Department of Physical Education and Combat Sports

Department of Physical Education and Combat Sports

The physical training of prospective law enforcement professionals is of paramount importance at the Faculty of Law Enforcement (FLE) of the Ludovika University of Public Service (LUPS) as it was in its predecessor institution, the Police College.

Since as early as the 1970s, the teaching of physical coercion has been part of the curriculum in addition to the physical conditioning of students. In the beginning, officer candidates mastered the techniques of combat sports that were introduced in Hungary during that period. In the 1980s, Police Colonel Dr. László Sebestyén clearly distinguished combat sports from self-defence sports in his epoch-making work Protect yourself. Following the turn of the millennium, physical coercion, which evolved from the special nature of law enforcement, became increasingly differentiated from the systems of combat sports and self-defence training. In András Kelemen's work Methodological Bases of the Use of Physical Coercion and the Physical Confrontation of the Police Officer, physical coercion is already conceptualized as an integral part of the required professional knowledge and skills.

The evolution of physical training was determined by the requirements set out in the regulations of the Ministry of the Interior. The textbook Healthy Lifestyle: Developing Sports Skills by Éva Kissné Ferencz, József Somlai, and Erika Tóthné Kósa provided students not only with mandatory learning materials but also with indispensable information for maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Every spring since the early 2000s, the Faculty has organised a conference entitled Sport, Health, Lifestyle, providing the university’s students and staff with information and guidance on developing a health-conscious lifestyle.

From the beginning of the 1990s, the Department has held regular trainings for sports professionals of the Ministry of the Interior and developed a physical admission system in cooperation with the University of Physical Education.

The Department prides itself on its ongoing scientific activities. Its most significant research has focused on football hooliganism, as a result of which a PhD dissertation entitled The Fight of Law Enforcement Forces against Football Hooliganism in Hungary written by Dr. Tamás Freyer, the current Head of the Department.

The Department prides itself on its traditions. The Physical Education Group, which started to operate in 1972, was led by Lieutenant Colonel János Jószai, followed by Major Zsigmond Kázmér. The unit, operating as a department since 1989, was headed by Colonel László Sebestyén, PhD, until 1996. Since 1997, Dr Tamás Freyer has served as Head of the Department. Dr. Freyer holds degrees in physical education, physiotherapy, and judo training (third dan), and is a member of the presidential board of the Hungarian University-College Sports Association.

Contact Information

Department of Physical Education and Combat Sports

Postal address: P.O. Box 60, 1441 Budapest, Hungary

Office: University of Public Service Sports Centre, Room 103, 82 Üllői Street, 1083 Budapest, Hungary

Phone: +36 1 432-9000 / 19207

E-mail: Freyer.Tamas@uni-nke.hu

Head of Department: Dr. Tamás Freyer, Associate Professor, Chief Police Adviser

Secretariat: Nóra Pallás