Horting as a means of military training and a phenomenon of combat culture
The social environment plays a major role in the formation of various spheres of our life, so the positive and negative manifestations characteristic of modern society could not but have a significant impact on culture as a whole and on combat horting, as a certain type of activity and sport. At the same time, in Ukraine, combat horting, as a type of activity, in a certain sense affects society, so we can talk about the mutual influence of combat horting and the social environment in which it develops.
In this regard, it is very important to understand what combat horting is in essence, its role and place in Ukrainian society, its impact on the formation of personality and on the socio-cultural space that is part of our existence. But it is also necessary to understand what combat horting is from the standpoint of cultural givenness and as a phenomenon of the combat military culture of our nation.
Another most important conclusion from the above is equally obvious: the analysis of concepts of the world requires serious efforts. A sufficiently deep and consistent philosophy of peace should be built, the most important component of which should be the dialectics of war and peace in their historical development, since combat horting is a means of training warriors. At the same time, the problem of the philosophy of peace should not be dissolved in narrow dispassionate academism, unnecessarily sharpened by the polemics around the interconnections of individual concepts related to the problems of protecting Ukraine from enemies. Combat horting is a much broader concept.
Combat horting is an element of the traditional combat culture of Ukraine, and traditional combat culture is a specific part of the traditional folk culture of the Ukrainian nation. Combat culture represents various facets of a universal system, the spectrum of application of which is very wide: from health-improving and general developmental physical exercises to the system of training fighters of special forces units.
In addition, it should be especially noted that Ukrainian combat horting is not only rational methods and techniques of combat. This is also the history of the victories of our Motherland, our great Ukrainian people, who so often faced the threat of enslavement and destruction, and then successfully resisted this and embarked on the path of revival. Combat horting is a part of our culture, which we are obliged to jointly preserve and pass on to our descendants.
The combat culture of the Ukrainian nation, the leader of which is combat horting, implies a large part of the culture, within which there is a combat tradition and martial art - as a certain technical layer consisting of elements included in traditional culture. Combat horting is an integral part of the culture of the people, enriched with ancient ideals of harmonious human development. Some traditional for Ukraine combat horting competitions have become sports disciplines. The value of combat horting lies in the fact that it provides a harmonious development of the body and psyche, a way to maintain good health and well-being.
In the process of reviving the fighting and cultural traditions of Ukrainians, implementing the national health and educational idea in our country, the Cossacks played an important role. Since ancient times, the Cossacks have formed a powerful social organism with a military-democratic structure, which was able to defend its own political and socio-economic interests with weapons. The process of education of those times took the form of a constantly operating training, in which all representatives of the Cossack community and, first of all, youth were involved.
The active involvement of the Cossacks in the formation of the all-Ukrainian education system, cultural and economic growth of the state reflected the external side of the educational process and was the result of the action of the internal content of the ideological and educational system. Cossack fighting and health traditions became such content.
Cossack combat traditions concentrated the centuries-old experience of the Ukrainian community, the spirit and customs of the people, carried a strong, healthy, educational character, which is naturally understandable to every Ukrainian and is spiritually supported at the genetic level by every patriot of the state.
Healthy philosophical views on life, principles of body hygiene, sobriety and responsibility, rules of behavior in a team, norms of public morality, the goal and objectives of existence, as well as the means of achieving them, were extremely clearly and systematically transmitted from generation to generation in the form of Cossack karbs - short sentences that had the form of proverbs and were parts of a large pyramid of a system of theoretical, practical and spiritual principles, the top of which was Cossack legends, poems, songs, fairy tales, dances and combat movement heritage in the form of elements of self-defense and methods of applied self-defense, which are now called combat horting.
Special strengthening physical exercises and technical elements of hand-to-hand combat became one of the main means of hardening the body for solving combat tasks. The art of hand-to-hand combat was transmitted naturally. Every Cossack who underwent many years of training in the Zaporozhian Sich, received hardening in military campaigns and daily Cossack military affairs, became a carrier of advanced technical, humanitarian and economic knowledge and, most importantly, became a conscious spiritual carrier and defender of the Ukrainian ethnic combat and cultural tradition. The ethnic combat traditions of the Zaporozhian Sich are the philosophical and educational foundation of combat horting as a real combat system of self-improvement of the individual.
Thus, the study of the problem of the formation and development of the Ukrainian martial tradition, starting from the first mentions of Kievan Rus (VI century) to the modern state of traditional martial arts, allows us to show the uniqueness and value for Ukrainian culture of the martial tradition of the Ukrainian people. Combat horting as a Ukrainian martial art is the oldest military tradition, an integral part of folk culture, which determines the national character.
