PSYCHOLOGICAL SUPPORT OF THE TRAINING OF TEENAGE ATHLETES

The study explores the characteristics of psychological support as a crucial element in the training of young athletes. Psychological support in sports is conceptualized as a system of targeted interventions designed to develop, enhance, and optimize the mechanisms of mental regulation governing both the athlete’s physiological functions and behavioral patterns, in accordance with the demands of training and competition. Its primary objective is to facilitate the advancement of cognitive-value, motivational-emotional, personal-meaning, regulatory-behavioral, and communicative dimensions of young athletes’ subjectivity throughout different stages of their preparation. The framework of psychological support in athletic training consists of interrelated and mutually dependent components, including psychodiagnostics, modeling, psychoprophylaxis, psychocorrection, and monitoring. As a structured process, psychological support aims at achieving a well-defined outcome, incorporating an evaluative-criteria component that encompasses key indicators such as the athlete’s emotional state, the extent of intrapersonal potential realization, the level of individual integration into micro- and macro-environments, and the baseline parameters of athletic performance.