculturelle des pratiques entre le Japon et la France génère des formes d’enseignement inédites qui prennent un sens culturel hautement contextualisé. La dimension anthropo-didactique de l’enseignement du karaté est identifiée aux fins de questionner les modalités de médiation interculturelle dans la perspective d’une mise en dialogue des altérités. / Martial art included in a sino-japanese and bouddhist tradition, karate is a living intangible heritage. From different schools of karate style, Grandmasters perpetuate practices on one hand ensuring succession and secondly by controlling their admissible forms. The purpose of this thesis focused on the terms and conditions under which the intercultural mediation of the practices karate took place in the globalization context and under the effect of time and of the Masters.Four additional studies were provided. 1) The preliminary study reproduced the socio-historical macrocontext of the karate migration paths played by teachers and schools. 2) The ethnographic approach of Japanese trainings (five remarkable dojos) described and modeled the original practices facing reconfigured forms. 3) The contrastive approach of grandmasters speech in their life stories (N interviewed = 4 Japanese + 4 French) was processed by a content analysis. 4) The micro-study of respiratory kata Tenshô allowed to reach the anthropo-cultural dimension of karate facing shared invariants with other Japanese arts heritage. Results showed that the intercultural mediation of practices between Japan and France generated new forms of education that took a highly contextualized cultural meaning.The anthropo-didactic dimension of karate teaching was identified so as to question the intercultural mediation terms in the perspective of a dialogue with otherness.

Si la question de la violence à la fin de l’ère médiévale a été amplement traitée par les historiens, les techniques corporelles de cette même violence n’ont pas bénéficié de la même attention. Ainsi, si nous savons que les guerriers se battent, nous ne savons pas expressément comment ils se battent, et surtout comment ils transmettent ce savoir. Or, les arts martiaux , leur exercice et leur enseignement semblent être une réalité tangible dans l’Europe de la fin du Moyen Age. Depuis les maîtres d’armes itinérants de l’espace impérial jusqu’aux princes préparant un éventuel duel judiciaire, c’est un pan entier de la culture gestuelle et corporelle médiévale que ce travail propose d’explorer.A travers l’analyse d’un corpus de sources manuscrites, exclusivement dédiées à la description des gestes et des techniques de combats des XVe et XVIe siècles, cette étude propose d’aborder la question des arts martiaux sous des angles différents. Tout d’abord, l’établissement d’un catalogue complet permettra de percevoir la réalité de ce corpus de sources. A travers une analyse quantitative de ce dernier, le lecteur pourra ensuite observer comment cet ensemble de témoins manuscrits se construit, se diffuse et s’éteint progressivement au cours du XVIe siècle. A travers ces groupes de textes, la notion de tradition culturelle et martiale sera alors abordée, afin de montrer au lecteur que ces ouvrages sont parfois bien plus que des recueils techniques. Enfin, une présentation du milieu social et matériel dans lequel ces arts martiaux se pratiquent autorisera une percée sur la place de ces cultures martiales au sein de l’histoire du corps et du geste à la fin du Moyen Age. / If the issue of violence at the end of the medieval era was amply treated by historians, the techniques of that violence have not benefited from the same attention. If we know that the warriors fight, we do not know specifically how they fight, and especially how they transmit this knowledge. But martial arts, their exercise and education seem to be a reality in the Europe of the late Middle Ages. Since roaming fencing masters of the imperial space down to princes preparing a possible judicial duel, it's a whole section of the medieval gestures and body culture that this work seeks to explore.Through the analysis of a corpus of manuscripts, exclusively dedicated to the description of gestures and fighting techniques of the XVth and XVIth centuries, this study proposes to address the issue of martial arts from different angles. First, the establishment of a comprehensive catalog will show the reality of these documents. Through a quantitative analysis of the latter, the reader could then observe how this set of manuscripts builds, spreads and goes out gradually during the XVIth century. Through these groups of texts, the notion of cultural and martial tradition will be discussed in order to show the reader that these works are sometimes much more than technical abstracts. Finally, a presentation of the material and social environment in which these martial arts are practiced will allow a breakthrough in the place of these martial cultures in the history of the body and gesture to the late Middle Ages.

Le cadre de pratique du judo est spécifique et met en scène des éléments qui rendent l'étude des divisions par sexe dans les clubs sportifs de judo particulièrement intéressante. En effet, la socialisation corporelle et l'assimilation des codes non-officiels de la pratique visent à asexuer les corps et les judokas et de ce fait, favorisent l'apparition de relations de sexe neutralisé entre les pratiquants. Ainsi, à partir d’une analyse situationnelle de la division par sexe, nous avons pu mettre en exergue que les statuts sexués sont placés en retrait, au profit de ceux directement en lien avec la pratique ou les individus eux-mêmes. A ce titre, les judokas endossent une pluralité de statuts, qui se voient imbriqués et combinés les uns aux autres. Leur prise en compte dépend de la relation en cours : de ce point de vue, les relations entre judokas dans les clubs sportifs de judo s'articulent à partir d'une hiérarchisation de leurs statuts et des rôles qui y sont associés. / The framework for the practise of judo is a particular one; it stages elements that make the study of gender division in judo sport clubs particularly interesting. Indeed, the socialisation of the body and the integration of non-official codes of the sport aim at de-Gendering the bodies and the judokas, thus promoting the emergence of neutralized gender relations between judokas. From a situational analysis of the gender division, it was then possible to highlight the fact that gendered statuses are set in the background, in favour of those directly related to the practise of the sport or to the individuals themselves. In this respect, judokas take on a plurality of statuses, which are interlinked and combined with each other. Taking them into account depends on the ongoing relation: from this point of view, the relations between judokas in judo sport clubs revolve around a stratification of their statuses and of the roles associated with them.

