The major objective of the study was the identification of methods of overcoming educational difficulties occurring at classes of physical education at the stage of jnuor high school education. The study was carried out with the method of a diagnostic survey, with a questionnaire being the main research technique. The questionnaire survey was conducted amongst 53 teachers of physical education working in seven junior high schools located in the city of Zamość. The questionnaire survey was completed by interviews conducted with six school headmasters and seven pedagogues working at those schools. The conducted analysis of results enables concluding that a significant part of the teachers of physical education were tangibly facing shortages of knowledge on the educational methods, and that methods of imposing discipline on pupils during classes of physical education are in most cases based on talk and persuasion. Only a small group of the surveyed teachers of physical education is convinced about the necessity of adjusting a school programme to interests of the junior high school pupils. The account made by school pedagogues and headmasters indicates that the prophylactic and educational activities undertaken at the surveyed schools include, most of all, various educational programmes which enable diagnosis and counteracting threats resulting from addiction and violence and which tend to the strengthening of self-esteem in the adolescents and their ability to cope with problems.