Documenting and analyzing pre-reflective self-consciousness underlying ongoing performance optimization in elite athletes: the theoretical and methodological approach of the course-of-experience framework.

Traditional theories of motor learning emphasize the automaticity of skillful actions. However, recent research has emphasized the role of pre-reflective self-consciousness accompanying skillful action execution. In the present paper, we present the course-of-experience framework as a means of studying elite athletes' pre-reflective self-consciousness in the unfolding activity of performance optimization. We carried out a synthetic presentation of the ontological and epistemological foundation of this framework. Then we illustrated the methodology by an in-depth analysis of two elite windsurfers' courses of experience. The analysis of global and local characteristics of the riders' courses of experience reveal (a) the meaningful activities accompanying the experience of ongoing performance optimization; (b) the multidimensionality of attentional foci and the normativity of performance self-assessment; and (c) a micro-scale phenomenological description of continuous improvement. These results highlight the fruitfulness of the course-of-experience framework to describe the experience of being absorbed in an activity of performance optimization.

Coordination between Crew Members on Flying Multihulls: A Case Study on a Nacra 17.

A current trend in sailing sports is the use of boats equipped with hydrofoils, allowing the boats to "fly" over the water surface. In this situation, the handling of the boat requires fine coordination between the crew members to maintain the precarious flight. The purpose of this case study was to analyze the crew activity on a flying multihull and explore the role of the shared sport equipment in the emergence of coordination between crew members. Data were collected during a training session with a crew of expert sailors. A joint analysis of phenomenological and mechanical data was conducted. The aim of the analysis was to categorize the forms of interactions between crew members, boat and environment. Results showed that collective coordination in the studied situation involves six forms of interaction that are associated with stable, unstable or critical states of the flight. Consequently, we discussed the role played by the crew members, the behavior of the boat and the environment in the collective coordination.