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Practical Experience of Coaches in Organizing Athletes’ Training During the Wartime Period

Yuliia Borysova, Oleksii Horpynych, Oleksandr Didkovskyi · Scientific Journal of National Pedagogical Dragomanov University Series 15 Scientific and pedagogical problems of physical culture (physical culture and sports) · 2026

Researchers surveyed Ukrainian coaches and observed training sessions to see how sports training changed under wartime martial law. Coaches reported major disruptions or%%) lacking facilities, 31.8% psychological tension, 22.7% inadequate equipment, and 18.2% irregular sessions, and adapted by training in non-traditional venues, using online platforms, and shifting toward individual and small-group sessions; athletes showed heightened anxiety.
Takeaway: Keep training going through disruption by shifting to smaller-group, online, or non-traditional-venue sessions and adjusting methods to whatever equipment is available.
Abstract (source)

The relevance of this study stems from the profound transformations that Ukraine’s sports and education sectors have undergone as a

Result: of the full-scale war. The

Aim: of the study is to analyze the characteristics of organizing sports training during martial law and to identify ways to adapt the training process to the new conditions.

Methods: and research

Design: analysis of scientific and methodological literature, survey of coaches, pedagogical observation of the training process, and

methods of mathematical statistics. Research

Results: . The

results of the survey of coaches indicate that martial law has caused comprehensive changes in the training process, encompassing organizational, content-related, and psychological-motivational aspects of sports activities. It was found that the most significant changes are related to the difficulty of accessing sports infrastructure, which is due to security restrictions and the need for frequent changes in training locations. This has led to the proliferation of alternative training formats, including training in non-traditional locations, the use of online platforms, an increase in the proportion of individual and small-group sessions, and adjustments to training

results of the survey of coaches indicate that martial law has caused comprehensive changes in the training process, encompassing organizational, content-related, and psychological-motivational aspects of sports activities. It was found that the most significant changes are related to the difficulty of accessing sports infrastructure, which is due to security restrictions and the need for frequent changes in training locations. This has led to the proliferation of alternative training formats, including training in non-traditional locations, the use of online platforms, an increase in the proportion of individual and small-group sessions, and adjustments to training methods based on available resources. The psychological state of athletes is characterized by increased anxiety, reflecting the general emotional climate of wartime.

Conclusions: . Among the main difficulties faced by coaches, the most frequently mentioned are the lack of training facilities, identified by 36.4% of respondents; psychological tension, noted by 31.8%; insufficient equipment, reported by 22.7%; and irregular training sessions, indicated by 18.2% of coaches. The “other” option was chosen by 4.5% of respondents. Development of practical recommendations for conducting training sessions in accordance with the security situation in the region and the specific sport.

Primary studyOpen accessWomen's & Youth Athletics
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