La lutte traditionnelle est un duel qui, dans les pratiques, s'envisage dans une dynamique collective. Le lutteur est imprégné d’un espace de pratique qui reflète l’environnement social. Il prend appui sur son expérience individuelle mais sa pratique s’inscrit dans un imaginaire social. Le lutteur intègre un groupe dans lequel il acquiert les rudiments de la lutte et avec lequel il dispute ses combats. L’entourage du lutteur s’implique, de manière différenciée, dans les différents temps de la lutte. Aujourd’hui, ce jeu culturel, de nature corporelle et physique, tend à participer de manière significative à la transformation des relations sociales, comme levier dans l’acquisition d'un statut social, en termes de reconnaissance. Notre démarche de recherche s’appuie essentiellement sur le terrain. Il est question de comprendre le processus par lequel les acteurs lutteurs, dans un parcours qui leur est propre et dans le contexte spécifique du village lébou de M’bao, s'approprient la pratique de la lutte traditionnelle. / The traditional wrestling is a duel that is practically envisioned in a collective dynamic.The wrestler is impregnated with a space for practice that reflects the social environment. He gets support from his individual experience but his practice is registered in a social imaginary. The wrestler integrates a group that helps him acquire the rudiments of wrestling and with which he plays his battles.Those close to the wrestler involve in different ways during the diverse times of the wrestling match. Nowadays, this cultural game that is bodily and physical in nature tends to significantly participate in the transformation of the social relationships as a lever to acquire a social status in terms of acknowledgement. Our research method focuses essentially on the field. It is a matter of understanding the process through which the stakeholders, wrestlers- in a process that is specific to them and specially in the lebou village of M’bao take ownership of the practice of traditional wrestling.

Les fédérations sportives françaises se sont développées en dehors de toute intervention étatique. Elles disposaient alors de prérogatives propres en vue de l’organisation des compétitions de leur discipline sportive. Il découlait de leur statut associatif qu’elles étaient entièrement régies par le droit privé. Néanmoins, à partir d’une jurisprudence du Conseil d’Etat de 1974 entérinant l’existence d’un service public délégué aux structures fédérales, le législateur consacrera progressivement le principe de l’octroi de leurs prérogatives par le ministère chargé des sports au travers de deux actes : l’agrément ministériel et la délégation de service public. Dès lors que la délivrance de ces actes est synonyme de pouvoirs reconnus aux fédérations par le droit étatique et que la délégation mène à la publicisation de leur régime juridique, cette étude a pour objet de dresser la teneur de cet encadrement des prérogatives fédérales. L’agrément et la délégation entraînent pour les fédérations bénéficiaires, diverses sujétions visant à encadrer leur fonctionnement et qui tendent à réduire leur autonomie. Il s’agit d’un encadrement de nature textuelle, contenu au sein de la législation. Bien que ces prescriptions légales se singularisent par leur application uniforme à l’égard de ces fédérations, l’attribution par le ministère des sports de leurs pouvoirs se révèle hétérogène. L’examen de cet encadrement ministériel, appréhendé notamment au travers de sa politique interventionniste à l’égard des disciplines de « boxes pieds poings », conduit à envisager ses incertitudes ainsi que les pistes d’une réforme de son cadre légal. / French sports federations have developed without any state intervention. They had their own prerogatives to organize competitions in their respective sporting discipline. By virtue of their association status, they were entirely governed by private law. However, following a decision taken in 1974 by the Board of State confirming the existence of a public service delegated to the federal structure, the legislation gradually devote the principle of granting their prerogatives by the Ministry of Sports through two acts: the ministerial approval and delegation of public service. Since the issuance of these acts is synonymous powers recognized federations by state law and that the delegation leads to publicize their legal status, this study aims to establish the content of the framework of federal prerogatives. The ministerial approval and the delegation lead for the federations beneficiaries, various constraints to supervise their operations and which tend to reduce their autonomy. It is about a frame of textual nature, contained within the legislation. Although these legal requirements are uniformly applicable to these federations, the attribution of their powers by the Sports Ministry is heterogeneous. The examination of this ministerial frame, apprehended notably through its interventionist policy towards disciplines of kickboxing, led to consider its uncertainties and the tracks of a reform of its legal framework.