Development and validation of the Sports Grit Scale

Abstract

ABSTRACT Grit is an important personality trait for sporting performance. Although general grit scales are increasingly used in sports science and training, there is a need for a sports-specific tool. Hence, the objective of the present work was to develop and validate the domain-specific Sports Grit Scale. To this end, we performed an exploratory study, a confirmatory study, and a validation study. The resulting Sports Grit Scale had a four-factor structure: “Achieving objectives” (4 items), “Giving up” (3 items), “Surpassing oneself” (3 items), and “Focusing on sport” (3 items). The Sports Grit Scale’s items were positively associated with passion and general grit. Our new Sports Grit Scale might have applications for coaches or sports psychologists seeking to evaluate an athlete’s personality or to measure and increase an athlete’s level of grit through specific training programmes.