The purpose of the study is to analyze the rates of development of motor abilities in students, differentiated by the success of implementing various types of physical activity and typological manifestations of nervous system properties. Research methods and organization. Methods of analysis and generalization of scientific and methodological literature, pedagogical and psychophysiological testing, and methods of mathematical statistics were employed. The study involved first-year students who chose table tennis or powerlifting as part of their elective courses in physical culture and sports. Research results and conclusions. It has been established that successful learners in physical education, engaged in table tennis or powerlifting, outperform their less successful peers in the development rates of motor skills. There are no statistically significant differences in the development rates of the studied abilities between learners who are successful in table tennis and those in powerlifting; however, significant differences have been identified at a high level of statistical significance in the typological properties of the nervous system. This provides a basis to conclude that the influence of the typological properties of the nervous system on the development of various motor skills in the process of physical education is determined by their correspondence to the specifics of the type of physical activity.