Role of software and methodological support for training track-and-field athletes (race-walkers) at the stage of sports skills improvement

Statement of the problem. Specialists involved in the training of track and field athletes-walkers note the need to develop recommendations for optimizing and individualizing the training process. At the same time, experts see the problem in the need to improve the methodological framework. This article presents the role of not just a methodological complex for providing training for athletes, but a methodological complex taking into account their specialization. The purpose of the article is to identify ways for improving methodological tools when training track-and-field athletes at the stage of sports skills improvement. The research methodology consists of general scientific research methods. In particular, the method of generalization, analysis, and content analysis. The analysis resulted in conclusions that determine the role of software and methodological support. Research results. As a result of the analysis, generalization of the results of a number of authors, including practitioners, the necessity of using an interdisciplinary approach to the problem of methodological support for the training of athletes was revealed. It is proposed to use digital technologies in the development and implementation of methodological tools in the practice of coaching at the stage of improving sports mastery. Conclusion. The article proposes a new approach to the development of the methodological basis of the training process. To achieve the stage of sports skills improvement, athletes and a coach need effective teaching materials, since the period of improvement coincides with the process of preparing for a competition, and such training must take into account many factors, a coach must have a significant amount of theoretical knowledge and practical skills, and this does not always correspond to reality. At the stage of improvement, effective and tested in practice software and methodological complex can solve many problems, eliminate knowledge deficits, so its importance can hardly be overestimated. The article concludes that it is necessary to introduce programming elements, to use digital technologies in the development and use of training programs for athletes. The created program will allow a trainer to track athlete’s achievements, will allow predicting, analyzing, modeling the results achieved, and, most importantly, and to take into account the characteristics of the athlete. Such a methodological complex based on the programming language and modern digital technologies is based on interdisciplinary and integrated approaches to the problem of improving sports mastery.