Traditional martial culture is an integral part of the culture of the people, which, being enriched by ancient ideals of harmonious human development, gave rise to the phenomenon of modern sports, and although Ukrainian athletes have long proven their superiority in many sports, only some traditional competitions for Ukraine have become sports disciplines.
Ukrainian traditional combat culture of different centuries (VI–XX centuries): Sarmatian warrior, knightly Kievan Rus, peasant militia, military monastery, city combat guards, Cossack Zaporozhian Sich and other Sich groups that appeared on Ukrainian lands and, finally, the military culture of Ukrainian units of the Soviet Army, high combat readiness of the modern Armed Forces of Ukraine - all these are different facets of the combat military tradition of Ukraine, all this is the subject of study, revival, imitation for modern man.
Combat culture refers to a large part of the entire culture, within which there is combat horting - combat tradition and martial art as a certain technical layer, consisting of elements included in the traditional military male and female culture.
Various styles and directions of the combat culture of Ukraine have been preserved to this day: village wrestling, combat training, etc. All of them, despite their originality, have a common goal - the upbringing of a personality that promotes the traditions and customs of the people, the moral attitudes of the society in which this tradition lives. Modern hand-to-hand combat, and therefore, combat horting, traditional combat culture is the physical culture of our strong warlike nation. The traditional understanding of combat culture as applied in the process of development and modernization has changed to self-improvement of oneself.
So, the combat traditions of Ukrainians in the historical context are an inseparable part of the general culture, and the modern traditional combat culture in Ukraine is a multifunctional, multifaceted socio-cultural phenomenon. We see that combat horting - the modern direction of Ukrainian traditional combat culture has not lost continuity with the competitive and applied tradition of the combat culture of the Ukrainian people. The analysis of combat horting corresponds to the fact of the unequal influence of the practice of Ukrainian martial arts and various types of martial arts on the personality and social behavior of a person.
It is obvious that all martial arts of the world, in whatever country they were born, have a common goal - the upbringing of a spiritual, moral, responsible personality who respects the traditions, moral attitudes of the society in which he lives. Combat horting is a Ukrainian type of martial art, and in addition to purely physical improvement through exercises, it pays considerable attention to the spiritual development of a person, involving him in folk philosophy, folk culture, and adherence to customary norms of behavior.
The universal, global comparison of the problems of war and peace adds special relevance to the cooperation of the military, pacifists, believers and atheists, social democrats and conservatives, other parties, movements and trends. Pluralism of the philosophical interpretation of the world, ideological pluralism are inextricably linked with the political democratic view. Various components of the peace movement are in complex relationships with each other - from ideological confrontation to fruitful dialogue and joint actions.
This movement reproduces a global task - the need to find optimal forms of cooperation between the National Federation of Combat Horting of Ukraine and Ukrainian political forces in order to achieve a common goal for the human community. Peace between the peoples of the world is a universal human value, and it can be achieved only through the joint efforts of all peoples.
What is war? What place does it occupy in the history of humanity and man? How is the force that pushes to destroy its own kind, to kill people, represented in the worldview of peoples and nations. The organization of combat horting begins to ask questions, to search for the origins of this phenomenon of humanity. It is humanity, since the ability to war is a feature that clearly distinguishes humanity from the spectrum of life forms on our planet, but does not oppose it to them, but rather has a paradoxical character - it combines both ancient instinctive manifestations and irrational human actions.
The history of human existence cannot be imagined without wars, and this gives the right to assert that war is an attribute of humanity, which is manifested in various aspects of its existence. It is such a complex and multifaceted phenomenon that all currently known worldview models in one form or another include a system of assessments and relations associated with war between people.
If we turn to biology, then the strangest of all human properties is the human ability to systematically kill other people. We are not talking about killing rivals for natural factors - food, a female, status in the tribe, etc. From this point of view, people are no different from other animals. Moreover, peace in the animal kingdom is more an exception than a rule. However, wolves do not hunt wolves. Again, what is meant is not the clarification of relations between themselves, no matter how bloody, but the hunting itself. A wolf pack may perceive another wolf pack as rivals, but not as prey.
Hunting for people like you goes beyond the scope of biological common sense. No living creature can systematically feed on members of its own species - for the same reasons that no living creature can feed on its own meat. Energy must come into a closed system from the outside, and a biological species is a closed system. The corresponding attempts of individual, little conscious beings, and even more so - collectives, to feast on their blood brothers are prevented by numerous, practically insurmountable biological limitations.
Man is the only exception to this rule. People are able to hunt other people, to consider them as their prey. People are omnivores, and their ability to absorb a variety of food goes far beyond the limits set by biology: man is able to process food that is not suitable for him. The first thing processed was not stone, bone or clay, but animal meat, which is not suitable for man by nature. And this ability to consider absolutely everything living as its potential prey could not but lead to the fact that people were able to look at themselves from the same point of view, to treat themselves as an object of murder during a certain competition.
