A high level of athletes’ motivation display is considered to be an important factor motivating the professional activities of a coach. Based on the method of cluster analysis by the features describing specificity of the coach activities three types of sport teachers working in the groups of skill development and upgrading were distinguished: 1. Coaches attributed to the first type are characterised by orientation towards achievements; however, coaches note the importance of versatile education, communication and good mutual relationship in the context of sport training. The process of sport training is based on the development of athletes’ skill; coaches feel to be themselves responsible for the result of the activities. The importance of identification is least expressed among all types of coaches; 2. Coaches attributed to the second type do not emphasize the importance of sport achievements, and are also little oriented towards versatile education of athletes. As compared with coaches of other types, they surrender more to the influence of external factors. 3. Coaches attributed to the third type are characterised by the greatest importance of identification with sport environment among all the types. The relationship with athletes and attitude towards work are of formal nature.

Analysis on coaches’ competences related to practice and competition orientation showed that athletes gave the highest evaluation on coaches’ ability to prepare an athlete for competition (4.32); coaches’ organizational abilities, such as ability to organize training workouts and manage them, to flexibly adapt training workout content to changing situations, to lead the activity of athletes during the competitions, providing specific for certain sports directions were also evaluated on a high scale. It was also observed that the coaches’ ability to prepare and carry out annual and multiannual sport preparation program with regard to individual athlete’s abilities (3.77) and to plan training practices in respect to individual athlete’s possibilities was evaluated as not enough developed ability (3.68). Personal and coaching education competences analysis demonstrated that from all abilities in this group, athletes gave priority to coaches’ collaboration competence, i.e., discussing new ideas and searching for the ways to solve the problem together with an athlete (4.14). Rather high evaluation was given for coaches’ sense of responsibility in their work with athletes.

Expert coach encourages a continuity of the educational process by developing athlete‘s psychomotor development, during attainment of knowledge, techniques, the perfection of tactics; coach accumulates the experience of competitive practice. In order to increase training efficiency, coaches must continually develop existing competencies and acquire new ones. The aim of the study was to reveal the basic competencies of coaching career preparing high performance athletes. Methods of the research: systematic review of documents and scientific literature which regulate sports coaches’ activity in elite sport. [...].