Yu.M. Nikolaev, professor, Dr.Hab.
National State University of Physical Education Sport and Health named after P.F. Lesgaft, St. Petersburg

Keywords: theory of physical culture – knowledge: developing, contradictory, methodological, revolutionizing, of today, working for perspective.

Introduction. Currently Russia is on the stage of intensive historical creation, when much should be changed in the country, and primarily via science and education. And physical culture, sport, physical culture education are not an exception. Effective ways to implement their highest value potential for the human and social development are being searched more actively in these areas in the theoretical and applied aspects (V.K. Bal’sevich, 2002, 2008; L.I. Lubysheva, 2002, 2006; G.G. Natalov, 2003, V.I. Stolyarov, 2004; I.M. Bykhovskaya, 2008; Yu.M. Nikolaev, 2009; N.N. Vizitey, 2009, et al.). And the fundamental contribution to the solution of this issue can and must be made by such a general major subject as theory of physical culture (TPC).

The purpose of the research was to scientifically substantiate the content of the subject of theory of physical culture.

Results and discussion. The issue of forming TPC in physical culture education has been on the agenda for the fifth decade by now (since the 70s of the XX century), however, there is still no clarity with regards to its solution. Moreover, there are persistent symptoms of self-complacency about the need for its further development. Future generations of professionals of the XXI century are being taught this subject both on substantial and structural levels using mainly materials dating back to the 80s of the XX century. It is no coincidence that many note a serious crisis in the formation of TPC that has been on for many years (N.N. Vizitey, G.G. Natalov, Yu.M. Nikolaev, et al.). Decisive strategic progress in the implementation of this most relevant and quite complicated issue is necessary.

Main content. Indeed, the issue of forming TPC currently serves as developing knowledge, on the one hand, and as contradictory knowledge, on the other, basically – as methodological (basic) knowledge. And, of course, it is knowledge of today, definitely working for perspective. It is knowledge that is revolutionizing the entire physical culture and sports practice. Let’s take these statements further in the mentioned sequence.

Any theory including TPC is developing knowledge, and it is important to understand and identify primarily its place in the theoretical and educational space of physical culture. All the difficulties and crises associated with TPC formation and its substantive content are in our opinion rooted in the uncertainty of solving this particular issue. Here it is necessary to turn to ideas of the 70s of the XX century, primarily associated with the names of L.P. Matveev who focused on forming some of its theoretical contours and V.M. Vydrin who noted that it can actually be done only from the culturological standpoint.

In his first works on this issue published in the journal “Teoriya i Praktika Fizicheskoy Kul’tury” L.P. Matveev (1975, 1978, 1980 etc.) rightfully mentioned overall TPC (OTPC) that was to reveal the “comprehensive and integrative”, “comprehensive and systemic”, “significant and common” that would help comprehend the total of the main components, the most important properties and connections, patterns of functioning and developing, etc. of physical culture. That is, a question was raised of a transition to an independent theory of a higher, integrative level of understanding of physical culture than the one theory of physical education (TPE) had at that time. However, any theory develops at least on the basis of the deeper understanding of the essence of the phenomenon (in our case it is physical culture), from the level of formation of its conceptual and methodological bases (A.G. Zdravomyslov, V.S. Stepin, et al.). Unfortunately, in the late 70s of the XX century all this did not yet exist in the sphere of physical culture. Therefore, due to objective reasons (such as lack of methodological framework/ and methodology is always primary in relation to theory/ and factual material, especially culturally congruent) the transition “from TPE to integrative OTPC” outlined by L.P. Matveev was actually replaced/substituted with a transition “from TPE to T/and methodology/PC” that was introduced into the curricula of Institutes of Physical Culture as a major in 1979. However, due to the above reasons, the T/and methodology/PC had accumulative and overall (introduction to TPC; general principles of TPC; characteristics of typical areas and forms of use of PC; theoretical and applied basics of PC during different periods of human life, etc.) and not integrative character. The main place in it was occupied by still the same content of the former TPE with its emphasis mainly on physical development and physical education of an individual (the “Introduction to TPC” section provided very little to TPC aspiring to have the true status). Probably the general trend manifested itself here – the one that was dominant in science in the middle of the XX century – to study an object “from particulars to generals” (that is, “from the bottom up”), although the irreducibility of an object as a whole to the sum of its parts was later substantiated. 

Unfortunately, TPC (or rather T/and methodology/PC) exists in such an unchangeable structural and content-related form up to date, as evidenced by the basic textbooks on this subject, providing mainly overall, methodical/applied/knowledge about the transformation of human physicality.

