Learning beach volleyball: An ethnographic case study

Background Learning sport is more than just learning how to play and it involves more that just formal training sessions. Therefore, here learning beach volleyball was investigated broadly using practice theory. Objectives Applying a site-ontological practice theory perspective, this ethnographic study sought to understand learning beach volleyball ‘as it happened’. Methods The participants were fundamentally junior boy beach volleyball players aged 14 years (N = 12) and their coach (and researcher). Ethnographic methods were employed over a three-month period to gather data including video-recordings, fieldnotes, and informal interviews. Results Learning beach volleyball happened beyond the formal sites of coaching – it occurred in a range of sites with different groups of people and in different ways. As they engaged in their various volleyball practices, each player developed and then they brought their new and emerging skills and knowledge to their games. Conclusion Learning is not something that only occurs in training sessions with a coach - it happens in a variety of different sites, and it is multi-faceted and complex. Therefore, to understand and support athlete development, a broader view of how and where they learn is required.