TEMPORAL DYNAMICS OF ACROBATIC ACTIVITY: AN APPROACH OF ELITE ATHLETES SPECIOUS PRESENT, JSSM-2008, Vol.7, Issue 1, 8

JOURNAL OF SPORTS SCIENCE & MEDICINE

Research article

TEMPORAL DYNAMICS OF ACROBATIC ACTIVITY: AN APPROACH OF ELITE ATHLETES SPECIOUS PRESENT

Denis Hauw¹ and Marc Durand²

¹EA 4206: Addictive, Performance and Health Behaviours, University of Montpellier 1, Montpellier, France.
²Form'Action Laboratory, Faculté de psychologie et sciences de l'éducation, Université de Genève, Genève, Switzerland

Received		14 December 2007
Accepted		24 September 2007
Published		01 March 2008

ABSTRACT

The present study examined how "meaningful time" is constructed and used during acrobatic performance. To do so, six elite athletes (2 tumblers, 2 trampolinists, 2 acrobatic skiers) performed the same acrobatic move within the context of their respective sports. Their activity was described step-by-step using the data obtained from self- confrontation interviews linked to behaviour analysis based on video recordings. The descriptions, which identified the actions, feelings and thoughts of the athletes in relation to the unfolding time of their performance, were then compared. The results demonstrated that acrobatic performance can be divided into different periods that delineate meaningful time. Differences were observed in how the athletes organized activity (e.g. cognitive, physical) according to the specific sport. The results were interpreted as specific ways to use flight time.

Key words: Activity, meaningful time, situated cognition, acrobatic performance.

PDF (196KB)

FULL TEXT