Grit is a foundational element of an athlete’s “psychological battery,” enabling them to endure, adapt, and thrive under both physiological and psychological stress.
First introduced by psychologist Angela Duckworth in 2007, grit emphasizes perseverance and passion for long-term goals—qualities that are essential for success in endurance sports such as rowing; providing the psychological foundation for managing perceived effort, maintaining motivation, and overcoming mental and physical barriers.
The Role of Grit in Endurance Sports
Research consistently shows that gritty athletes excel in sticking to training regimens, pushing through discomfort, and rebounding from setbacks. These qualities make grit a key psychological factor in understanding what separates top performers from their peers.
While some critics argue that grit overlaps with other constructs like mental toughness or resilience, it remains a powerful concept, particularly in endurance sports, where sustained effort and mental resilience are critical to success.
Importantly, while grit does have a genetic component, research indicates that it is largely influenced by environmental factors and can be developed through intentional strategies. This means that, as a coach, you have the opportunity to foster grit in your athletes—but how?
A Framework for Coaching Grit Sports
Abbie Young’s research-driven framework provides a practical starting point, connecting seven coachable strategies to the development of passion and perseverance—the core components of grit.
Below is a breakdown of these strategies, with links to further tools and resources where applicable:
1. Hierarchical Goal Setting
Structured goal setting connects an athlete’s passion for a long-term goal with actionable short-term steps. This roadmap helps foster perseverance, resilience, and self-discipline by showing athletes how daily effort contributes to their broader ambitions.
2. Cultivating Passion
Promote autonomy, play, curiosity, and positivity to ignite intrinsic passion in your athletes. Passion serves as a powerful motivator, helping athletes stay committed to long-term goals despite challenges.
3. Socio-Centric Goals
Cultivating a “beyond-the-self orientation” through, for example, socio-centric goals helps athletes build grit by connecting them to a greater purpose—such as supporting their team or inspiring others. This connection to something larger than themselves deepens long-term dedication and passion for goals, and provides external motivation that sustains perseverance during challenges.
4. Developing a Growth Mindset
A growth mindset fosters the belief that abilities improve through effort and learning. This perspective encourages athletes to view setbacks as opportunities for growth, reinforcing resilience and sustaining their dedication to long-term goals.
5. Positive Explanatory Style
Teach athletes to frame setbacks as temporary, specific, and controllable. This optimistic outlook builds resilience, empowering athletes to persist through adversity with confidence in their ability to overcome challenges.
6. Deliberate Practice
Deliberate practice emphasizes focused, goal-oriented effort on specific skills. By embracing discomfort and repetition, athletes develop perseverance, discipline, and a long-term commitment to improvement—key traits for achieving ambitious goals.
7. Overcoming Negative Emotions
Mindfulness, for example, helps athletes manage negative emotions by fostering awareness and emotional control. Staying present during challenges allows athletes to manage stress, maintain focus, and persist toward long-term goals despite discomfort or setbacks.
Building Grit Into Your Team Culture
Many of these strategies thrive when integrated into the broader culture of your club. As a coach, the example you set—through what you prioritize, the language you use, and the behaviors you celebrate—creates fertile ground for athletes to develop grit. For example: Celebrating effort and not just outcomes, Modelling resilience by framing challenges as opportunities for growth, encouraging all athletes to explore the aspects of rowing that ignite their passion
Within this team framework, there’s also room for individualization. Athletes may have different triggers for passion or resilience, and your ability to adapt strategies—such as tailoring goal-setting approaches or helping athletes manage emotions in ways that resonate with them—can make all the difference.
Summary
Coaching grit is about more than building mental toughness; it’s about cultivating passion and perseverance for long-term goals. By integrating strategies like hierarchical goal setting, fostering a growth mindset, and creating a positive team culture, you can help your athletes not only endure but thrive under the challenges of endurance sports.
Grit isn’t just a genetic gift. It’s a teachable skill, and as a coach, you play a vital role in helping your athletes develop it—not only for their success in rowing but for life beyond the water
- Duckworth, et al. 2007. “Grit: Perseverance and Passion for Long-Term Goals.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 92 (6): 1087–1101.