This, of course, does not mean that the victim must necessarily be killed and eaten. The history of the species homo is the history of the use of man by man - as a source of protein, as a victim of robbery, then as a slave, then as an object of exploitation, becoming more and more sophisticated over time. But all this is based on the ability of people to hunt their own kind.
We can say that a person became a person not when he saw in his neighbor "his own", "the same as himself", or a rival, a competitor that does not go beyond the framework of ordinary intraspecific relations, but when he saw in his neighbor a completely alien, a potential victim.
Anyone who has ever participated in an ordinary fight knows that killing a person, that is, inflicting injuries incompatible with life, is not so difficult, but it is very difficult to do it consciously. For example, it is practically impossible to force yourself to poke your finger into the enemy's eye, and humanistic moral education resists this action. Meanwhile, a blow with the knuckle of the middle finger into the eye socket is one of the simplest and most effective practical methods of self-defense against an attacker.
It is very difficult to strangle an opponent, even if you manage to reach the throat: the first signs of agony force you to open your fingers. And, in any case, the most powerful experience is the murder committed. The very sight of a dead person - a motionless, safe body, no longer capable of doing any harm, can force the murderer to fall into a severe depression, either voluntarily or involuntarily.
It seems to us that such experiences are a sign of our civilization, but, in fact, this is the work of biological prohibitions. It was easier for ancient people than for us to cross the threshold of killing their neighbor precisely because they were closer to their biological basis. There are ways to bypass the biological defenses of the species. Nature has provided a mechanism for temporarily removing this protection.
It works only in very rare situations, for example, at the moment of a fight not for life but for death, a combat clash with the enemy. In such a case, however, many other biological defense mechanisms also disappear, pain is dulled, the instinct of self-preservation is silenced. The ability to kill someone like you is given only together with the willingness to die yourself. This is the biological basis of what we have designated as furor: “frenzy”, “getting out of yourself”, “readiness for death”, “aggression”.
This mechanism can be launched in two ways. The first is natural: to put oneself in a situation where furor boils in the blood by itself. Hence the rich culture of insults produced in various human communities. An insult to the enemy, especially a public one, thrown in his face, is intended not so much to suppress the psyche of the offended, as to inflame the rage of the insulter.
At the same time, silence, swallowing an insult is biologically equivalent to adopting a posture of submission in a fight, and the response to it inflames rage in the insulter. Hence the sophisticated, sometimes hours-long argument of opponents before the start of the fight.
You can use workarounds - to inflame anger in yourself artificially. The simplest and most well-studied means for this is a special type of poisoning - intoxication. Almost all psychoactive substances known to us since ancient times, and above all alcohol, have as their main purpose the specific clouding of consciousness, the purpose of which is to incite aggression, rage, turn on irritability and rejection.
All these methods, however, are imperfect, since they assume that a confrontation is taking place, that is, the victim is cornered and forced to accept the fight. But hunting for a hiding, fleeing victim, and, especially, war, as a methodical killing of one's own kind, requires a completely different mood. It requires, above all, coolness.
Finally, the most important thing comes - learning to kill. In the hands of a soldier who is training and learning to fight, there is an automatic rifle, the soldier aims at a humanoid silhouette. He knows for sure that he is not shooting at a person, but at just a cardboard target for practicing the accuracy of shots from a firearm. But then, when the crosshairs of the sight show a figure of a living person running, and it will be necessary to pull the trigger, the commander will tell him the main phrase so that he imagines that he is on the firing line. And the soldier will pull the trigger of his combat weapon. The figure will fall, and the biological prohibition on killing a person by a person will be overcome.
Thus, the army is an instrument of abstraction that supports the ability to perceive another person in such a way as not to see another person - a person, a representative of his own species. The army way of life, army discipline, army military technology - is the acquisition by a person of the ability to kill people and destroy things, without going crazy, without completely turning into an antisocial animal.
Several important conclusions immediately follow from this. Having acquired the ability to abstract and overcome the species prohibition on killing, people began to develop a mechanism for consolidating this result. Now the prohibition on killing one's own should be automatically disabled upon presentation of some sign of alienation. A universal concept of the alien is being formed - in appearance a person, but in reality - legal prey. The next step is to establish some criterion that would allow certain groups of people to distinguish "real people" from "unreal people", those who are for us and those who are against us.
This can be anything: language, or at least an accent, however slight, as long as it is perceived by ear; appearance, any external differences, religious, ideological, and any other differences. All of them, ultimately, are needed in order to separate one's own from another and help a trained soldier perceive another as a potential victim.
