A Phenomenological Study On The Physical Training Experience Of Chinese Elite Rowers

This research originated from a phenomenological question: How about the physical training experience of Chinese elite rowers? As the 2020 Tokyo Olympics came to an end,the Chinese Rowing Team finished with the best results of the previous Olympic Games with 1gold and 2 bronze.When meeting with representatives of outstanding athletes from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics,General Secretary Xi Jinping said cordially when he walked in front of rowers and coaches: It’s really not easy for you to make this achievement,you’ve trained very hard.This words intuitively express the hardships of rowers’ daily training.Physical training plays an very important role in elite rowers’ competitive ability and the fundamental guarantee for a decisive match.For Chinese elite rowers’ daily training,physical training occupies an extremely important position.Revealing the physical training experience of elite rowers can provide insight into the real training life world.On the one hand,such research can allow us to better understand the real experience of elite rowers’ physical training,and on the other hand,it can also through experience itself to explore the deep meaning behind physical training practice,athlete quality shaping and project culture.Phenomenology provides us with an excellent way to achieve this research goal in theory and methodology.This research is guided by the lived experience framework of Max Van Manen.Using purposeful sampling,through the phenomenological interview of 14 Chinese elite rowers and other phenomenological data,starting from the internal perspective of the research participants,through the researcher’s understanding and induction,the five thematic structures of the physical training experience of Chinese elite rowers were extracted,and they are as follows:（1）Body experience-break a cocoon into butterfly.It is composed of four sub-themes: physical training hard and get practical results,take extra lessons and training as a form of action,fatigue and pain become habitual physical sensations,push the envelope as hard as one can.（2）Psychological experience-the more frustrated,the more courageous.It consists of four subthemes: want to win and fear to lose,love and hate the dynamometer,give up because of the body and mind collapse,bravely move forward under the interweaving of pain and joy.（3）Time experience-silently sticking.It is composed of four sub-themes: physical training every day for more than 10 years,every second is suffering,regard the postponement of the 2020 Olympic Games as an opportunity to improve physical level,the peak moment is all.（4）Space experience-take responsibility.It is composed of four sub-themes: forge ahead alone on a long voyage,enjoy the unity of man and nature while water training,sacrifice oneself,take stress and responsibility.（5）Interpersonal relationship experience-It is composed of four sub-themes:rowing with teammates in tacit understanding,excellent coaches are attractive,comprehensive guarantees,and warm supported from family.The above five themes are not completely independent,but are interrelated and interacting as a unified whole,which together constitute the meaning structure of the physical training experience of Chinese elite rowers.Based on the above findings,this study further explored the characteristics of Chinese elite rowers’ physical training experience.It includes the specific characteristics behind each experience structure theme:（1）Body experience: from extreme to perfect;（2）Psychological experience: from fear to dauntless;（3）Time experience: from suffering to persistence;（4）Space experience: from self to unselfish;（5）Interpersonal relationship experience: from team to unity.These five characteristics express the process of the formation and development of the experience of each theme structure,and jointly describe the uniqueness of the physical training experience of elite rowers.On this basis,the basic characteristics of the physical training experience of elite rowers are summarized:（1）integrity and intersection;（2）subjectivity and personally experienced;（3）meaningful and emotional;（4）dynamic and procedural.These characteristics may be common to human physical training experience.Following the characteristics of the physical training experience of elite rowers,this study continues to explore the influencing factors that form these characteristics and produce this experience.The study found that the influencing factors of the physical training experience of elite rowers come from four dimensions.（1）The athlete dimension,including self-awareness,achievement motivation and personality traits.（2）The coaching dimension,including coaching style,professional level and charisma.（3）Training dimension,including project characteristics and needs,training content and intensity,training stage and guarantee.（4）Environmental dimension: the Openness or Repression of the physical environment,and the Discipline or Support of social environment.The influence of each dimension factor on the physical training experience of elite rowers does not work in isolation and simply,but under the influence of mutual connection,mutual restriction and interaction.On this basis,this study further proposes the essence and phenomenological significance of the physical training experience of Chinese elite rowers: physical training experience is one of the essences of physical training for elite rowers,and it is the unity of physical training goals,means and results.Physical training experience is the life world written by elite rowers with physical training,which contains the successful physical training experiences.Sport is a way of human growth,and physical training is also a way to shape athletes.The physical training experience interprets the core values of modern rowing,and shapes the tough personality and excellent quality of elite rowers.These phenomenological significance can not only enrich the physical training theories,but also contribute to the development of sports training theories.Finally,this study also attempts to provide some suggestions and inspirations to elite rowers,rowing coaches and managers,young rowers and rowing enthusiasts,as well as rowing researchers and sports training researchers.It is possible to pay more attention to the physical training experience and significance of elite rowers,so as to promote the healthy growth of rowers,the rapid progress of rowing physical training practice,and the high-quality development of rowing project culture.