Sympathy of Movement: Expanding Coaching Abilities through Phenomenological Discussion

Abstract

This study clarifies abilities that enable “sympathy of movement” (Mitvollziehen der Bewegung). Moreover, it discusses the methodological directionality to expand these abilities from coaches' and researchers' standpoints, using five discussions by highlighting Husserl's Phenomenology. “Sympathy of movement” refers to sympathizing with an athlete's performance and interpreting their experience from a coaching perspective. Previously, Kaneko indicated that “sympathy of movement” is performed using three coaching activities: the observation of movement, “inquiry,” and “virtual self-movement.” Using these activities, coaches can consider and provide appropriate advice for each individual. Previous studies have highlighted the importance of expanding these abilities; however, the manner in which these abilities should be expanded has yet to be clarified. Thus, this study employs three activities to clarify a methodological directionality to expand these abilities from a phenomenological perspective. In addition, it uses five discussions to indicate the necessity for coaches to learn the difference between external and internal standpoints on performance. Furthermore, researchers should focus on the phenomenological perspective.