The development of abstraction criteria, based on which some people can kill other people, has become a universal mechanism for structuring society. In this sense, it is no coincidence that the army turns out to be one of the most successful instruments not only of war, but also of the modernization of society.
In psychological science, more precisely in the psychology of intergroup relations, considerable experience has been accumulated in studying and analyzing problems close to the topic of war - group aggression, the psychological roots of which can be considered as the basis for philosophical generalization and analysis of the confrontation and mutual destruction of human communities. In this case, one can use the methodological assumption that there is a close relationship between the psychological laws of group aggression and the philosophical problem of "why war is possible."
The origins of group hostility can be seen in the objective conflict of goals and interests of different groups, which inevitably arises in a situation of competitive interaction of their representatives. While rightly emphasizing the role of the features of intergroup interaction in the formation of intergroup relations, this concept cannot explain the facts recorded in numerous experimental studies - the facts of the manifestation of group hostility and bias in the assessments of "one's" and "alien" groups, which arise in the absence of an objective conflict of interests, and in general in the absence of previous experience of intergroup interaction.
Thus, the phenomenon of group hostility is a universal mechanism for the formation of communities, a necessary condition for a person to identify with his group affiliation. And if we allow the possibility of transferring the laws that are true for groups of 10–50 people to large social groups, such as a people, a nation, citizens of a state, then it is quite fair to conclude that war is likely to be a necessary condition for the emergence, formation and prosperity of a community of people.
The main moral core of modern war has become the concern about how to avoid war. If someone wants to revise national borders, a war is started against him in order to prevent a precedent, that is, to avoid a larger war. War must remain in the past, and there is no price that cannot be paid so that it does not start between countries. The history of peaceful life and wars leads to the justification of a new war against war. After all, war has long been the condition for the possibility of peace, and the human world has long ceased to be peaceful.
War continues to play an important role in the life of mankind, and having gone through various forms, having firmly entered the worldview of people, it is a factor that determines the future of mankind. Existing as a possibility of overcoming or maintaining inequality between communities, war displaces the concept of peace, replaces it, and causes the paradox of human existence. Conflict is one of the forms of international interaction. It largely depends on the fact that due to the limited resources available to the world community, any individual subject of international relations - a country - cannot realize its interests without affecting the interests of other people.
The dynamics of international relations are determined by the fact that by its very nature, the power of a state is a relative value: the gain in war of one state, if not always, then often necessarily turns into human losses for another. Each state or group of states seeks to strengthen its own security by increasing its military power.
Although it is impossible to achieve complete security in a world of competing states, the desire of each of them to strengthen its power and security leads to a decrease in the security of others and stimulates competition for greater power and security. In this sense, war can be considered as a manifestation of the principle of struggle for existence, and in certain conditions - the survival of communities that are most adapted to life and the defense of their borders.
All these issues are studied by combat horting specialists for a more fruitful process of training Ukrainian youth in the spirit of a positive perception of their physical, technical, tactical and psychological readiness to perform official duties while serving in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, law enforcement agencies and other state power structures, full readiness for the effective defense of Ukraine.
In accordance with the tasks set, in the international sports space among supporters of sports and martial arts, combat horting is considered as a way of cognition, education of a warrior, the formation of a reliable responsible position, manners of conduct, intellectual mindset, etc.
Combat horting is the most famous martial art of Cossack origin, in which during competitive fighting, almost the entire natural arsenal of single combat techniques is used, based mainly on punches and kicks in a standing and prone position, body and limb grabs, clothing grabs, twists and throws, holds, painful and suffocating techniques, effective combinations of techniques, various combinations of combat bonds, transfers of the fight to the ground and the end of the fight with an effective technique lying on the ground, possible early victory.
Unlike most Western types of fighting that rely on the fighter's own strength, the basis of training a combat horting athlete is the principle of using the maximum possible arsenal of techniques in a competitive fight, using the opponent's strength and quickly identifying his weaknesses, due to which a combat horting athlete can successfully perform according to the rules of any full-contact martial arts.
This process is preceded by thorough moral and volitional preparation and an extremely high pain threshold of the athlete, as well as compliance with established rules, thanks to which combat horting is a powerful educational system of the personality and physical training, accompanied by an increased level of training load.
Thus, combat horting in Ukraine is a national professional and applied sport and a component of the national system of physical culture and is aimed at strengthening health, developing physical, moral and volitional and intellectual abilities of a person by involving him in participation in combat horting sports competitions and training seminars on studying the technique and tactics of performing self-defense techniques.
At the same time, combat horting is an excellent tool for solving the problems of educating the younger generation, since it distracts boys and girls from the street, giving them the opportunity to fully demonstrate their talents and realize their capabilities, to feel like great athletes capable of defending the honor of their Motherland at European and world championships.
