Abstract: The problem articulated in this article is associated with the role of physical education within the modern system of education, its value potential and difficulties currently experienced by this branch. The role of physical education consists in the development of physical culture of an individual and the related components of basic personality culture, solution of social and public tasks. The subject of this research is the sphere of physical culture and supply of professional personnel. Physical education instructors should possess personal and professional competences for working with children and teaching sports; such profession imposes numerous requirements that have to be fulfilled by a specialist. The established situation affects the human resource potential in this sphere and prospects overall. The conducted empirical research reveal correlation between the importance of the subject of “physical culture” in school and popularity of the specialty of physical culture among graduates. It was determined the students’ attitude on the subject of “physical culture” in many ways depends on personality of the pedagogue. At the same time, in modern school, the pedagogues face pressure from the school community, which reduces the importance of this subject and its educational potential. All of these facts shape students’ opinion on the profession of physical culture instructor as an unpromising specialty. The school experience of physical culture later manifests in the university. The conclusion is made on the shortage of specialists that meet the demands of profession in the area of physical culture on the current job market. The solution of this problem may be found through heightening interest of the youth to this profession through the development of stable positive attitude towards physical culture.

Abstract: Since 2011, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation has been holding a Sports contest among the teams of Suvorov, presidential cadet, Nakhimov schools, cadet and Cossack corps. The purpose of these competitions is to introduce students of schools to regular sports, increase the level of physical fitness of students, the formation of military-applied skills. Accordingly, such events should be part of continuous military vocational education, performing tasks for the physical training of students in military schools of pre-university education. Empirical research methods allowed the authors to study the protocols of swimming competitions held within the framework of the Spartakiad of general educational institutions of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, to analyze the dynamics of attendance by pupils of the Orenburg Presidential Cadet School of the sports section "swimming", to identify the motives for visiting the section by cadets and the reasons for their termination of regular training. В  The article reflects the motivational aspects of sports activities of pupils of different ages and the degree of influence of competitive activity on the attendance of sports sections. Based on the data obtained, it was revealed that the sports skills of the participants of the Spartakiad of pre-university educational institutions of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation increased annually, at the same time, according to the study, the inclusion of competitions in the plan of physical culture and sports events of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and their regular conduct did not affect the mass of sports among students. The issue of forming a stable motivation for in-depth sports training of students in military-specialized schools of general education as a stage of continuing education requires the search for further ways to improve the structure of physical training of military schools.