This study aimed to compare the effects of competitive and non-competitive training environments on the acquisition and retention of basketball free-throw skills in adolescent girls with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Thirty-two participants were selected through convenience sampling and assessed for ADHD symptom severity using the Conners Parent Rating Scale. They were then assigned to two groups: competitive (15 participants) and non-competitive (17 participants). Both groups completed 10 training sessions, performing 15 free throws per session in their respective environments. Performance was measured at pre-test, acquisition, immediate retention, and delayed retention stages. Data were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA at a significance level of 0.05 with SPSS software.

The results showed that the competitive group performed significantly better (P < 0.05) in acquisition, immediate retention, and delayed retention compared to the non-competitive group. Although the non-competitive group initially demonstrated performance similar to the competitive group during the early acquisition sessions, their performance declined markedly in the middle and final sessions, as well as in retention tests, nearly returning to pre-test levels. This pattern indicates that competitive training environments can play a decisive role in improving performance and consolidating the learning of sports skills, particularly basketball free throws, in adolescent girls with ADHD. These findings are supported by neurophysiological evidence and may be applied in designing effective training environments for teaching sports skills to individuals with ADHD.