However, professionals involved in the scientific research with regards to TPC formation seem to be overlooking one important point. L.P. Matveev noted that T/and methodology/PC introduced into the curricula of Institutes of Physical Culture in 1979 is “a kind of transitional (i.e., temporary – Yu.N.) course from TPE to a more comprehensive system of knowledge about physical culture” (that is, TPC in the true sense of the word - Yu.N.) [1], that in the present form “theory of physical culture (the official name is “Theory and Methodology of Physical Culture”) exists in the field of higher physical culture education as a generalizing scientific and educational subject of not formal and abstract (that is, methodological - Yu.N.), but theoretical and applied nature” [2]. That is, L.P. Matveev regarded the development of theoretical knowledge on physical culture at that time as a consecutive chain consisting of three theories: ТPC – T/and methodology/PC (as a transitional – temporary course of theoretical and applied/methodological/nature) – theory of formal and abstract plan (related to a more comprehensive system of knowledge about physical culture) that is, unfortunately, lacking in the sphere of physical culture education to this day.

The existing T/and methodology/PC that actually substituted OTPC, in spite of the generally well presented traditional information, does not form culturally congruent theoretical consciousness and thinking in physical education professionals (due to weak reliance on content and methodological works on the overall history of culture, knowledge generalization oriented “from the bottom up” – from the body-motor component, from practice - with an emphasis on the same motor skills, motor habits, functional state development), thus not bringing out our sphere of activity onto a higher theoretical level of its conceptualization.

It was necessary to rely on a new methodology that would open wider, new horizons for the development of theoretical knowledge in the sphere of physical culture. This could only be done using the systemic approach that really helps look at it not only “from the bottom up”, from its body-motor component, from practice (prom parts to the whole), but first of all from the standpoint of the philosophic and culturological level of methodology (which V.M. Vydrin and V.I. Stolyarov emphasized, especially earlier), that is “from the top downward”, from “the whole to its parts” (which becomes dominant in the pedagogical methodology in the late XX – early XXI century), from the substantive characteristics of general culture. This required at least an identification of the overall trend of development of theoretical knowledge about physical culture over the past 30 – 40 years.

Analysis of the development of TPC in the Soviet and post-Soviet period (from 1971 to 2010 inclusive) revealed certain milestones (stages) in its formation in accordance with the decades: “conditionally – indicative” (from 1971 to 1980); “deep exploratory” (from 1981 to 1990); “methodological and developing” (from 1991 to 2000); “constructively forming” (from 2001 to 2010).

In these four compressed decades in the context of TPC formation a growing understanding of physical culture in the rising direction “from the physical to the spiritual” is clearly visible, to transit on a sufficiently high level of its development from “the theory of cultivating the physical” in an individual within the framework of the system of physical education (which was typical TPE) to “the theory of culture of the physical” in him, within the system of physical culture (which should be the primary responsibility of modern TPC). Therefore, it was necessary to regard physical culture
differently”¹, from the methodological standpoint of general culture, understanding it as a “spiritual and physical” phenomenon. It is “its moral, spiritual component” that is the fastening inner stem of culture (D.S. Likhachev, 2006; A.S. Zapesotsky, 2007, et al.).

Conclusion. At the beginning of the XXI century in the field of professional and general physical culture education it is necessary to change (in accordance with the leading trends in general education – intensification of the culture forming, humanistic and methodological functions) to a new, truly culture conformable level of understanding of physical culture and sports in the country. The theoretical and methodological data of the modern theory of physical culture should be the base for this. It will require a radical revision of the content of the current theory and methodology of physical culture. The latter will be in demand, but in new theoretical constructs of the developing theoretical educational space of physical culture (particularly in theories of its types), somewhere in a significantly modernized form, somewhere, perhaps in a constant form, something will, perhaps, no longer exist, as something that did not stand the test of time and practice.

