The global COVID-19 pandemic has changed the education system. The use of modern information technologies in the educational process and the introduction of distance learning are becoming more and more relevant. These requirements began to apply to academic disciplines, which a priori are difficult to teach online, in a quarantine situation. Physical education is such a discipline. Requirements for teachers are increasing. The teacher must have digital pedagogical competencies in order to successfully teach this academic discipline in modern conditions. The purpose of this pilot study was to determine the level of formation of digital pedagogical competencies among physical education teachers working in institutions of higher and secondary vocational education. The research is based on the European model Digital Competence of Educators (DIGCOMPEDU). A questionnaire for identifying the formation of digital pedagogical competencies was developed on the basis of this model and tested in this study. Teachers were asked to assess, on a 5-point scale, the level of skills and experience in the application of information technologies in the educational process and in the organization of distance learning, as well as to provide specific resources with which they work.44 teachers of physical education from Pskov State University, College of Pskov State University and Velikie Luki State Academy of Physical Culture and Sports took part in this study. It was found that most of all physical culture teachers have formed the ability to work with search engines and knowledge in the field of information security. The skills to produce and use video and graphics content are the least developed. Also an important problem is the lack of experience in the implementation of distance learning among physical education teachers.Groups of teachers with different levels of formation of digital pedagogical competencies were identified using cluster analysis. Five such levels have been identified.The conducted research determines the problem that physical education teachers lack competence in the field of information technologies and their implementation in the educational process even with a mixed form of education (full-time form with elements of distance learning).

For several decades the problem of prevention and correction of posture disorders in primary school children has not lost its relevance. Statistics show that 68-94 % of primary school students have posture disorders. A special place in the classification of posture disorders is occupied by a scoliotic posture. Such a statement indicates that health improving physical education does not fully solve the tasks assigned to it. Analysis of literature sources allowed us to establish two main reasons for the low effectiveness of prevention and correction of scoliotic posture in primary school children. The first reason relates to the low effectiveness of early diagnosis scoliotic posture, and the second reason is low overage of the aspects of the problem, revealing the model of periodization of fitness training with the children in the theory and practice of physical culture. The results of previous studies have allowed us to suggest ways to improve the effectiveness of prevention and correction of scoliotic posture in primary school children, namely: to expand the range of traditional methods of early diagnosis of scoliotic posture through motor and postural diagnostics; to use a nonlinear model of periodization of physical activity to create optimal conditions for leveling muscle imbalance and the formation of rational motor automatisms and patterns in the context of health training.

The transformation of the education system is taking place in modern Russia. There is a transition to a flexible learning system, adapted to the educational needs of every person with any age, cultural, linguistic affiliation. Practical training disciplines are becoming increasingly important. Academic disciplines that form universal competencies are transferred to online learning. Physical Education is such disciplines. All theoretical training is translated online, and the share of classes in the gym is minimized. The purpose of this pilot study is to identify the actual mental state of students in the gym in the conditions of using game and competitive methods. In addition, an important task is to compare the well-being, activity and mood of students studying physical education in the gym and online. An adapted version of the Dembo-Rubinstein technique was used to diagnose such indicators of the current mental state as well-being, activity and mood. The dynamics of these indicators in the conditions of employment in the gym using game and competitive methods was studied using a formative experiment. It was established that real classes in the gym have a positive effect on the actual mental state of students. Most students have improved health, mood, and increased activity. At the same time, classes using the game method, in contrast to classes using the competitive method, are much more effective for activating students and improving their mood. Comparison of indicators of the actual mental state of students in real classes in the gym and online showed that classes in the gym are able to more effectively influence the mood and activity of students.

There has been a decrease of the activeness in the sphere of self-improvement among specialists. It can be assumed that this happens with university teachers as well, and the reason for this might be the fall of their cognitive activeness. The author of the article determines the particularity of the cognitive activeness, its most valuable indicators, as well as their psychological factors. The objective is to reveal the peculiarities of cognitive activeness for further scientific justification of the ways of its development. The questionnaire and the experiment methods were used, the cognitive activeness of the teachers was measured with the scale-type survey, worked out by J. J. Zhukov; the satisfaction with the performance was measured with the expert assessments survey, worked out by G. V. Lozovaja; the pedagogical abilities, the motives of professional activity, the successfulness of the performance and the adaptation to it were determined by the A. N. Nikolaev´s surveys. The main results are the following: the components of cognitive activeness dominate – the integration of educational material, supra-situational activity, the interest in cognition. The components of cognitive activeness have an impact on all indicators of teachers' adaptability. Three types of teachers have been identified: those motivated to the success of their activity; those motivated to the process itself; and those who are passionate about their activities. These types correspond to the results of the factor analysis with factors that are focused on the profession and self-improvement through cognitive activeness, on the activity preference based on one´s interests, and on the success of the activity according to one´s abilities.

The article considers the arguments about the need to rethink the concept of athletes’ psychological training for the competition. The idea of the article is the shift to the teaching the means of individual psychological training of athletes for the competition. The accuracy of this concept is grounded on the empirical data. The article presents the data of the comparative analysis of employing by athletes the means of psychological training for the competition and opinion of coaches about it. The authors explain the reasons why coaches do not prepare football players psychologically in the process of physical, technical, and tactical training. 5 reasons to explain it are considered in the article. In the process of coaches’ training they are taught to regulate the psychological condition and behavior of athletes, but they are not taught how to train the athletes to do that themselves. The necessity of training football players in the means of self-regulation of their psychological condition for the matches has been proved.