Background. Several factors including gender, influence the development of expert coaches. The developmental trajectory of women coaches may present specific issues compared with those of men, such as: the few opportunities offered to women coaches, the predominance of men in management positions, and lower salaries. In the Brazilian context from 1941-1979, women were ini- tially discouraged and then officially forbidden to participate in competitive judo. Since that time, female coaches in competitive judo have been a rarity. Problem and aim. As such, the aim of this study was to investigate three expert brazilian judo female coaches` learning across their careers. Methods. Each coach participated in a semi-structured interview. A deductive-inductive approach to content analysis was adopted. Results. Supporting the literature, our results showed that personal characteristics, formal, informal and non-formal learning sit- uations, and the support of family and friends were important to these coaches` development. Other subcategories not previously reported emerged from the inductive analysis: teamwork and scientific information. Conclusions. The investigated career path- ways showed that the Brazilian judo coaches were able to cope with career barriers through a combination of extensive formal and non-formal education, as well as support from family and friends. Notwithstanding such support, the women coaches were responsible for motherhood and housekeeping tasks.
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