The use of sports games in training skiers of different ages and skill levels

Relevance. Given the scientific interest in integrating sports games into the long-term training of cross-country skiers of various skill levels, research on this topic is relevant to modern sports science and practice, as it can contribute to improving the quality of training and creating more flexible and effective training models. Objective: to determine the impact of sports games on the development of physical qualities and psychological characteristics of skiers of different ages. Materials and methods. The study is based on a comprehensive methodological approach that includes: theoretical analysis of scientific sources, the method of generalisation and synthesis of theoretical developments and empirical data, comparative analysis of existing studies, pedagogical experiment, psychophysiological studies, methods of mathematical and statistical processing of research results. The study was conducted over a 2-year cycle. During the study, 4 experimental groups (EG) of different ages from the Children's and Youth Sports School were formed, consisting of 26 athletes. Results. It has been established that the inclusion of the game method (2–4 times a week depending on the training groups) significantly improves explosive strength and endurance indicators (p