Abstract
A structured group encounter (SGE) approach was adopted with the aim of assisting the adjustment by new members of a university kendo club to the various stresses experienced due to the change in environment. Before developing a program, an assessment was made of the club and six goals established for psychological intervention: self-awareness, problem confrontation, improvement of self-confidence, establishment of goals, positive thinking, and improvement of teamwork. A psychological support program was then developed consisting of six sessions corresponding to these goals. Using a generic method of organizing SGEs, psychological exercises were conducted in the first half and sharing and free discussion performed in the second half of sessions. Based on the results of a questionnaire survey, it was found that new club members who participated in the program were more creative, spontaneous and positive in their attitude and approach to competition. There was also found to be a diversification of stress management strategies and increased satisfaction with social support. There was in addition confirmed to be an increase in sense of adjustment toward belonging to a sports club and a decline in the tendency to experience burnout. An evaluation based on observation of behavior further revealed a positive improvement in approach to training. The study thus showed the value, from a sports pedagogy standpoint, of the provision of psychological support to assist in the adjustment process.
