Methodology of technical preparation of athletes specialising in race walking in the system of long-term improvement

The training of athletes specialising in race walking requires the implementation of the latest methodologies of technical preparation into practice in the system of long-term improvement. The aim of the research is to improve the process of technical preparation of athletes specialising in race walking, based on the development of methodology in the system of long-term improvement, taking into account multifunctional biomechanical models of the main elements of technical actions. Methods: analysis of scientific and methodological literature, video recording with biomechanical analysis of motor actions of athletes, modelling, pedagogical experiment and methods of mathematical statistics. Results. As a result of the conducted researches of sports walking technique at the stages of the preliminary basic preparation (13-15 years old; men: a distance of 3 km, n=31; women: a distance of 2 km, n=20), specialised basic preparation (16-19 years old; men: a distance of 10 km, n=36; women: 10 km distance, n=32) and in highly skilled athletes from the stage of preparation for higher achievements to the stage of preservation of higher sportsmanship (20 and more years; men: 20 km distance, n=31; women: 20 km distance, n=31), on the basis of correlation analysis, 14 informative biomechanical characteristics influencing the improvement of sports result in the system of long-term improvement of race walkers were determined. The main elements of technical actions of athletes specialising in race walking and biomechanical characteristics of the technique that determine them have been identified. On the basis of these data, multifunctional biomechanical models of the main elements of technical actions were developed using artificial neural networks. On this basis, a technical preparation programme for race walkers was developed and its effectiveness was experimentally proved. On the basis of the conducted research at the theoretical and empirical levels, the methodology of technical preparation of athletes specialising in race walking in the system of long-term improvement was developed. Conclusions. The proposed author's approach to the use of the methodology of technical training of athletes specialising in race walking in the system of long-term improvement allows to optimise the process of improvement of technical actions of race walkers in the first stage of long-term improvement and contributes to the achievement of high sports results with perfect technique of motor actions in its second stage.