What does it mean to “move well”? Conceptualising movement capital in sport and leisure

Abstract

Numerous authors have identified the role that capital plays in influencing participation in leisure, with Bourdieu (1984) identifying four types of capital: economic, cultural, social and economic. However, despite the clear importance of physical movement for sport and other physical activities, there has been very little attention paid to how an individual’s ability to move impacts their participation in sport and leisure. Extending Shilling (1991, 2004), who identifies physical capital as a form of capital based on an individual’s physical form, this presentation aims to theorise what movement capital might consist of within the Australian New Zealand leisure and sporting contexts. I will argue that movement capital can be identified in several ways. First, individual sports may appreciate certain types of movement which are likely to be reflected in talented identification criteria. Second, parents identify particular movement competences in their children which result in them directing their children into certain leisure activities. Third, individuals with disabilities or movement impairments are marginalised in sporting contexts due to their lack of movement capital.