By performing these tasks, combat horting is an important means of increasing the social and labor activity of people, satisfying their moral, ethical and creative needs, the vital need for mutual communication, the development of friendly relations between peoples and strengthening peace on the planet.
Of course, combat horting is a guide to the military traditions of Ukrainians from ancestors to modern warriors for application and use in the defense of Ukraine from enemies. If the world were ideal, full of harmony and love, then the issues of confrontation would not arise at all, and in this case there could be no need to revive or create combat systems similar to combat horting. But, as the Ukrainian proverb says, “death entered the world through sin” and, as a result, there is a need to protect the interests of Ukraine from enemies and attack in return.
Those ways, means and methods that people have invented to destroy each other are hardly subject to consideration. There are many known hand-to-hand systems, which are essentially weapons of defense and attack, because they had no other purpose and do not have. Thus, we can say that martial arts in different countries are the result of the creative efforts of nations. The result of the creative efforts of the Ukrainian nation is combat horting.
The use of any weapon to destroy people is an inherently immoral act and, in this sense, the use of hand-to-hand techniques differs from the use of firearms, atomic, chemical, biological weapons only in that they are not a means of mass destruction of people.
At the same time, in killing a person or causing him serious injuries, directly with your own hands, there is some Old Testament cruelty, which, by the way, is very actively promoted by the modern film industry and television, and the manifestation of which can often be seen in modern martial arts. Combat horting is a Ukrainian variety and one of the most effective representatives of martial arts in the whole world. So, in this case, is it possible to consider Ukrainian combat horting as a cultural phenomenon?
If we approach this issue formally, then, probably, it is possible. But here it should be said that the concept of culture has many facets and is a set of various manifestations, successes and achievements of humanity in the creation of material and spiritual values, where spiritual values, from the point of view of secular society, are understood as norms of morality and law, education, erudition, aesthetic development, works of art, etc. In the general sense, combat horting with certain limitations can probably be called a cultural phenomenon of its country, the genetic code of which it carries. But there is a military understanding of spiritual values.
For example, in the consciousness of a warrior, spiritual values are understood as a manifestation of honor, victory, wisdom, love for one's neighbor, purity of soul, but first of all - freedom from passions. There is a very simple criterion for evaluating a particular phenomenon, namely: what it gives a person, how many units of good or evil will penetrate a person under the influence of this phenomenon, why people need it.
If, for example, one person breaks another person's face to the point of blood and shakes his brains out, and other people rejoice because of it. What is more good or evil in this action? What is the benefit to a person from such a culture? It is another matter when a person is forced to injure or even kill an aggressor, fulfilling his military duty, official or civilian, defending his home from attackers, protecting his children and family. In this case, we can talk about the moral aspect of this act, but in a completely different context - the protection of Ukraine, society, family, personality, child, elderly person, etc.
Culture, including combat culture, should serve a person, creating conditions for his spiritual, intellectual and physical perfection, but it should not be at the service of a person's passions. At the same time, any cultural phenomenon, including combat horting, should be approached carefully and prudently, since it is a "double-edged sword" - an effective weapon.
Literature, cinema, theater, television, sports, and so on can be useful for a person, but they can also cause irreparable harm to his soul and body, since in every matter there is a measure for everything. It is known that the basis of combat horting as a sport is competition, and any competition awakens passions, but, at the same time, sports have their own positive developmental manifestations.
For example, combat horting, like any other similar, in essence, sports martial arts, is a phenomenon that is not immoral and not criminal, but extremely powerful and dangerous, no matter from which side you look at it, but with a deep understanding of the matter - an educational and aesthetic phenomenon, if you do not inflame passions around it and do not make athletes cult heroes.
It is very important to understand that the result of the influence of a particular cultural phenomenon on a person depends on who will bring the fruits of this culture. Therefore, before accepting them, one must understand who it comes from, for what purpose, and whether a person needs it for further life and development. It is important to understand what drives people who carry this martial culture.
Over the past thirty years of independence, many schools and directions of martial arts have appeared in Ukraine, united by the term "Ukrainian styles", which claim to have Ukrainian national roots. As a rule, they are of a folklore and ethnographic nature and in this regard, not without reason, claim to have deep, historical roots.
They have their own terminology and symbolism, paganism or Orthodoxy are declared to be their spiritual basis, their fundamental technical, tactical and psychological difference from Eastern martial arts is declared. In fact, they are often based on a wide variety of mixing techniques of domestic and Eastern origin, and their creators are trying to transfer the traditions of foreign martial arts schools to Ukrainian soil.
