Book Review: Grit by Angela Duckworth

By Coach Barry Jones | IIHF Level 3 High Performance | USA Hockey Level 3 Performance

At Its Core

This isn’t just a “good book” review.

At its core, Grit is not about motivation. It’s about sustained commitment to a goal over time, despite boredom, setbacks, plateaus, and failure.

Duckworth defines grit as passion (long-term direction) and perseverance (daily effort).

The Big Idea

Talent doesn’t separate athletes. Effort applied consistently does.

Effort builds skill, and effort applies skill. Effort counts twice.

Effort Over Talent

Talent gives you a starting point. Effort determines where you finish.

If your environment praises outcomes over effort, you are selecting against grit.

The Power of Deliberate Practice

Deliberate practice includes clear goals, feedback, full attention, and repetition.

In ecological environments, repetition comes through variability and problem-solving.

The Grit Pathway

Interest → Practice → Purpose → Hope

Most environments break this early. Your role is to design for it, not demand it.

Consistency Over Intensity

Grit is consistency, not intensity.

You are building adaptability and problem-solving over time.

How This Changes Your Coaching

Design for struggle. Reward behaviour. Stretch without breaking. Build identity around effort.

Final Takeaway

If your environment is designed well, toughness emerges.

You are building athletes who stay in the fight, adapt, and solve problems.

Author Bio

Barry Jones is an IIHF Level 3 High Performance Coach and USA Hockey Level 3 Performance Coach. His work blends ecological dynamics, nonlinear design, and athlete-centred leadership to build adaptive teams that thrive in uncertainty. He is also the developer of Task Sketch, a tool designed to support coaches in creating game-representative training environments.