Reflections on Changes in Gongfu (Kung-Fu) Coach Training
* By Rafael Carvalho da Silva Mocarzel, Jesús Ilundáin-Agurruza, Martial Arts Studies * August 2026 *
Abstract
The study and practice of traditional martial arts is undergoing significant changes globally. Gōngfu (Kung-Fu), which nowadays places less emphasis on the once pivotal pedagogy or moral development, is no different. Traditional ethical and aesthetic elements are being superseded by strictly sport-competitive ones focused on purely result-oriented technical and physical elements. This directly affects the training of gōngfu coaches. Combining a critical analytical perspective with an autoethnographic and hermeneutic reflection based on decades of pedagogical practice, the essay’s aim is to examine areas of concern regarding coach training in gōngfu and, considering the central and long-lasting role coaches play in their communities, make the case for a model that supports the sort of coach training that remains grounded in its traditions, attuned to its sociohistorical commitments, while also being knowledgeable of cutting-edge advancements.
About the author(s)
Rafael Carvalho da Silva Mocarzel holds an international PhD in Sport Sciences. He is a black belt instructor in six Kung-Fu styles, and a former Brazilian National Team athlete and coach. Currently, he serves as a professor at the University of Vassouras and Afya Unigranrio. He is recognized as one of Brazil’s leading scholars of martial arts and Kung-Fu, with an extensive international scientific publication record.
Jesús Ilundáin-Agurruza is the former President of the International Association for the Philosophy of Sport (IAPS) and the recipient of the 2020 Warren Fraleigh Distinguished Scholar Award. His research focuses on phenomenology, philosophy of mind, expertise, and martial arts. He is the author of Holism and the Cultivation of Excellence (Routledge).
