The Application of a Team-Building Program for Team Match in the National Archery Team

PURPOSE This study aimed to apply a team-building program for preparing the national archery team for competition in the Olympics. METHODS To achieve the purpose of this study, six national archers (three men and three women) were included. The team-building program was applied for a total 6 sessions (one session per week). Group cohesion and efficacy were measured three times before, after, and at a later application of the program. The collected data were analyzed with the Friedman and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests, which are nonparametric statistical techniques for data analysis. In addition, an in-depth interview for qualitative data was conducted for each archer to explore the effects and changes resulting from participation in the program. RESULTS The results of the study are as follows: first, the levels of team cohesion and efficacy in the national archery team increased after the implementation of the program compared to those in the pre-implementation state. Furthermore, high levels of team cohesion and efficacy were maintained at the follow-up measurement. Second, the archers recognized that closeness and faith in one another increased more between team members. Furthermore, there were positive changes in team communication, atmosphere, cohesion, and efficacy during team matches. CONCLUSIONS The team-building program applied in this study was found to have a positive effect on various factors related to team cohesion, such as team communication and team atmosphere. Therefore, future studies should consider developing a team-building program that can contribute to improving team sport performance for different sports and the effects of the program should be examined using various methods.