The specific features of the Ukrainian martial culture, of which the combat horting is considered a descendant, are largely determined by what researchers have called the “character of the Ukrainian people”. Modern Ukrainian warriors know how to defend their land from the enemy, because there are examples of predecessors who have protected our rich territories from external aggressors and attackers for many centuries.
Thus, the process of transferring the martial tradition of Ukrainians has never stopped, and the primary, most fundamental and ancient properties of Ukrainian strength include: courage and boldness, steadfastness and tireless rage against insidious enemies, spiritual strength and steadfastness in the most difficult moments of the life of the country, of the entire people.
These dominant features are some of the oldest in Ukrainian national self-consciousness, their specific content was clearly and powerfully manifested at all stages of the history of our country. The Ukrainian spirit is the martial characteristics of the Ukrainian people. The formation of Ukrainian strength of body and spirit depended largely on the Ukrainian healthy mentality, which is precisely defined in the folk proverb: "in a healthy body - a healthy spirit."
Possessing a freedom-loving character, the Ukrainian people have repeatedly won victories over invaders and achieved great success in peacebuilding. The features of Ukrainian soldiers are reflected in folk sayings and proverbs: "It is better to die in battle than to be disgraced in the ranks", "A Cossack is not a traitor", "Will or death". The considered directions of educational work are directly related to the state of a person in ordinary peacetime and wartime. Ignoring the above aspects leads to a sharp deterioration in the mental state in real combat and a significant decrease in the effectiveness of combat activities.
The existence of combat horting in the modern changing world proves that neither national-cultural, nor philosophical-religious, nor socio-political barriers are an insurmountable obstacle to their development. As a martial art of the nation, it is part of the everyday life of athletes, trainers, military, law enforcement officers, and in general, combat horting is successfully cultivated in different regions of the planet, providing incentives for cultural and sports interstate exchange and consolidation (international organizations, European and world championships, etc.).
Significant positive experience has been accumulated in mastering effective combat horting techniques on a democratic basis, creating favorable conditions for the development of many combat horting schools, all this opens up prospects for a wider and more complete use of the richest resources of the combat tradition of Ukraine, the natural selection of the country's most valuable resource - strong, active and talented youth.
The process of possible loss of the initial integrity of the combat horting tradition may be associated with the strengthening of Western influences on each of the above areas. For example, the separation of combat horting from military training leads to neglect of the spiritual and moral foundations and principles of the military tradition of the Ukrainian people.
As a result, hand-to-hand training can degenerate into a bare technique "for official use", and sometimes simply into a technique of murder. Combat horting, as a phenomenon of the military-applied culture of the Ukrainian nation, which has perhaps the strongest influence on sports youth, in this case can contribute to the transformation of preparatory events into spectacular mass shows, closely approaching politics and business.
In some cases, combat types of sports martial arts acquire a conditional-game character and lose their specificity as martial arts. But combat horting positions itself as a national professional-applied sport and an effective educational system for youth, therefore it should stand on the position of useful service to the people of Ukraine.
In other cases, on the contrary, martial arts styles that are not related to the military tradition are developing in professional sports. At the current stage of development of the martial arts tradition in the context of interaction of different cultures, their historical and cultural integrity and homogeneity are largely lost. Along with the preservation (revival) of the traditional status of a number of arts, eastern and western types of martial arts are separated on their basis, their purely alien sports modifications appear, which retain only external similarities with their specific and style prototypes. At the same time, the traditional systems themselves are branching and stratifying. In addition to the sports and competitive component, combat horting and its health-improving part - therapeutic and health-improving gymnastics - acquire independent significance, sports and health-improving techniques are adapted for classes with women, children, the elderly, etc. Under these conditions, there is a polarization of democratic and elitist tendencies in the development of combat horting as the cultural heritage of the Ukrainian nation.
Thus, combat horting as a modern traditional combat culture of Ukraine is a multifunctional, multifaceted socio-cultural phenomenon. The modern direction of Ukrainian traditional combat culture has not lost continuity from the competitive and applied culture of the Ukrainian people. The analysis of modern martial arts in Ukraine is consistent with the fact that the practice of different types of martial arts has a different impact on the personality and social behavior of a person.
Traditional combat culture, being part of the entire culture of the Ukrainian people, has a specific goal and task - the relay into human life of a set of significant combat values, customs, traditions, norms and rules of behavior passed down from generation to generation.
Later, when firearms came to the fore in history, the art of mastering hand-to-hand combat techniques, as an area of professional skills, began to lose its former significance, but folk competitive culture - despite numerous prohibitions - continued to develop. Therefore, the emergence of combat horting in Ukraine, as a worthy representative of the nation's combat culture, a comprehensive system of training a modern Ukrainian warrior, is a logical and natural fact.
