Functional imagery training (FIT) extends multisensory imagery training by involving athletes with goal setting and appraisal. The authors measured the effect of FIT on 24 professional soccer players` grit, a personality trait associated with perseverance for a long-term goal. In a stepped-wedge design, an immediate (n=9) and a delayed (n=10) group received FIT at Week 1 or 6 and were measured at Week 12. A self-selected control group (n=5) received no intervention. The delayed group was also measured at Week 6 just before their intervention, and at Week 18. Grit scores in both intervention groups increased after the intervention, but the control group`s did not. The delayed group increased in grit between Weeks 6 and 12, showing the effectiveness of the intervention over a relatively short time, and continued to improve to Week 18. In the intervention groups, vividness of goal imagery also increased and players perceived that FIT improved sport performance.
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