Time as a strict measurement system is a product of the industrial revolution. Labour sold by the factory workers was measured in units of hours. Discipline and punctuality, therefore, became virtues that hold themselves up till today. As a teenager, I was introduced to African timing, to some, an excuse to many, and me a style of living that plays with this strictness of time although only applied in leisurely settings – another by-product of the industrial revolution. At the martial arts gym, I was introduced again to time (rounds) and timing (moves). While these measuring units were not entirely new to me, continuously hearing time was. There is always a clock counting the seconds within the gym, determined to be respected without exception, like the ropes of the ring. Thus, space and time play crucial roles in martial arts.
Phase 1 of intense data collection (336 hours in the field) finished on July 2nd 2022. The aim is now to analyse it. With the questions emerging from this process I would then like to inform phase 2 of the research. Data generated was through: mapping, participatory observation, formal interviews with the coaches, informal chats with coaches and members.
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