Analysis of the Process of Formation of Modern Ukrainian National Martial Arts

Abstract

The article provides a comprehensive theoretical generalization of the problem of the genesis of the training system in Ukrainian national combat sports within the context of sports theory. The relevance of the study is determined by the need for a scientifically grounded understanding of traditional Ukrainian martial culture as a historical-cultural and pedagogical phenomenon, as well as by the search for effective ways to adapt it to modern models of long-term athletic training. The purpose of the study was to identify the specific features of the genesis of the athlete training system in national combat sports, taking into account historical, sociocultural, and sports-pedagogical factors. The following research methods were employed: analysis and generalization of scientific and methodological literature, historical-logical and comparative analysis, a systemic-structural approach, and methods of theoretical modeling. A critical analysis of scientific sources revealed the fragmentary nature of existing studies, the lack of a clear conceptual framework, and insufficient integration of sports theory provisions into the study of Ukrainian martial traditions. It was established that the historical and cultural prerequisites for the formation of traditional Ukrainian martial culture included the frontier nature of the development of Ukrainian lands, prolonged military threats, and the leading role of the Cossacks as a socio-military institution, within which physical training was combined with moral-ethical and patriotic values. The study substantiates five main stages in the genesis of the training system in Ukrainian national combat sports: the traditional-everyday stage, the military-organizational stage, the transformational-adaptive stage, the sports-institutional stage, and the contemporary scientific-integrative stage. It is shown that the development of the training system followed patterns of continuity of traditions, evolution from applied forms of combat activity to regulated sport combat disciplines, increasing levels of scientific substantiation, and integration with sports theory. The system-forming role of value-motivational factors—primarily patriotism and national identity—is demonstrated; from the standpoint of sports theory, these factors influence resistance to training loads, competitive reliability, and long-term athletic motivation. Conclusions. The generalized results confirm the expediency of scientific reconsideration and adaptation of elements of traditional martial culture to modern models of long-term training, in compliance with the principles of systemicity, stage-by-stage development, specialization, and individualization.