References

1. Bal’sevich, V.K. Osnovnye polozheniya kontseptsii intensivnogo innovatsionnogo preobrazovaniya natsional’noy sistemy fizkul’turno-sportivnogo vospitaniya detey, podrostkov i molodezhi Rossii (The fundamentals of the concept of intensive innovative transformation of national system of physical culture and sports training of children, adolescents and young people of Russia) / V.K. Bal’sevich // Teoriya i praktika fizicheskoy kul’tury. – 2002. – № 3. – P. 2–4.
2. Bykhovskaya, I.M. Chelovecheskaya telesnost’ v sotsiokul’turnom izmerenii: traditsii i sovremennost’ (Human corporality in socio-cultural dimension: traditions and modernity) / I.M. Bykhovskaya. – Moscow: SCOLIPC, 1993. – 169 P.
3. Vvedenie v teoriyu fizicheskoy kultury: ucheb. posobie dlya institutov fiz. kultury (Introduction to theory of physical education: study guide for institutions of phys. Culture) / Ed. by L.P. Matveev. – Moscow: Fizkul'tura i sport, 1983 – 128 P.
4. Vizitey, N.N. O metodakh i formakh nauchnoy diskussii: bez pretenzii na polnoe osveshchenie voprosa (ironicheskie zametki) (On methods and forms of scientific debate: no claim to complete coverage of the issue (ironical notes) / N.N. Vizitey // Teoriya i praktika fizicheskoy kul’tury. – 2011. – № 3. – P. 50–54.
5. Vsesoyuznaya nauchno-prakticheskaya konferentsiya «Filosofsko-sotsiologicheskaya teoriya fizicheskoy kultury i sporta i praktika kommunisticheskogo vospitaniya v svete resheniy XXVII s'ezda KPSS» (All-Union theoretical-practical conference "Philosophical and sociological theory of physical culture and sport and practice of communist training in light of resolutions of XXVII Congress of the CPSU) // Teoriya i praktika fizicheskoy kul’tury. – 1986. – № 7. – P. 5–29.
6. Ikonnikova, S.N. Teoriya kultury: ucheb. posobie (Culture Theory: study guide) / Ed. by S.N. Ikonnikova, V.P. Bol'shakov. – St. Petersburg: Piter, 2008. – 592 P.
7. Lubysheva, L.I. Sportivnaya kul’tura v shkole (School sports culture) / L.I. Lubysheva – Moscow: Teoriya i praktika fizicheskoy kul’tury i sporta. 2006. – 174 P.
8. Matveev, L.P. Obobshchayushchaya teoriya fizicheskoy kultury na tekushchem etape svoego stanovleniya (Generalizing theory of physical culture on current stage of its development) / L.P. Matveev // Teoriya i praktika fizicheskoy kul’tury.  – 2009. – № 9. – P. 16–18.
9. Natalov, G.G. Predmetnaya integratsiya teoreticheskikh osnov fizicheskoy kultury, sporta i fizicheskogo vospitaniya (logika, istoriya, metodologiya): dis. v vide nauch. dokl. … dokt. ped. nauk (Substantive integration of theoretical foundations of physical culture, sport and physical education (logic, history, methodology): thesis in the form of scientific report of Dr.Hab.) / G.G. Natalov. - Krasnodar, 1998. – 106 P.
10. Nikolaev, Yu.M. Teoriya i praktika fizicheskoy kul’tury v pervoy treti XXI veka (Theory and practice of physical education in the first third of the XXI century) / Yu.M. Nikolaev // Teoriya i praktika fizicheskoy kul’tury. – 2010. – № 9. – P. 10 – 18.
11. Nikolaev, Yu.M. Istoriya i metodologiya nauki o fizicheskoy kul’ture: ucheb. metod. posobie (History and methodology of physical culture science: teaching aid) / Yu.M. Nikolaev. – St. Petersburg: Olimp-SPb, 2010. – 200 P.
12. Nikolaev, Yu.M. Teoriya fizicheskoy kul’tury: sovremennyie podkhody (Theory of physical culture: contemporary approaches) / Yu.M. Nikolaev. – St. Petersburg: Olimp-SPb, 2010. – 120 P.
13. Nikolaev, Yu.M. Chelovekotvorcheskaya sushchnost fizicheskoy kul’tury i ee teorii: velenie vremeni: (k probleme modernizatsii teoretiko-obrazovatel’nogo prostranstva fizicheskoy kulturyi) (Human creative essence of physical culture and its theories: call of times (problem of modernization in theoretical and educational space of physical culture) / Yu.M. Nikolaev // Teoriya i praktika fizicheskoy kul’tury. – 2011. – № 10. – P. 96–106.
14. Nikolaev, Yu.M. Sovremennaya teoriya fizicheskoy kul’tury kak mirovozzrencheski-metodologicheskaya osnova pereosmysleniya professional’nogo i obshchego fizkul’turnogo obrazovaniya (Modern theory of physical culture as ideological and methodological basis of reconsideration of professional and general physical culture education) / Yu.M. Nikolaev // Teoriya i praktika fizicheskoy kul’tury. – 2013. – № 2. – P. 96–102.
15. Nikolaev, Yu.M. Teoriya fizicheskoy kul’tury: osnovopolagayushchie tendentsii stanovleniya i razvitiya (Theory of physical culture: fundamental tendencies of formation and development) / Yu.M. Nikolaev, M.A. Safronova // Teoriya i praktika fizicheskoy kul’tury. – 2014. – № 4. – P. 26–29.
16. Stolyarov, V.I. Pretentsioznaya, no neudachnaya popytka pereosmysleniya bazovykh osnov teorii fizicheskoy kul’tury (kriticheskie zametki) (Pretentious, but failure attempt to reconsider the foundations of theory of physical culture (critical notes) / V.I. Stolyarov, S.D. Neverkovich // Teoriya i praktika fizicheskoy kul’tury. – 2011. – № 1. – P. 32–36.

Corresponding author: k_tfk@lesgaft.spb.ru