The “Theory of sport training” department with leader assoc.prof. Tsvetan Jeliazkov is founded with a decision of the Academic Council of the Higher Institute for Physical Education from 1 November 1973. It attracted specialists with rich theoretical-methodic and practical experience from:
- “Swimming” department – senior research associate Kliment Boichev and research associate Alexandar Tsvetkov;
- “Track-and-field athletics” department – head assistant Yanosh Brogly;
- Theory of physical education” department – head assistant Maria Kvartirnikova;
- the research center – Liliana Petkova.
Two new disciplines are included in the curriculum of the Institute: Theory of sport training and Fundamentals of research work, which includes methodology and metrology of research work and applied statistics.
Few main tasks are set before the department’s team:
- high level of the teaching process with the department’s students;
- developing and introducing new methods and technologies in the research and applied activities;
- systematical and careful study of the world experience in the sphere of elite sport;
- active participation of the Olympic preparation of our athletes.
The realization of these tasks was vastly broadened by the new needs of elite sport. The department has decided them for 30 years in closer cooperation with the specialized and the general theoretical departments of the Institute, the Research center and Bulgarian Sports Federations.
During this period Heads of the department contiguously were: Prof. Jeliazkov, senior research associate Boichev, Prof. Brogli, Ass.prof. Bachev and Ass.prof. Dasheva.
The teachers staff of ex and current teachers includes 15 persons, from whom 11 are habilitated – three professors, eight associate professors, two – head assistants, one chief assistant and one full-time post-graduate student. Two of the members of the department team are Doctors of Science, and two more (Ass.prof. Dasheva and Ass.prof. Bachev) had already defended this title and wait for approval from the Higher Attestation Committee. Ten of the department’s team are Ph.D.s and head assistant Krastev waits for approval from the Higher Attestation Committee. Aport from the academic titles and degrees, the department’s members have many sport distinctions: 1 honoured coach, 2 masters of sports, 2 candidate masters, 7 had been republican champions or national competitors.
Special attentions deserve the achievements of the chief assistant Sv. Neikov as a many times republican champion and during the last years as coach of the national rowing team and personal coach of the World champion and Olympic vice-champion R. Neikova.
At the moment the department had full-time and extramural education of students on Theory and methods of sport training and Fundamentals of research work in the three faculties of NSA with bachelor, master and doctor programs. For the purpose during the current period they had published:
- 6 textbooks and 1 manual of Theory and methods of sport training,
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2 textbooks and 4 manuals of methodology and metrology;
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3 textbooks and 7 manuals of sport statistics.
The lection course of Theory and methods of sport training has established a closer relation between the narrow and the general methodological knowledge for the training as a complex adaptation process; the unified terminology is specified; the knowledge of the sort and characteristics of the training effects, periodization, control and management of sport preparation of elite athletes is broadened.
The training in Fundamentals of research work brings quality new elements in the preparation of the students from the three faculties. They become acquainted with the methodology of research work, the different technical resources and sets for measurement and analysis of integral and differential parameters of the motive activities. The contribution of the teachers Boichev, ass.prof. Tsvetkov, ass.prof. Bachev and ass.prof. Galov is undisputed and they deserve high praise.
The introduction of the applied statistics as a compulsory subject in the Academy is a new stage not only for the students, but also for the post-graduate students and young researchers in the sport and physical education sphrere. Here the biggest contribution gave Prof. Brogli and his colleagues from the sector – ass.prof. Petkova, ass.prof. Damianova, ass.prof. Gigova. The department equipped a special computer room for the students, which became an important consultative center not only for the Academy, but also for external people and institutions.
International Activities
The department’s team has achieved a lot in the training of foreign students on the specialized programs of NSA, as well as in the training of Bulgarian and foreign post-graduate students. For illustration will we mention that during these 30 years the department has assured scientific advises and the successful defence of the projects of 78 doctor degrees, from which 28 of foreign people from: Turkey, Greece, Yugoslavia, Cuba, and Libya.
The language preparation of the department’s teachers makes possible to conduct training and give consultations in several languages: English, Russian, French, Spanish, German, Serbian and Hungarian.
Some of the department’s members teach also out of the country. The following teachers had read or now read as guest-lecturers: Prof. Boichev – the universities in Hamburg and Leuven /Belgium/; Prof. Jeliazkov – the universities in Beograd, Zagreb and the Olympic Academy in Mexico; Ass.prof. Dasheva – the universities in Leuven, Lerida /Spain/, the Olympic Avademy in Mexico and Guatemala; Ass.prof. Bachev – the American University in Ankara.
Representatives of the department are member in different international institutions: The Council for Physical Education of UNESCO, The International Informatics Association, Editorial staff of competent scientific magazines, International Sports Organizations and others.
Significant contribution for the international image of the Academy has: Ass.prof. Petkova as coordinator of the 3 years European project on the “Tempus” program with partners Spain, Germany, and France; Ass.prof. Dasheva as expert in this project, for the program “Socrates-Erasmus” and the scientific society “Sport, stress, adaptation”, as well as for the bipartite students exchange with the Sport institute in Lerida /Spain/.
Research work and publications
The members of the department have a lot of scientific publications for their teaching, research and applied activities. Detailed information you can see in the biographic data of each teacher. The total number of the authors publications /independent or in a team/ is over 800. 129 of them are published abroad, including 3 important monographs in English, Spain and Serbian languages.
The total number of the scientific reports spoken only at international conferences and symposiums is over 190, including these spoken at World scientific congresses under the aegis of UNESCO in Moscow, Eugene, Colorado Springs, Seoul, Barcelona, Sidney, Athens and others.
Participation in the administration
During the 30 years of its existing, the members of the department had participated actively in the administration of the Academy as: vice-rector – Boichev; deans – Jeliazkov, Kvartirnikova, Gigova; deputy deans – Boichev, Petkova; members of the Academic and Scientific Councils – apart from the mentioned above – Brogli, Bachev, Dasheva; members of study-methodical commissions, committees and others – Galov, Tsvetkov, Damianova and Krastev.
Very impressing is the presence of the department’s members in the management of the National system of physical education and sport. In different periods they hold positions of responsibility as: deputy chairman of the Bulgarian union for physical education and sport and the State committee for physical education and sport; leaders of the Research center or its blocks and laboratories; leaders and members of Bulgarian sport federations, sport societies, under-structures of central administrations and others.
The members of the department had participated very actively in the development of important normative acts of the Republic such as: the National conception and the Law for physical education and sport, which received great appreciation by the Minister of sport of EU Mr. George Walker; the Regulations for the implementation of the Law for physical education and sport; National strategy and program for the development of physical education and sport in Bulgaria till 2004 and others.
