Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of skill-based training compared to physical training on hormonal indices and cognitive performance in competitive athletes.

Research methods: 60 professional male athletes were randomly and equally divided into two skill-based training and physical training groups. Each group trained three 60-minute sessions per week for eight weeks. Hormonal indices including cortisol, testosterone, growth hormone and IGF-1 and cognitive performance including working memory, Stroop test and processing speed were measured before and after the training period.

Findings: The results showed that the skill-based training group had a significant decrease in cortisol (p=0.001) and a significant increase in testosterone (p=0.008), growth hormone (p=0.03) and IGF-1 (p=0.02) compared to the pre-test, while the physical training group showed less changes. Also, a significant improvement in cognitive performance was observed in the skill-based training group: working memory accuracy (p<0.001) and processing speed (p=0.02) increased compared to the pre-test.

Conclusion: The results indicate that skill-based training can improve hormonal and cognitive adaptations in competitive athletes and is a more effective option than physical training alone. It is suggested that coaches and training designers include skill-based training with appropriate cognitive load in their training programs to improve the mental and physiological performance of athletes.