MECHANISMS OF TACIT PROFESSIONAL KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER IN HIGH-RISK CIRCUS DISCIPLINES

The article examines the transfer of tacit professional knowledge in the training of Wheel of Death performers. The aim of the study is to develop a conceptual model explaining how a coach’s embodied experience becomes accessible to a student without reducing a complex motor skill to a set of verbal rules. The methodological basis combined a practice-oriented integrative review with analysis of a training sequence developed by the author. The findings indicate that knowledge transfer involves identifying a critical cue, temporarily externalizing it, acquiring it through movement, and evaluating performance against an observable criterion. Tape marking the grip point during the flag element is considered a material anchor linking hand position, the phase of wheel movement, and the sensation of load. It is shown that progression to the next stage should take into account the ability to control the apparatus and maintain functional vigilance. Initial fear requires redistribution of attention, whereas excessive confidence after basic actions have been mastered requires a return to wheel control and stopping. The proposed Externalization–Embodiment–Criterion–Vigilance Model integrates initial training conditions, the skill-transfer cycle, and continuous attention regulation. The outcome of the cycle is a justified progression to the next stage of training.