Resilience and grit are often used as interchangeable words, but they’re not. Resilience is the ability to go through a change, not just adversity, but any change, because change is hard, is to go through any change and come through it closer to the kind of person that you want to be. Grit is the ability to handle struggle. That idea of grit has adversity or difficulty in the mix, meaning you have to be going through something hard in order to get stronger and that’s a myth. That’s a myth that we have in our society that going through hard things automatically makes you stronger.
When you think about it, you probably know people who’ve been through a lot of hard things and every time it’s just as hard, it doesn’t seem to be getting any easier for them. We also have this idea that only by going through hard things can you become more resilient. It’s absolutely true that we feel like, well, we have to suffer to get stronger. We have a lot of idioms about that in our society. We hear what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, through suffering comes success. That idea is comforting because when hard things are happening, when we’ve lost a game, when an athlete is injured, we use this to encourage, to say, “There are better days ahead.”
But accepting the flip side of that, that if we want there to be better days ahead, there has to be struggle can put us in a tough spot. It can accidentally encourage coaches and adults and even other athletes to say, “Well, we got to make this feel impossible. We’ve got to make this harder and that’s how we’ll make each other stronger.” When actually most people respond better to challenge, which isn’t always the same thing as struggle, and encouragement and empathy.
When we want kids to try harder or do something that they think is really uncomfortable, the research shows us that the kids who feel most confident, most able to extend themselves to try something they haven’t tried before, or to try again when they haven’t succeeded in the past are the ones who feel more supported and more lifted up, not the ones who feel fear, that the chemicals that get released in a child or an adult’s brain when they feel supported, when they feel connected, when they feel seen as happens best with empathy, those are the times where they are most open to change, they’re most open to trying something new, and that the chemicals like cortisol that we feel when we feel threatened or at risk or in danger shut us down to our most basic reactions.
That’s when you see kids have a lot of what we emotional dysregulation, where they act out in negative behaviors because of those big emotions that aren’t getting the support and the connection that they need. There are a bunch of things that coaches can do to prepare athletes for difficulty or change that will really help them when they’re in that situation. When we want to build the skillset of resilience in athletes, preparation is a great way to do it.
The first thing that they can do is to look with that young athlete at other examples of people in their sport achieving great success and also having really big struggles and ask the athlete in that situation, “How do you think? What do you think that athlete was feeling when they were having a hard time? What do you think helped them to keep going?” Then not assuming that it’s the same thing, ask, “What do you think you will feel in those situations and what would you need to be able to get up and try again?”
So asking, first, for the coach to learn a little bit more about that athlete, but much so so that the athlete can learn more about themselves, about what would help me in that situation, what do I respond well to. That self-efficacy, that ability to express their own emotions or perceived emotions in that struggle or situation and to say, “Okay, if I’m going to need help, this is the kind of help specifically that I need to ask for,” will make them more resilient when they’re in that situation.
The second thing they can do is use that when not if language. When you’re injured, when you miss the goal, when you didn’t hit your times, what support do you need to get up and try it again? When we use when language instead of if language, we take away the idea for that athlete that we will be so disappointed in them there’s no point in going on. We say, “When this happens and we believe that it will at some point happen,” even if we want to promote in that athlete, this idea of success, if we do not leave room for the struggles by letting them know we know there are going to be struggles, then they don’t prepare for them and that preparation makes a really big difference.
TrueSport Expert, Deborah Gilboa, MD, evaluates the differences between grit and resilience, and advises coaches and parents on methods that can help their youth athletes develop greater resilience as they mature.
Learn more about Deborah Gilboa, MD.
Hi. I’m Trevon, Trey, Jennifer. Team USA wheelchair basketball player, paralympian, and true sport athlete. Today, I want to talk to you about goal setting. And there are three things that I would like you to know. First, successful athletes set goals and a planned roadmap. Second, goals should be written down, assessed over time, and changed if necessary. And third, goals need to be challenging in order to be worthwhile. As a freshmen at Edinboro University, I was a part of a team that made the national championship game. And at that time I recognized I was the low man on the totem pole, but I felt in my heart that I knew my dreams were so much bigger than winning a national title. I wanted to make Team USA. I knew what achieving my lofty goal was not going to be easy and that I would need to work hard every day.
So, as a reminder, I created a pyramid of goals that I kept right above my bed. This pyramid reminded me of the accomplishments that I was working towards and visually represented my need to create a solid foundation underneath me before reaching the top. In the bottom roll of my pyramid of goals I listed goals such as obtaining my bachelor’s degree, becoming a scholar athlete award recipient, and becoming an All-American. The middle row listed winning a national title and playing for a professional team. And at the top row, the most challenging of them all, I listed becoming a gold medalist for Team USA.
By understanding that there are smaller stepping stones to achieving my ultimate goal of being on Team USA, I was able to stay motivated and to stay focused on completing the smaller stepping stones fully before moving onto the next one. Now I’ll be the first to admit that not every goal that I listed on my pyramid was accomplished, but seeing my goals every day when I went to bed, I was able to push through the days that I felt like doing nothing in hopes of achieving the bigger picture. Remember, create a clear goal roadmap, assess your goals often, and continue to challenge yourself. I hope that you never stopped dreaming big or reaching for the stars. And I look forward to seeing where your roadmap takes you.
Hi, I’m Kara Winger, Olympic javelin thrower, and true sport athlete. Today I want to talk to you about body image and I have three things I’d like you to know. First, healthy thoughts often lead to healthier bodies. Second, there are varying body types and no one’s body is exactly like another. And third, true beauty goes deeper than the skin. As a multi-time Olympian, I’ve experienced a lot of variation and progression in my training. My coaches and I adapt to my training frequently, all with the goal of supporting my long-term success and health in the sport of javelin. I’m talking to you about body image today because sometimes even with the best of intentions and a common goal in mind, the changes you make to your training habits can prove to be detrimental if made for the wrong reasons. In the lead up to the 2012 Olympic trials, I was told in order to improve my performance on the field, I should try to become a leaner, skinnier version of myself.
