Interpretation of "Sports Habits" Based on Merleau-Ponty's Body Phenomenology

Based on Merleau-Ponty's phenomenology of body, this paper interprets the "habit" in sport. The study finds that while sporting habits are initiated automatically, they embody a pre-reflective intentionality, meaning they still possess the intelligence and flexibility emphasized by intellectualism. Specifically, this intelligent responsiveness stems not from deliberation or goal representation, but from what Merleau-Ponty term "motor intentionality" — an immediate response to the affordances of a situation through habitual bodily behavior. If habit formation implies providing familiar solutions to known situations based on the "body schema", then "motor intentionality" operates implicitly behind these schematized behaviors. Consequently, athlete' behavior is characterized not only by unreflective proficiency, but also by the capacity for "temporary reflection" rooted in habit, ultimately constituting a flexible and open sporting habit.