Developing a ‘somatic velocimeter’: the practical knowledge of free skiers

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to explore what it means to know how to move and how this kind of knowing could be understood and articulated. As an example, this study explores what it means to know complex movements, from the perspective of the mover. The paper discusses the potential of the findings for providing ideas for both teaching and learning capability to move in the context of physical education (PE). The knowing involved in moving is explored in the practice of free skiing, characterised by a tradition of learning movements where practitioners have a strong commitment to learning how to move in complex, different and new ways. In this study, knowing how to move is seen in line with Michael Polanyi’s theory of tacit knowing where knowing is always rooted in personal experience and comprising what Ryle calls ‘knowing how’ as well as ‘knowing that’. The findings show that the free skiers have developed specific kinds of knowing comprising a tacit component which is possible to articulate to a certain extent. Their capability to move can be conceived as complex knowing, comprising theoretical as well as practical aspects. If the educational objective in PE is expressed as developing ways of knowing such as those exemplified in this study, the subject content or at least part of it, could be described as movement education in which the intrinsic value of knowing movements could be recognised.

Keywords:

• tacit knowing
• capability to move
• physical education
• ways of knowing
• Michael Polanyi

Notes

1. Free skiing is a specific type of skiing and involves tricks, jumps and terrain park features. The sport grew as a subset of freestyle skiing but is now viewed as a separate sport. The sport does not require participants to compete but there are competitive events available. For more information, terminology and pictures see for example: (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freeskiing#Jumps; http://www.newschoolers.com/home#home/?view=picture&sort=hot&_suid=137504182275308303008761428268).

2. The free skiers in this study were doing jump tricks. The most basic of jump tricks is spinning upright in the air from 180°. More advanced tricks counts as e.g. rotating more laps (up to 1080°) or spinning ‘off-axis’ which is rotating almost ‘lying’ in the air where the feet should not be over the head (Flat spin). A ‘grab’ is when the skier simultaneously in the air grabs a ski with one hand and a ‘tail grab’ is grabbing at the back of the ski.