Combat horting for law enforcement agencies is a specialized army military-applied combat, designed for conducting combat operations at short firing distances and in hand-to-hand combat. It includes: fire training with traditional and non-traditional weapons; swimming training in a special way; special techniques for moving and controlling space; the art of survival in conditions of prolonged isolation and in extreme situations; universal skills in wielding cold weapons; studying effective combat techniques of hand-to-hand combat without weapons.
The peculiarity of the culturological approach to the study of Ukrainian traditional combat culture lies in the analysis of the latter as a special form of organizing cultural relations, in clarifying the value of traditional combat culture in the context of modern culture. The object of special analysis is the role of combat horting, as a traditional martial culture of Ukrainians, in the formation of the spiritual world of youth, its assessment as a factor determining the social behavior of people of different age categories.
Thus, in the process of developing the combat horting system, an analysis was carried out from a cultural point of view of the phenomenon of combat horting, as a traditional martial art and a phenomenon of the culture of the Ukrainian people, the main types of traditional martial arts were systematized, the historical path was traced, the uniqueness of combat horting as a traditional martial culture of Ukraine was revealed, the need to introduce combat horting into the educational process of the modern sphere of education was shown.
Thus, combat horting has a very large educational and training potential, it includes conducting fights not only with fists, but also with cold and firearms, which makes this type more practical and modern. The professional methodology of combat horting claims that victory in hand-to-hand combat is achieved with cold calculation, assumes unique accuracy of actions and the widest range of reflexes of the warrior's readiness to quickly respond to the actions of the enemy.
The peculiarity that makes combat horting the best school for modern power structures is that this type of fight includes all forms of movement. A fighter of the combat horting system is absolutely adapted to any opponent and is ready to fight him according to any rules, even according to the rules of those martial arts that this opponent offers.
The combat horting system proves that the Ukrainian combat tradition reaches us from the depths of the ages.
Traditions (from the Latin Traditio - transmission) are elements of social and cultural heritage that are passed down from generation to generation and preserved in certain societies and social groups for a long time. Initially, this word meant "tradition". Tradition, like tradition, has always been orally transmitted.
Tradition is transmitted: either through practical imitation (repetition of any actions), or through folklore. The adequacy of transmission is achieved by repeated repetitions, systems of symbolic texts (mythology) and actions (ritual). In pre-industrial Ukrainian society, most of the features of martial culture were transmitted through tradition, which is why it is called traditional. Hence the concept: martial horting - traditional martial culture of Ukrainians.
Tradition is also a body of knowledge about the world order, a way of thinking about the world, a way of seeing the world, a set of principles for building relationships with the world and within it. Ukrainian martial tradition cannot but be alive. It does not die as long as at least one representative of the Ukrainian military is alive - its carrier.
Traditional culture is the culture of a traditional society, sometimes the term is used in the meaning of folk culture. The traditional combat culture of Ukraine, a worthy representative of which is the combat horting, is associated with high combat readiness, the sacrifice of male defenders, the state and its historical traditions. Traditional culture includes both those elements of culture that have arisen relatively recently (in the last 10–50 years), and centuries-old elements. Combat horting is 12 years old, and, thus, it is a Ukrainian combat tradition.
Traditional combat culture exists in almost every nationality. These are, first of all, various types of fighting, stick fighting, fist fighting, as well as competitions in strength, agility, endurance, and group interaction.
Combat culture is an integral part of the national culture of the people. Dating the origin of the ancient martial art of Ukrainians is impossible, since its appearance and manifestations cannot be associated with a specific historical event or person. To understand the originality, ideological and moral system, distinctive features and advantages of this martial art is possible only by revealing direct historical connections with the ethnoculture itself, traditional folk culture.
Thus, combat horting - Ukrainian traditional martial culture is a specific part of traditional folk culture. At the same time, the concept of "Ukrainian traditional martial culture" has turned into an empty concept for most modern Ukrainians, which says little about a person who did not live as a warrior, did not fight for a place under the sun, did not serve in the security forces, did not pass the test.
The concept of harmony of body and spirit, which declares combat horting, fixed in such weak-willed people, gave way, or rather, turned out to be supplanted by the hypertrophy of the bodily-physical - some new universal substance, devoid of spiritual content, moral and ethical qualities.
Modern Ukrainian society, for objective reasons, cannot truly accurately and perfectly fully know its ancient customs, rites, traditions of the Ukrainian military of antiquity, but in comparison with other peoples of the world, it has not lost its foundations and has made significant progress in this matter. Historical facts flow one from another. There is a constant flow of events, measures, and there is also a certain thoughtfulness and folk epic creativity, which contributes to the ordering of historical knowledge.
