The effect of anxiety structured group guidance on the sports anxiety levels of basketball players

The aim of this research is to examine the effect of the Structured Group Guidance Program for Anxiety on the sport anxiety levels of basketball players. This research has a parallel design that converges from mixed designs in which the qualitative research methods are used simultaneously with the interview, in which the pretest-posttest model is examined with a quasi-experimental design. The research was carried out with basketball infrastructure athletes who continue their sports lives in a sports club in the 2020-2021 season. The Sports Anxiety Scale-2 was used to determine the anxiety levels of the basketball players, and the Interview Questions consisting of 5 open-ended questions were used to reach the qualitative data about the feelings and thoughts of the basketball players about the program. It was observed that the Structured Group Guidance Program for Anxiety, which was developed as a result of the research, significantly reduced the anxiety levels of basketball players. The results obtained from the qualitative findings of the study, on the other hand, showed that there was no change in the behavioral reactions they showed when they felt anxious, and in the performance changes they experienced when they were worried, but the severity of the anxiety felt by the basketball players decreased; It has been found that the method used by basketball players to reduce anxiety has changed in line with the purpose of the application. In addition to these results, basketball players who participated in the Structured Group Guidance Program for Anxiety gave positive feedback about the program.