Multidimensional Educational Models Recommended by Innovative Agonology – Examples of Physical Education and Music Education

Abstract: Almost all types of education are in some sense multidimensional, even if it is difficult to ascribe formal, or passion-driven, experiential, cognitive-behavioral competences closely related to the subject of education to the teaching subject (an individual or a team). From the perspective of the mission of innovative agonology, the most valuable ways, methods, forms and means of educational activities are those whose use (in a session, in a cycle, or as a ‘passion for life’) stimulates as much as possible some aspect of somatic, mental and social health, but also at least one element (component) of survival.From a broader point of view, i.e. the social mission of evidence-based science, the important premise is that although humans are genetically adapted to operate in terrestrial environments, however, they are also active underground, in water, in the air and in space. In each of these environments, one pole of the continuum of survival possibilities accumulates minimal health criteria, while the opposite pole – a long list of factors that mean inevitable death. This diversity of human operating environments and the roles they fulfill within them implies the legitimacy of recommending very complex educational models, some of which require multilevel selection.Apart from individual career paths, swimming and wrestling (even if pursued without the pressure of sports performance) optimally stimulate the somatic dimension of health (hard-respiratory capacity, strength and endurance of the largest muscle groups and flexibility) compared to other sporting activities. The survival dimension is already diverse. For instance, swimming skills increase the chance of survival in an aquatic environment while hand-to-hand combat skills increase the likelihood of effective self-defense in situations of physical aggression. And wrestling is a contact sport (psychophysical activity involving a permanent ‘dialogue of minds and bodies’), so it qualifies as a model that also stimulates the mental dimension of health. Moreover, in general, also the adepts of other martial arts interact in a peculiar way with the centuries-old heritage of the cultures from which these arts originate (social dimension of health). Unfortunately, the effective and attractive status of educational models based on martial arts is depreciated by the pathology of bloody fights of neo-gladiatorship. These spectacles are promoted and camouflaged in the public sphere precisely under the banner of mixed martial arts (the first part of the phrase ‘mixed’ is only 31.25% of the name).Brazilian capoeira is an example of a multifaceted educational model that combines martial art with music. Although innovative agonology is an appropriate science for formulating justifications at the interface between these two arts (martial art and music), the well-established standards of music education are its competition. These standards include respect for centuries-old traditions and multiculturalism, a commitment to routine with an awareness of the unlimited potential for creating beauty and positive emotions. The coordinating perfectionism of the instrumentalists is also admired. However, a hypothesis is justified: ignoring scientific knowledge (including human motor skills) from areas of activity other than music is the cause of, among other things, interpersonal conflicts (for instance teacher-student) and negative effects encompassing all dimensions of health.

Keywords: mental health, motor skills, survival

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1003499

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