The Effect of Competitive and Non-competitive Training Conditions on Learning of Basketball Free Throws in female adolescent with high and low-trait anxiety Short title: Interaction of Training Environment and trait anxiety in sport skill learning

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of competitive and non-competitive exercise environments on the acquisition and retention of basketball free throws (BFT) in female adolescents with high and low trait anxiety.

In this quasi-experimental study, 47 adolescent girls were divided into two groups based on their trait anxiety scores: high and low. They were then placed into two training groups, one in a competitive environment and the other in a non-competitive environment, based on their pre-test scores. Participants in the experimental groups underwent BFT training for 8 sessions. Pre-test, acquisition, and retention tests were administered before the intervention, during the exercise sessions, and after the last acquisition session, respectively. Data analysis involved the use of one-way ANOVA and repeated measures analysis of variance.

The results indicated that there was no significant difference in BFT performance between the groups during the acquisition and immediate retention phases. However, a significant difference was found between the groups in the delayed retention test. Specifically, training in a competitive environment led to better performance in participants with both high and low trait anxiety. The competitive environment had a stronger positive effect on participants with low trait anxiety, followed by those with high trait anxiety.

The training environment, rather than the level of trait anxiety, significantly influenced participants' performance in BFT. Both individuals with high and low trait anxiety performed better in a competitive training environment.