Effect of mindfulness meditation on pre-competition anxiety and free-throw performance in basketball players
Maren Lyngstad
International Journal of Physiology Nutrition and Physical Education February 1, 2026 DOI: 10.22271/journalofsport.2026.v11.i2a.3298 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 48 |
| Population | University basketball players (26 male, 22 female) at the Tromsø Foundation for Exercise Research, Norway |
| Intervention | Mindfulness meditation |
| Dose | 20-minute daily guided sessions, five days per week, for eight weeks |
| Duration | 8-week intervention |
| Measures | Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 Revised (CSAI-2R), free-throw percentage |
| Topics | Anxiety Meditation |
| Key findings | An eight-week mindfulness meditation programme reduced cognitive and somatic pre-competition anxiety and increased self-confidence in university basketball players, while free-throw accuracy under simulated pressure improved from 58.3% to 71.8% (Cohen's d = 1.12). The control group showed no significant changes. Post-intervention self-confidence was the strongest individual correlate of free-throw accuracy (r = 0.58). |
Abstract
Pre-competition anxiety is widely acknowledged as a performance inhibitor in precision-dependent sports, yet evidence-based mental training programmes remain underused in university basketball. This randomised controlled research examined whether an eight-week mindfulness meditation programme could reduce pre-competition anxiety and improve free-throw accuracy under simulated competitive pressure in 48 university basketball players (26 male, 22 female) at the Tromsø Foundation for Exercise Research, Norway. Participants were randomly assigned to a mindfulness group (MG, n = 24) or a control group (CG, n = 24) that received no psychological intervention. The MG followed a progressive protocol of 20-minute daily guided sessions body scan meditation, breath-focused attention, mindful visualisation, and a sport-specific pre-shot routine five days per week. Pre-competition anxiety was measured with the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 Revised (CSAI-2R) administered 30 minutes before a simulated competition session at baseline and at week 8. Free-throw performance was recorded as the percentage of successful attempts out of 20 shots taken under audience-and-timer pressure. After the intervention, the MG showed significant reductions in cognitive anxiety (23.7 ± 4.1 to 16.2 ± 3.5; p < 0.001), somatic anxiety (21.4 ± 3.8 to 15.8 ± 3.2; p < 0.001), and increases in self-confidence (18.6 ± 3.3 to 24.1 ± 3.0; p < 0.001). Free-throw percentage improved from 58.3 ± 8.7% to 71.8 ± 7.4% (p < 0.001; Cohen's d = 1.12). The CG showed no significant changes on any variable. The heatmap correlation analysis revealed that post-intervention self-confidence was the strongest individual correlate of post-test free-throw accuracy (r = 0.58, p < 0.001). These results suggest that a structured mindfulness programme can meaningfully lower the cognitive and somatic anxiety that impairs motor execution and simultaneously raise the self-confidence that supports it, producing a net improvement in a pressure-sensitive skill. Coaches and sport psychologists should consider embedding mindfulness training as a routine component of pre-season preparation for basketball players, particularly those who show elevated anxiety profiles during competition.