Aspects of psychological training of volleyball players of different ages

Background and purpose In the course of many years of training, volleyball athletes face a number of difficulties, such as intense workloads, competition, team relationships, and crisis situations in the athlete's life. Therefore, psychological training should be an integral part of athletes' activities. Objective: to carry out a comparative characterization of psychological preparation of volleyball players of different ages and to give recommendations for improvement of game performance. Material and methods The study involved 15 athletes (aged 13-16 years) and 13 athletes (aged 20-28 years) from Šumperk, Czech Republic. Volleyball players of the Czech club TJ Šumperk. Methods: analysis of scientific literature, questionnaires, method mathematical statistics. Results Based on the analysis, it can be said that psychological preparation in the training and competitive activities of young athletes should differ from adult athletes in many aspects, taking into account the peculiarities of adolescent development. Significant differences were found between the study groups; young athletes have more pronounced individual differences in psychological development, so adolescents need more attention to motivation, confidence, emotional stability, and reaction to stressful situations in the game. The psychological preparation of adult players after a certain game and competitive practice begins to be based on the experience of their own well-being and interaction with teammates. Analyzing the reaction to successes and failures, understanding the emotional state of the players in the team, and the general atmosphere of the team helps to adapt your own behavior to different situations within and outside the team. Conclusions Psychological training plays a key role in creating optimal conditions for effective performance of athletes in volleyball, so the coach needs to take into account the mental state of volleyball players