So I changed my diet. I went along with what I was being told to do, even though I’d had great success at a slightly heavier weight and higher body fat percentage, and became much leaner than ever before. It seemed like a successful change at first, but I didn’t have nearly the results I’d had before. And I believe becoming leaner than my body naturally wanted to be was what caused my ACL to tear. In the end, it cost me heavily going into the 2012 London games. The takeaway for me, and hopefully for you, is that it’s important to know what works for you and your body and to not compare yourself to others. You should do your research and experiment with your diet to find what makes you feel the best, rather than focusing on what you look like. Today, if I feel like having a chocolate chip cookie, I have one, just not every day.
I’ve learned what a properly balanced meal for my body looks like and I recognize food as the fuel that keeps me throwing. I hydrate and allow myself time to recover. And I listen to and communicate with my body so that I can be the best version of myself. In the end, you are in control of how you see, treat, and respond to your body. We only get one and it’s amazing to discover how many things our bodies can do. Be a true sport athlete. Love who you are in this moment and get excited for all the places your body will take you.
Hi, I’m Izy Isaksen, Team USA, Modern Pentathlon, Olympian, US Army Sergeant, and True Sport Ambassador. Today, I want to talk to you about being a good sport. There are three things I’d like you to know. First, real winners act the same toward their opponent, whether they win or lose. Second, follow the rules and be a gracious winner and respectful loser. And third, sportsmanship reveals your true character.
I started competing in Modern Pentathlon eight years after my older sister and three-time Olympian, Margaux Isaksen, began competing. I soon realized that people often compared the two of us. I would overhear spectators and teammates asking, “Who’s the better athlete,” and “Who’s going to beat the other.” Instead of letting outside pressures create a negative experience for us, I chose to practice winning and losing with grace and respect. I know that it would have been easy to let our hyper competitive mindset affect our relationship, but instead we decided to support and cheer for each other, regardless of our own performance. My experience of competing against and being compared to my older sister, taught me to focus on how to perform at my best, rather than putting wasted energy into wishing for others to fail.
I believe that sportsmanship reveals true character. So, no matter what situation I encounter during competition, I know it’s important to always treat people with respect and be a good sport. Remember, be a fierce competitor, find grace in all your victories and losses. And I hope to see you out there.
Edwin Moses: You’re a coach. Maybe what you want is very simple, for everyone to just run in the right direction, score for their own team, to try and try again and again. Maybe you want your athletes to become all stars. You want them to earn trophies, medals, win titles. You want them to reach the highest height their sport allows. And wanting all of that, of course, that’s good. But as every great coach discovers, developing a great athlete means nurturing, nurturing the even greater person within. Truth is, you have even more influence than you know.
You have the ability to affect even deeper change, to take what’s in your hands and do something even more extraordinary. You can be both the coach who provides the skills needed to win the game and the coach who helps them learn and succeed beyond the sport, to become all stars wherever they land in the future, and to enjoy their lives more now, because the confidence and courage they find working with you will stay with them when they need it the most. There are games to be won, lives to change. Coaches have the power to do both.
I’m Edwin Moses, and the lessons I’ve learned through sport have challenged me, guided me, and shaped my life forever. What kind of coach do you want to be?
At first glance, dietary supplements look the same. They seem safe and healthy, but just because the label says a product is a dietary supplement, that doesn’t mean it’s safe. Unfortunately, you can’t tell whether a product is safe or not just by looking at the label. Most vitamins, minerals, fish oil, and other supplements containing nutrients are probably just fine, but supplements are not evaluated or approved by FDA before they are sold. Although it is rare for vitamins or minerals to be contaminated with drugs, there has been at least one case of a vitamin containing an anabolic steroid.
At the other extreme are products that contain drugs, stimulants, anabolic steroids, or other hormones. Even though these are not technically dietary supplements, many of them are labeled as supplements. For example, body-building products sometimes contain anabolic steroids or Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators, known as SARMs, or other hormones. Some pre-workout or energy products contain illegal stimulants like DMAA, ephedra, or other amphetamine-like stimulants. Weight loss products might contain prescription drugs like sibutramine, or hormones, like human chorionic gonadotropin, also known as hCG. All natural or herbal sexual enhancement products might contain hormones or Viagra-like drugs. Products like these can harm your health and career, but they’re for sale online, in some nutrition stores, and they’re labeled as dietary supplements.
When you pick up a supplement, especially one that promises performance enhancement, you don’t know if it belongs in the “Mostly O.K.” pile or in the “Dangerous” pile. After all, two products might look the same, but one might contain just amino acids and other legitimate ingredients, while the other also contains anabolic steroids. Because of this, FDA has issued a warning about certain categories of supplements: body building products, weight loss products, and sexual enhancement products. Be extremely careful when considering a supplement in one of these categories. We strongly recommend that you avoid products in these categories.
Even when FDA tests supplements and finds dangerous ingredients, companies sometimes refuse to recall them. Sometimes, they simply repackage their product and continue selling it under a new name. Just because a product is on a store shelf doesn’t mean it is safe. You need to do your research and be an informed consumer. The dietary supplement industry is enormous. Supplements that appear to be safe could actually be dangerous products in disguise. If you use dietary supplements without doing your research, you may be taking serious risks with your health and your career. Please visit USADA’s Supplement 411 for more information about dietary supplements.
