Abstract:

This article analyzes the concept of well-being and its connections to sports, with a focus on sports pedagogy. It is well known that well-being is not something static, whose meaning is defined once and for all. On the contrary, well-being is a fluid concept and, therefore, tied to the meanings people create to give purpose to their lives. Thus, well-being is an existential state that people experience as the unity of body, mind, and spirit, allowing them to flourish through sports and physical activity in general. For this reason, sport is one of the best means of self-realization for people, who, through sport, can holistically achieve the full realization of their potential, their existence in the world, and their coexistence with others. The article also explores the pedagogy of sport as a humanities discipline and the need to rethink it from a more phenomenological and existential perspective, linked to the pursuit of well-being through sport. It should be noted that sport, the body and movement are concepts that exist in their own right. They complement one another and give meaning to their existence as entities through their constant interaction. In turn, there are three other concepts that are reflected in sport and are capable of complementing it: education, well-being and the individual. Understanding and defining wellbeing requires a special approach, as it is, first and foremost, an experience that everyone lives through in their own way. To complement human nature and give meaning to human existence, wellbeing must interact closely with sport. It can be said with confidence that sport is a natural complement to wellbeing, and vice versa. Sport and well-being are aspects of life that continuously and mirror-like reflect one another. Movement, the individual, education and well-being constantly interact with one another; therefore, people derive pleasure from participating in sport, as sport finds its finest form of ‘being’ and ‘existence’ in well-being. A person’s sense of well-being is realised through a positive connection with their surroundings. This positive connection is expressed through sporting activities, which involve the body, movement and play. This enjoyment becomes possible for a person and is achieved through spiritual and physical contact; it is made possible by physical abilities combined with movement and play, which together embody the essence of sport as a human practice. 

Keywords: sports, well-being, education, positive pedagogy, experience.  

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