Do Grit, Sport-Specific Psychological Skills, and Physical Capabilities Affect Performance in Women’s Collegiate Lacrosse?
A Pilot Study
Keywords:
ACSI-28, psychological skills, physical fitness, conditioning, collegiate women's lacrosseAbstract
The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate psychological and physical capabilities of female Division I lacrosse players in relation to game performance. Participants (n = 20) completed three conditioning tests and two psychological assessments [12-item Grit assessment and the Athletic Coping Skills Inventory (ACSI-28)] prior to the competitive season. End-of-season game statistics were used to evaluate on-field success for each player. Data were all standardized to z-scores, and multiple linear regression analyses were completed. Conditioning and specific subscales of the ACSI-28 were significantly associated with successful on-field performance, predicting 22.1-53.0% of the variance (p < 0.05). Pilot data indicate that variance in game performance may be predicted from conditioning and psychological assessments. Overall, the players with the highest game z-score were also the most fit and rated the highest on the ACSI coachability subscale. Future suggestions include longitudinal research as well as subsequent data with larger sample sizes to combine with current data to improve statistical power and variance of on-field performance in participants.
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