Професійна Готовність Майбутніх Тренерів До Роботи Зі Спортсменами-ветеранами Війни: Роль Психологічної Стійкості Та Адаптивних Компетентностей
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Introduction. The aim is to identify, through a theoretical comparative analysis, the shared and specific components of coaches’ professional competence in traditional and adaptive sports and in working with war veteran athletes, as well as to substantiate the principles of their specialized training for organizing a safe, individualized, trauma-informed, and veteran-centered training process aimed at athletic development, enhancing functional capacity, and promoting veterans’ social reintegration. Materials and Methods. The study was theoretical and analytical in nature and involved the analysis, systematization, and comparison of data on coaches’ professional activities in traditional and adaptive sports, as well as the involvement of war veterans in sports. Based on systemic, competency-based, and interdisciplinary approaches, a comparative analysis of professional profiles was conducted according to the following criteria: athlete assessment, training load planning, sports technique instruction, equipment use, communication, risk management, psychological readiness, professional interaction, and the focus of the training process. Results. A common core of professional competence for coaches has been identified, encompassing sporting and methodological, pedagogical, communicative, organisational and managerial, ethical, reflective and safety components. It has been established that the training of adaptive sports coaches additionally requires knowledge of the characteristics of disability and functional impairments, proficiency in methods of functional assessment, the adaptation of sporting techniques, the individualisation of training loads, and the use of prostheses, orthoses, sports wheelchairs, adaptive equipment and the sports classification system. It is argued that working with athletes who are war veterans requires a separate, veteran-specific level of training, which includes taking into account the consequences of combat experience and injuries, monitoring daily readiness for physical exertion, trauma-informed and veteran-centred communication, individual risk management, crisis response, multidisciplinary professional collaboration and the promotion of social reintegration through sport. Psychological resilience is defined as a cross-cutting component of professional readiness, ensuring emotional self-regulation, informed decision-making, the maintenance of professional boundaries, critical reflection, and the prevention of professional burnout and secondary traumatisation. A three-tier structure for professional training is proposed, integrating general coaching, adaptive and veteran-specific competencies. Conclusions. Traditional coaching education does not fully prepare specialists to work with athletes who are war veterans. Specialised training should combine theoretical instruction with the analysis of professional situations, simulation scenarios, the development of first-aid and crisis response skills, reflective practices and practical training under the supervision of experienced specialists. The professional competence developed should ensure not only the achievement of sporting results, but also the safety, enhanced functional capacity, psychological well-being, autonomy and social reintegration of war veterans.
Language: English
Subfield: Developmental and Educational Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W7225016736