This book lifts the lid on the high pressured, complex world of women's artistic gymnastics. By adopting a socio-cultural lens incorporating historical, sociological and psychological perspectives, it takes the reader through the story and workings of women's artistic gymnastics. Beginning with its early history as a 'feminine appropriate' sport, the book follows the sport through its transition to a modern sports form. Including global cases and innovative narrative methods, it explores the way gymnasts have experienced its intense challenges, the complexities of the coach-athlete relationship, and how others involved in the sport, such as parents and medical personnel, have contributed to the reproduction of a highly demanding and potentially abusive sporting culture. With the focus on a unique women's sport, the book is an important read for researchers and students studying sport sociology, sport coaching, and physical education, but it is also a valuable resource for anyone interested in the development of sporting talent.

Elite athletes lead a particular way of life, which creates significant learning and shapes their selves. This is the first sociological-pedagogical text to conceptualise athlete learning in elite sport and across athletic careers. It outlines theories of learning and argues for a cultural perspective capturing contextual influence, temporal changes, individual dispositions, and subjectivity. Presented in three parts-landscaping elite sport and theorising athlete learning; showcasing athletes' learning in elite sport; and informing research and practice-the book features nine international, multi-contextual, and multi-experience case studies of athlete careers, experiences, and learning across individual and team sports such as boxing, rugby, basketball, hockey, and gymnastics. This is fascinating reading for students, researchers, and practitioners in sport organisations, sports coaching, coach education, and sport sociology and pedagogy.

Elite athletes lead a particular way of life, which creates significant learning and shapes their selves. This is the first sociological-pedagogical text to conceptualise athlete learning in elite sport and across athletic careers. It outlines theories of learning and argues for a cultural perspective capturing contextual influence, temporal changes, individual dispositions, and subjectivity. Presented in three parts-landscaping elite sport and theorising athlete learning; showcasing athletes' learning in elite sport; and informing research and practice-the book features nine international, multi-contextual, and multi-experience case studies of athlete careers, experiences, and learning across individual and team sports such as boxing, rugby, basketball, hockey, and gymnastics. This is fascinating reading for students, researchers, and practitioners in sport organisations, sports coaching, coach education, and sport sociology and pedagogy.

This volume outlines existing research relating to gender in physical culture. The introductory chapter employs Lamont and Molnar's (2002) idea of 'boundaries' as visible and invisible socially constructed borders that create social differences, as the theoretical framework for the book. Seven empirically-driven case studies follow which, on the one hand, demonstrate how boundary 'work' has taken and is taking place at the level of media, institutions, communities and individuals; and on the other hand, show how individuals, groups of individuals and organisations challenge and change dominant gender discourses and practices. The wide variety of rich case materials reveal how gender ideals not only normalize, but are actively and purposefully negotiated and transformed to create individualised and inclusive physical culture contexts. The final chapter explores how the book builds on and extends existing gender and physical culture research. This book was originally published as a special issue of the journal Sport in Society.

Success in high performance sport is highly valued in today's world, with lucrative contracts, sponsorship deals, and opportunities for celebrity status balanced against substantial investments of time and energy, and high chances of failure. With pressure mounting on athletes and coaches to make the most of athletic investments, the temptation to make health-related or ethical compromises is growing. Sustainability in High Performance Sport examines the pressures faced by coaches and athletes, and considers how sustainable science can offer alternative pathways to sporting excellence. By applying principles relating to carrying capacities, complexity and uncertainty, production and consumption, and ethics, this unique book provides new ways of thinking about both enduring and emerging challenges. With a scope that includes themes such as coaching practices, coach-athlete relationships, over-training and injuries, the development of sporting expertise, and doping, Sustainability in High Performance Sport is the most comprehensive exploration of sustainability in elite sport available. It is an invaluable resource for anybody with an interest in achieving long-term success in high performance sport. This book was originally published as a special issue of Reflective Practice.

Success in high performance sport is highly valued in today's world, with lucrative contracts, sponsorship deals, and opportunities for celebrity status balanced against substantial investments of time and energy, and high chances of failure. With pressure mounting on athletes and coaches to make the most of athletic investments, the temptation to make health-related or ethical compromises is growing. Sustainability in High Performance Sport examines the pressures faced by coaches and athletes, and considers how sustainable science can offer alternative pathways to sporting excellence. By applying principles relating to carrying capacities, complexity and uncertainty, production and consumption, and ethics, this unique book provides new ways of thinking about both enduring and emerging challenges. With a scope that includes themes such as coaching practices, coach-athlete relationships, over-training and injuries, the development of sporting expertise, and doping, Sustainability in High Performance Sport is the most comprehensive exploration of sustainability in elite sport available. It is an invaluable resource for anybody with an interest in achieving long-term success in high performance sport. This book was originally published as a special issue of Reflective Practice.

This book lifts the lid on the high pressured, complex world of women's artistic gymnastics. By adopting a socio-cultural lens incorporating historical, sociological and psychological perspectives, it takes the reader through the story and workings of women's artistic gymnastics. Beginning with its early history as a 'feminine appropriate' sport, the book follows the sport through its transition to a modern sports form. Including global cases and innovative narrative methods, it explores the way gymnasts have experienced its intense challenges, the complexities of the coach-athlete relationship, and how others involved in the sport, such as parents and medical personnel, have contributed to the reproduction of a highly demanding and potentially abusive sporting culture. With the focus on a unique women's sport, the book is an important read for researchers and students studying sport sociology, sport coaching, and physical education, but it is also a valuable resource for anyone interested in the development of sporting talent.

This volume outlines existing research relating to gender in physical culture. The introductory chapter employs Lamont and Molnar's (2002) idea of 'boundaries' as visible and invisible socially constructed borders that create social differences, as the theoretical framework for the book. Seven empirically-driven case studies follow which, on the one hand, demonstrate how boundary 'work' has taken and is taking place at the level of media, institutions, communities and individuals; and on the other hand, show how individuals, groups of individuals and organisations challenge and change dominant gender discourses and practices. The wide variety of rich case materials reveal how gender ideals not only normalize, but are actively and purposefully negotiated and transformed to create individualised and inclusive physical culture contexts. The final chapter explores how the book builds on and extends existing gender and physical culture research. This book was originally published as a special issue of the journal Sport in Society.