The aim of this paper is to explore and develop ways to describe what there is to know, from the perspective of the knower, when knowing how to carry out a complex movement. The paper will challenge the distinction between mental and physical skills, drawing on theories of tacit knowing (Polanyi, 1969), knowing how (Ryle, 1949), and knowing-in-action (Schön, 1991) together with empirical data from the context of elite sport. One assumption is that exploring knowing in moving in this context can contribute to developing students’ movement education in physical education.

  Pole-vaulting provides examples of what there is to know in terms of embodied capabilities possible to explicate and develop as an educational objective in physical education, irrespective of the context of competitive sports. Explicating the knowing (or capabilities) involved in the ‘capability to move’, as exemplified in this study could emphasize an educational aim concerning practical knowledge such as knowing in moving, and not necessarily specific skills related to competitive sport activities.