Coaches’ Attitudes Towards Planning and Organizing Physical Training in Rowers

Abstract

Aim. The article deals with studying the opinion of rowing coaches and rowing federation representatives about the reasons for performance worsening in Russian athletes and establishing the practice of physical training in rowers at different stages of the macrocycle. Materials and Methods. We conducted an opinion poll and developed a questionnaire with 14 questions and 55 sub-questions of open, closed and semi-closed types. 42 rowing coaches aged 28–73 with an average teaching experience of 22.5 years participated in this poll. We also had an interview with a consulting coach of FISA – G. Postiglione. Results. Among the reasons of performance worsening in highly-skilled Russian rowers, the respondents emphasized the following: the absence of a unified scientifically justified training system, a lack of coaches and experts with a comprehensive set of tools for performance enhancement. 38.2% of respondents prefer to pay more attention to physical training only in the preparatory stage; 28.5% prefer to do this during the whole one-year macrocycle; 23.8% – during the preparatory and post-season stages, and 9.5% – during the preparatory and competitive stages. Conclusion. We revealed the reasons for performance worsening in Russian rowers using the data obtained from coaches and managers of various levels; explored the experience of physical training in rowers at different stages of the macrocycle; established the preferences of coaches with various teaching experience in relation to training resources; established the features of training management at different stages of the macrocycle.