The voice of blood tells Ukrainians that powerful warriors have always been born on our land, who learned to fight and knew how to fight, because no enemy has ever felt at peace, as if they were the master of our land. Indeed, Ukrainians are a very warlike nation. Meanwhile, knowledge of the culture of their people provides invaluable assistance in understanding history, allows us to illuminate the threads that connect the past and the present, and most importantly, makes it possible to restore socio-historical memory and predict the future.
Thus, it can be assumed that the possibility of comprehensive improvement and harmonious development by means of traditional martial art - combat horting is attractive for young people.
A student of combat horting - this multifaceted training course, whoever he is, regardless of social status, faith or skin color, is obliged to humanity as a whole, as well as to the doctrine of combat horting, to the combat environment of the Ukrainian army, which transmits knowledge to him.
As the founder of combat horting, Eduard Yeremenko, bequeathed to his descendants and followers: every person who decides to engage in combat horting must swear before himself and his teacher that he will never use the power he acquires in a dishonest, unkind or dishonest matter, to commit a crime, for selfish purposes or to attack a peaceful person. Let the techniques and exercises of combat horting train not only human bodies, but also their knightly instincts, a sense of honor and dignity, everything that the Ukrainian army is famous for. Despite the fact that combat horting techniques give a person the opportunity to become strong and use combat skills in a real extreme situation, they will not achieve their goal if they cannot teach a person the ethics of the knightly code - to fight for the truth and protect the weak, always stand on the side of the truth, not let anyone offend children and the elderly and defend the Motherland.
For the enemy of society as a whole, for example, a city bandit, a criminal, a dangerous murderer, we have a reserve tactic that will help even out the odds, since he is armed and goes to kill, and we are not armed. This is simply the application of techniques at the moment of mortal danger when mobilizing all possible forces and means.
And also, a larger rule that has guided all good people, patriots, soldiers, citizens for centuries: “Death is better than dishonor.” It is not so important for a warrior whether he wins or loses, but it is extremely important for him – what he is fighting for.
The conversation about Ukraine, about the Motherland can be continued provided that the youth needs it. But let's stop and summarize. The comprehension of the scientific philosophical, historical and moral-educational heritage of the combat horting is just beginning. Combat horting connects the concepts of responsibility, resilience, courage, victory, determination, and courage in the fight for truth and justice with culture.
Ukrainian warriors are often called heroes, defenders of Ukraine, the conscience of the nation. Most of them are very honest, sensitive, and uncompromising towards lies and evil, demanding people, first of all, towards themselves, and then towards others.
About a Ukrainian warrior, a combat horting athlete, we can say that he sees life and reality in his own way, as a sensitive, observant person, without imposing his judgments. His thoughts are thought-provoking, you want to support the conversation, express your opinion. To agree or disagree with him is our right. He is a true artist of the warrior's path, the owner of a life that he can give for other people. The whole of Ukraine of his time is his pain, his joy, and happiness because he is its defender.
The Ukrainian warrior, through difficult trials, military operations, through the prism of the history of the Ukrainian language and literature, comprehended the culture of his people and tries to involve his contemporaries in it. Unique editions of fundamental works by great Ukrainian scientists, selected works on Ukrainian and world culture speak of the genius of the Ukrainian warrior. Many are surprised by the fact that in addition to the history of Ukraine, he is interested in and knows world history well.
The warrior interprets history in his own way, where the main place is occupied by man. And not just a man, but a cultural man. And in the rise of culture he sees a way out of many problems. The warrior thinks about how a person can live in harmony with his memory. He constantly calls for preserving peace and a cultural environment, so necessary for the spiritual life of every Ukrainian person.
A simple truth: love for his native land, knowledge of its history is the basis of the spiritual culture of each of us, and of the entire society as a whole. Our small Motherland needs our great care and love. We will have to fulfill the farewell wills of the soldiers who died defending Ukraine. The education of citizenship is impossible without instilling love for the small Motherland, the place where one was born, and it is especially important that this love be instilled from childhood, so that children know: who they are, where their origins are, what is the history of the land on which they grow and which, when they grow up, they will protect, multiply its wealth.
There are bright stars in the sky, and there are small ones. Warrior-heroes, participants in hostilities, war veterans are the brightest stars in the constellation of the Ukrainian military. Therefore, even after their death, their stars will forever illuminate and warm the souls of people. It is not for nothing that the names of the fallen soldiers were assigned to the streets and avenues of the cities of Ukraine.
The veteran fighting brotherhood of Ukrainian soldiers who survived and returned from the liberation war for the Motherland is a planet of wisdom, knowledge, love, goodness and understanding. The ideas of the Ukrainian army will develop, and we will make every effort to ensure that our country, our great Ukraine, is proud not only of its history, its best past and present, but also strives for a promising bright future.
"Horting Encyclopedia"
Eduard Yeromenko
© 2014