This paper aims to contribute to the theoretical discussion and empirical application of phenomenology in the sociology of sport by drawing on Maxine Sheets-Johnstone’s theories. I propose that Sheets-Johnstone’s movement-focused phenomenology can be complementary to Merleau-Ponty’s phenomenology of the body in the analyses of sporting moves and the learning of new moves. I mainly applied two concepts from Sheets-Johnstone, tactile-kinesthetic/kinetic dynamics and emotion-motion dynamics, to explore the moving body in waka ama (outrigger canoe) paddling, based on my beginner’s and other competent paddlers’ experiences. Findings demonstrate that a moving/paddling body is spontaneously a tactile-kinesthetic/kinetic, emotion-motion and intercorporeal body. These bodily dimensions enrich our understandings of the ways of learning new movements, doing sport and doing sport together.

Risk has been particularly associated with pain, injury, illness and even death in the studies of organised high-performance sport: in short, physical risk has been the primary focus. In contrast, this article explores the cultural dimensions of risk alongside the physical risk, which are revealed in an in-depth ethnographic study of waka ama (outrigger canoeing),1 an organised sport that is profoundly influenced by indigenous Māori culture. Waka ama participants’ discursive, embodied and agential responses to risk are presented as factionalised stories, a blend of fact and fiction that respects Māori oral traditions as a form of knowledge. The findings related to the influences of cultural concepts on shaping participants’ perceptions and responses to risk emerge as important new understandings of risk in organised sport.

In this article, I review and revive the concept of post-sport in the intersecting contexts of oceanic bluespace and Māori waka ama [outrigger canoe] paddling. In doing so, I seek to achieve two objectives: first, to enrich understanding of the human–nature interaction in bluespaces and, second, to contribute to an indigenous reading of post-sport experiences. Drawing on ethnographic and interview data from waka ama paddling in oceanic bluespaces, I identify two instances where sets of boundaries common in sport studies—the boundaries between human and nature, and between sport and physical culture—are challenged and transgressed. Furthermore, I reflect on the limitation of applying post-sport in this study and propose a potentially new perspective to conceptualize post-sport for future research.

This study explored middle-aged Chinese female table tennis players’ experiences of pain and injuries in the context of life in a foreign country (New Zealand). Data were collected in two table tennis clubs via a year-long participant observation study and through life-story interviews. The Confucian concept of ren, which has similarities to new-materialist theorising, was drawn upon to frame our interpretations of the participants’ experiences of pain and injury. The concept encourages individuals who have been raised in Chinese communities to value social connections, have sympathy for others and strive for harmony. Our study correspondingly examined how aspects of age, gender, culture, immigrant identity and Confucian philosophy interlink to shape experiences of table tennis pain and injury. Results illustrated that our participants were willing to tolerate moderate pain during participation as they were motivated to enhance community solidarity. In contrast to studies that have examined ageing athletes from western countries, our participants did not tolerate pain with the desire to prove one’s individual capability. This study contributes to a non-Western cultural reading of sports pain and injury to illustrate how broader cultural dynamics shape such experiences.

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