ABSTRACT
Sitting volleyball is relatively young in the Paralympic sport storyline. It is a pioneer in the fact that it is the fi rst multi-impairment sport to have been included in the Paralympic schedule.
In Brazil, volleyball enjoys similar popularity to football, and for that reason, the task of coaching elite sitting volleyball is imbued with great cultural and social signifi cance. This chapter focuses upon the personal experience of the coach in charge of leading the women’s team to glory in the 2016 Paralympic Games, analysing philosophical, cultural and social issues surrounding his trajectory, role and the sporting context in which he operates. The theoretical background used is one of convergence of coaching literature, sociology of sport and disability studies. In agreement with Bowes & Jones (2006), coaching is herein conceptually understood as a complex, interpersonal system, defying the adoption of any simplistic framework of interpretation. Such complexity is further accentuated by the contested and volatile nature of disability, in particular in the elite context, where physical prowess and athletic ‘perfection’ are glorifi ed. In this sense, this theoretical miscellany seems adequate.
