Martial arts, combat sports - arranging concept (expert appraisement for the Ministry of Sport and Tourism)

The author presents his main conclusions related to definitions. He explains that according to the humanistic theory of martial arts - martial arts are a historic category of perfect systems of hand-to-hand fight and the one with the use of weapons. These systems have their roots in warriors' culture linked with ethical codes and elements of metaphysics. Thus, it is not a competition or a direct confrontation that determines the martial arts but it is a connection with a spiritual culture. Martial arts are forms of psychological activity connected with a given tradition of hand-to-hand fight or using weapons which aim at spiritual development and connecting methods of education with self-improvement in the spiritual dimension [Cynarski 2004]. On the other hand, combat sport (in accordance with intuitive, common sense and logical understanding of this notion) is every formula of competition coming from martial arts or ritual practice connected with the direct or symbolic fight with institutionalized rules, where sport regulations preserve health and dignity of the competitors. The expert appraisement contains suggestions of systematizing existing national organizational structures of combat sports and founding separate institutions for martial arts as an original form of physical culture. There has been formulated a concrete suggestion to modify the archaic regulation concerning awarding national licence for instructors and coaches.