Resilience And Grit In Grapplers, Physically Active And Sedentary Individuals

Engagement in combat sports (i.e., Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Judo) has been shown to influence grit and resilience due to their vigorous nature. PURPOSE: This study examined grit and resilience between grapplers and non-grapplers. METHODS: The sample consisted of 274 participants (73.4 % male) from 18 to 63 years of age, including 202 grapplers, 27 physically active (non-combat), and 45 sedentary individuals. Participants completed the Brief Resilience Scale (Cronbach's alpha = .845) and the Grit Scale (Cronbach's alpha = .861) for group comparison. RESULTS: Significant correlations were found between grappling experience and resilience, r(272) = 0.216, p < .001 (small effect), and grit, r(272) = 0.318, p < .001 (medium effect). An analysis of covariance with gender as a covariate revealed a significant difference in resilience between groups, F(2,270) = 7.620, p < .001, η2 = .053. Fisher's Least Significant Difference post hoc analyses showed that grapplers reported higher resilience than physically active (p = .019) and sedentary individuals (p < .001). Moreover, the ANCOVA results showed a significant difference in grit between groups, F(2,270) = 6.729, p = .001, η2 = .047. Fisher's Least Significant Difference post hoc analyses revealed that grapplers reported higher grit than sedentary individuals (p < .001). No other post hoc comparison was significant (p > .05). CONCLUSION: The results suggest that grapplers present higher resilience than physically active and sedentary individuals and higher grit than sedentary individuals. In addition, more experienced grapplers are more likely to present higher resilience and grit. Therefore, this study provides evidence for the utility of grappling in improving resilience and grit.