Embodiment of Bodily Skills: An Embodied Turn in Sport Culture Research

The direct application of established cultural classification systems in sport culture research often leads to the overgeneralization and reinforces the mind-body dualism, resulting in the dilution of the unique characteristics of sports and the status of sport as an autonomous discipline. This study argues that, after the embodied turn, sport culture research essentially becomes the study of athletic techniques within specific sports. Sport culture can be understood as a "technified collective personality" and a "personalized collective technique". Athletic techniques are not merely demonstrations of skill but are deeply embedded in collective personality, reflecting the values and beliefs of the surrounding social culture. At the same time, the personalization of collective technique reveals how physical activities shape and express both individual and collective identities. The embodied study of sports centers on the training and perception of techniques, investigating how techniques generate, sustain, and express cultural meaning. The research concludes that the embodied technical turn, with its focus on specific sports, effectively addresses issues in traditional research, providing a new theoretical framework and research pathway. This, in turn, offers fresh perspectives for understanding the role and value of sports in modern society.