Rationale for Integrating Ju-Jutsu into Ukraine's Physical Education System: Pedagogical, Health-Enhancing, and Applied Potential

<jats:p>The purpose of the article is to assess the educational, health-enhancing, and practical potential of the Eastern martial art of Ju-jutsu and, on this basis, to develop an integrated model for its pedagogically adapted incorporation into the physical education system. The methodological framework of the study comprised systemic, competency-based, learner-centred, and health-preserving approaches. The research methods included a problem-oriented thematic analysis of scholarly publications and regulatory documents, a comparison of educational and sports training objectives, structural and functional modelling, and a secondary synthesis of the findings from the author's previous empirical studies involving upper-secondary school students. It was established that the pedagogical value of Ju-jutsu lies not in replicating sports training within the school setting, but in the variability of its technical content, controlled contact, the possibility of progressively increasing the complexity of motor tasks, and the integration of physical, cognitive, psycho-emotional, and social components of activity. A three-dimensional model was developed in which the educational dimension encompasses the formation of learning and motor competence, tactical thinking, self-monitoring, and formative assessment; the health-enhancing dimension includes increasing the volume of physical activity, the comprehensive development of physical abilities, functional adaptation, and psycho-emotional self-regulation; and the practical dimension involves skills in safe falling, conflict avoidance, spatial and situational awareness, and proportionate defensive behaviour. The cross-cutting conditions for implementing the model were identified as follows: the exclusion of injury-prone techniques; the prioritisation of technical control over strength and victory; adherence to the sequence "non-contact performance – regulated interaction – variable situational task"; differentiation of physical loads; pedagogical and medical-functional monitoring; teacher preparedness; and the ethical orientation of classes. The scientific novelty of the article lies in distinguishing between the potential effects inherent in the Ju-jutsu movement content itself and the pedagogical conditions under which these effects can be realised in an educational institution, as well as in constructing a "component – mechanism – expected outcome – assessment indicator" matrix. The practical significance of the study is determined by the possibility of using the proposed model to develop a variable learning module, curriculum and lesson planning, assessment criteria, and a professional development programme for physical education teachers. It is substantiated that the martial art of Ju-jutsu can serve as an appropriate and effective means of physical education, provided that it undergoes educational transformation rather than being mechanically transferred from sports or combat-oriented practices into the school environment.</jats:p>