Mentoring of first-year student athletes as a factor of their successful adaptation to university conditions

Statement of the problem. Health is a key factor that ensures the full functioning of a person. Disruption of the state of health of any of the human body systems can cause a breakdown of the adaptive capabilities of the body, which will lead to disruption of successful and prosperous life. That is why the adaptation of first-year students in a pedagogical university is an important stage in their educational path. This is especially true for athletes who, in addition to studying, also play sports at a professional level. The program for the adaptation of first-year athletes at a pedagogical university plays a key role in the successful integration of these students into a new environment and ensuring optimal conditions for combining study and training. The first year of study at a pedagogical university is a period of adaptation to new requirements and the mode of the educational process. For athletes, this task becomes even more difficult due to the need to coordinate their sports schedule with the training schedule. The program of adaptation of first-year athletes is aimed at creating comfortable conditions for student-athletes so that they can successfully cope with all the required tasks and achieve success in both areas of their activities. In this article, we will consider the basic principles and methods of the program for the adaptation of first-year athletes at a pedagogical university, as well as its importance for the development of sports potential and obtaining high-quality education. The research methodology includes analysis of the research works of Russian and foreign scientists recognized by the scientific community; experience of mentoring among first- and senior-year students at a pedagogical university; synthesis of the results of our research on the problem of adaptation of the body of first-year students to the conditions of the university. Research results. The study involved 32 first-year male students of the I.S. Yarygin Institute of Physical Culture, Sports and Health at the KSPU named after V.P. Astafyev. According to the results of the study, it was possible to establish that first-year students have an increased index of the Bayevsky stress index. Despite the fact that the respondents were offered a weak psycho-emotional load, a change in the structure of the heart rhythm of the freshmen showed disruption of their bodies’ adaptability to university conditions (physical, educational, and mental stress).