The article deals with the role of physical culture and sports among students in Russia. It is proved that the main contradiction in the formation of students ' orientation in mastering the norms of physical culture is the contradiction between the abstract attitude of society to health promotion as a result of attending the relevant classes and the needs of the individual in self-realization and self-assertion. Particular attention is paid to the contradictions between the need for students to master the competencies acquired in the school in the field of physical culture, and the stereotypical content of knowledge and skills that they receive in the classroom at the University.