BECOMING AN ELITE FUTSAL COACH: A BRAZILIAN CASE STUDY

Abstract

This study analyzes the learning and professional development process of João, a former coach of Brazil’s national futsal team and a National Futsal League champion. To produce data, a semi-structured and retrospective interview was conducted and then it underwent Reflexive Thematic Analysis. With Pierre Bourdieu’s Reflexive Sociology and the Cultural Learning Theory of Phil Hodkinson and collaborators as its theoretical framework, the main results were: 1) the constitution of sport habitus was based on familiarity with futsal since childhood; 2) relevant factors included access to capitals inherited from his family; being an elite player; proximity to established and experienced coaches; learning both from practical experience as a coach and in the academic context. By way of conclusion, it is suggested that coach education and development processes offer distinct ways of accumulating capitals based on practical and theoretical experiences, and exchange between colleagues.