From the author: Coaches! The question about competitions is something you get asked quite often. Many parents know more than you whether their child should participate. For those who are especially stubborn, print out this article and let’s read it. What are competitions for? Parents don’t ask this question directly, but it’s in the air for everyone. It especially occurs before a debut competition or after several defeats. Competitions are an integral part of playing sports. The purpose of the competition: To identify a champion in an age, weight category or discipline and award him with a medal of the appropriate level; Selection of the best athletes for the national team of a club, city, country; Preparation for the next, more responsible competitions Identify errors and shortcomings in preparation Identify problems in the psychological preparation of an athlete Identify the special abilities of an athlete Maintain interest in sports Earning money IDENTIFYING A CHAMPION It is impossible to live in our world without competition. Only in comparison with someone else is the best revealed. When buying a product, we also hold product competitions and acquire a champion in the category that we need. The desire to become the best is a natural human need. The champion receives a reward, such as a medal and certificate. His name is entered into the official protocol of the championship and published in the press and Internet resources. In this case, external motivation (psychological term) is activated. It is pleasant to be a champion, so it is necessary to repeat this feeling - to become a champion. SELECTION OF ATHLETES FOR THE TEAM Many competitions are stage-by-stage. Those. from entry level to higher level. Group (branch, department) championship Club championship City championship Regional championship Country championship European championship, World championship Competitions of a lower level are not only preparatory, but can also be qualifying for championships of a higher rank. Getting into the national team (club, region or country) is always prestigious and responsible. Moreover, even winning the qualifying tournament does not guarantee getting into the national team. It is still necessary to correspond to the level of a major tournament. Selection for a team is also an external motivation. “I trained well - I won the selection - I got into the national team” PREPARATION FOR THE NEXT STARTS Not all starts are of equal importance for athletes. Of course, you want to win everything, but there are no victories without defeats. Therefore, the main tournaments that need to be won are selected (no more than 2-3 per year). Exactly, you need to prepare for these tournaments. One of the ways to prepare is to participate in intermediate competitions. Participation in such competitions is considered as training. This is where new techniques, tactical schemes, etc. are tested. The athlete may not even know that the start is intermediate; this is planned by the coach. A specific task is set before each fight and its implementation is monitored. After the end of the tournament, a detailed analysis is done. IDENTIFYING ERRORS AND DEFECTS “No defeats - no victories”, “For one beaten, they give two unbeaten”, “What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger.” Defeat is good material for analysis and conclusion. In addition, defeat not only strengthens, but also stimulates to move forward. The coach must approach the defeat of his ward competently. In the fight against a stronger opponent, shortcomings and mistakes are visible. And it’s good that these errors were identified in time and there is time to correct them. PROBLEMS IN THE PSYCHOLOGICAL PREPARATION OF AN ATHLETE A typical situation is that an athlete is “burnt out” or, conversely, is too apathetic. You will not know how your athlete should prepare for the start unless you try to start in different conditions. “Experience is the son of difficult mistakes.” This is exactly what this is about. If physical readiness is visible and understandable before the start, then the psychological state of the athlete is a sealed secret. This is especially true for debutants. By carefully observing the athlete before the start of the competition, during the warm-up, at the beginning of the fight, the coach can draw conclusions about psychological characteristics.