Requirements of the heads of Olympic reserve sports schools regarding the professional and personal qualities of swimming coaches

The purpose of the study is to determine the priority professional and personal qualities of swimming coaches that are essential at the current stage for the heads of Olympic reserve sports schools (ORSS). Research methods: analysis of scientific and methodological literature, survey in the form of questionnaires, methods of mathematical statistics. Research results and conclusions. The most important professional and personal qualities of swimming coaches, identified through a survey of directors of specialized sports schools for Olympic reserves (ORSS), are presented. The highest ratings from the directors of swimming departments were given to professional qualities such as the ability to work in a team, knowledge of pedagogy and psychology, understanding the specifics of preparing athletes for competitions, and the ability to develop the necessary personal qualities in athletes. At the same time, according to ORSS directors, overall work experience and experience as a swimming coach, as well as the ability to develop methodological documentation, turned out to be the least significant qualities in a coach's work. The necessity for a coach, regardless of age and experience, to be innovative and strive for continuous self-development is substantiated.