Introduction and Objective: Basketball, as a fast-paced team sport, requires precise coordination between physical, cognitive, and metacognitive skills, which determine players’ ability to make quick decisions and manage complex situations. The present study aimed to investigate the role of cognitive and metacognitive skills in the sports success of adolescent basketball players in the city of Gorgan.
Methods: The statistical population included all basketball players aged 10 to 16 years in Gorgan in 2023. Based on Morgan’s table, a sample size of 250 was estimated, and finally, 256 valid questionnaires were analyzed. Data were collected using the Metacognition-30 questionnaire, Nejati’s Cognitive Abilities Questionnaire, and the Sports Success Scale, and were analyzed using SPSS version 16.
Results: The findings showed that both cognitive and metacognitive variables were normally distributed, and significant differences were observed among groups with low, moderate, and high sports success in both variables. Pearson correlation analysis revealed that cognitive flexibility (r = 0.769), selective attention (r = 0.732), and decision-making (r = 0.711) had the strongest impact on sports success. In terms of metacognitive skills, positive beliefs about worry (r = 0.510) and cognitive self-awareness (r = 0.488) showed the highest correlation with sports success.
Conclusion: These results highlight the importance of cognitive and metacognitive skills in enhancing the sports performance of adolescent basketball players, indicating that players’ mental abilities can directly affect their success in sports. The findings emphasize that targeted training in cognitive and metacognitive skills can improve decision-making, flexibility, and emotional regulation in competitive situations, ultimately leading to the development of sports performance in adolescent basketball players.