Email: dsmith.grittyathlete@grittyathlete.com  |  Phone: 602-456-2103
Kids Travel From Tempe, Mesa, Chandler, Gilbert
Close-up of young athletes' legs and feet in red and black uniforms running over an agility ladder on a green grass field, focused and energetic
Family Owned & Operated

Join Us for Back To School Training

GRIT Athletic Academy is more than a sports training company. It is a tool kids can use to build a solid foundation of self-confidence and belief in themselves to tackle anything life throws at them.

Preparation + Opportunity = Success

GRIT is driven by the principle that Preparation + Opportunity = Success. We are motivated to motivate, mentor, inspire and encourage young men and women — and we give tools that assist parents and our community in the development of their children.

Athletes' feet in red and black uniforms stepping quickly through a yellow agility ladder on grass

Self-Confidence First

We build a solid foundation of self-confidence and belief in ourselves to tackle anything life throws at us — on the field and off it.

Our Programs
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GRIT Play 7v7 Open Field Series

We organize the GRIT Play 7v7 Open Field Series for kids, supporting families and organized free play in our community.

Learn More

GRIT Athletic Academy is built on a simple idea: self-confidence first. Before speed, strength, or technique ever come into play, young athletes need a solid foundation of belief in themselves. That belief is what allows a player to tackle whatever the game throws at them, whether that is a hard-fought contest on the field or a difficult moment away from it. The program exists to give children and families a place where preparation is treated as a character trait rather than an afterthought.

Training at GRIT is designed around a handful of core athletic movements that coaches repeat and refine until they become second nature. Repetition with purpose builds the kind of body awareness that cannot be faked, and it gives athletes tools they can carry into any sport or any season. The focus is not on complexity but on sound fundamentals handled with enough rigor that they hold up under pressure, fatigue, and the unpredictability that competition always brings.

Coaching philosophy here is deliberately personal. Small groups mean every athlete is seen, corrected, and encouraged by a coach who knows their name and their game. That kind of attention is what allows a trainer to push a kid hard without breaking the spirit that makes them willing to work in the first place. Athletes leave sessions with sharper skills, but also with a stronger sense of balance between effort, rest, and the rest of their lives.

The environment matters. Competition in a positive, supportive atmosphere produces better learning than noise and fear, and GRIT organizes its training and play-based sessions to keep the tone constructive even when the stakes are real. Parents watching from the sideline can see the method at work: athletes encouraged, corrected with clarity, and never made to feel small in front of peers. That atmosphere is one of the most cited reasons families stay involved year after year.

Athletic development is treated as a long arc rather than a series of isolated seasons. Athletes progress from foundational preparation into more demanding work, and the program supports the journey from first steps on the field through high school competition and beyond, including the transition to college. Speaking, hosting, and motivational appearances extend that same message outward, because the skills worth building are life skills that travel with a young person well beyond the whistle.

GRIT also recognizes that success comes in many forms. The program welcomes athletes across a wide range of sports and backgrounds, and it is open to girls and boys alike, to children with different starting points and different amounts of natural ability. What they share is a willingness to train with intent. The academy measures growth in confidence, communication, and discipline alongside the physical qualities the scoreboard reflects.

Community sits at the center of the model. The academy functions as a gathering place for athletes, coaches, families, and mentors who care about doing things the right way, and that network is often what sustains a young athlete through the middle years when motivation dips and school and family demands compete for attention. Being part of something larger, with people invested in your progress, becomes its own kind of fuel.

Speed, strength, and skill are all addressed, but the philosophy behind each one is consistent. Train hard, learn honestly, and treat failure as information rather than verdict. Athletes are taught to read their own bodies, to understand why a movement works, and to build habits that hold up when the coach is not watching. That independence, grounded in preparation and self-belief, is the practical version of the academy's message and the reason its graduates tend to carry on competing with the same grit they first found here.

The academy is privately owned and operated by people driven by the belief that every child deserves access to solid coaching, a real training environment, and the chance to develop into a confident, capable person. That principle shapes everything from program structure to the way communication happens with parents and athletes. GRIT Athletic Academy invites families to come see the environment in person, talk with the coaches, and decide for themselves whether the approach fits their child.

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Support The Program

Store proceeds help support organized free play for kids who can't afford to pay. Every shirt keeps a seat on the field.

Visit The Store

Family Owned & Operated

Everything we do comes back to one idea: give kids the preparation and the opportunity, then let them carry the belief themselves.

Motivate

Encouraging young men and women to keep showing up, on the field and in the classroom.

Mentor

Building a solid foundation of self-confidence through coaches who lead by example every session.

Inspire

Supporting parents and our community in the development of the athletes we serve.

Meet Our Coaches

Leadership that coaches, trains, speaks and serves the community.

Darryl Smith

Coach Smith · Trainer, Speaker, Talk Show Host

  • Originally from St. Louis, MO
  • All-State Football Player in 1995
  • Spent 23 years in Houston, TX
  • Coaching and training athletes for over 12 years
  • Known for motivational and inspirational speaking

Darryl Smith III

Coach D · Leadership Within The Academy

  • Part of the leadership team at GRIT Athletic Academy
  • Works alongside Coach Smith day to day
  • Helps deliver the GRIT principle to young athletes
  • Focused on building self-confidence and belief

What Parents Say

★★★★★
“Preparation + Opportunity = Success.”
The GRIT Principle · Preparation + Opportunity = Success
Preparation + Opportunity = Success

GRIT is a place that motivates, mentors, inspires and encourages — and gives tools that assist parents and our community in the development of our kids. Family owned and operated, built for athletes across Tempe, Mesa, Chandler and Gilbert.

Join The Family

How To Get Started

Three straightforward steps to put your athlete on the field with GRIT.

01

Try Us For Free

Redeem a free session and see how our training works with your athlete. We just need a little information.

02

Join The Family

Complete the registration form to join the Gritty Athlete Family. We take your decision seriously and want to make sure your child has the support they need.

03

Train & Grow

Show up, work hard, and build the self-confidence and belief that carries into everything else life throws at them.

Register Your Athlete

If you are inquiring about pricing or more information, please fill out the form below and we'll contact you within 24 hours.

Young athletes in red and black uniforms training their footwork through a yellow agility ladder on a green field

Store

Official GRIT merchandise supports our 7v7 programs and organized free play for kids who can't afford to pay.

GRIT Athletic Academy logo in bold lettering on a plain light background

GRIT 7v7 Open Field T-Shirt

Purchase a GRIT 7v7 Open Field T-shirt to help support 7v7 football organized free play for kids that can't afford to pay.

Proceeds support organized free play.

Visit Grit Store
Wine-colored GRIT jogger sweatpants displayed on a plain background

GRIT Training Apparel

Apparel designed for the work: warm-ups, joggers and jerseys for GRIT training sessions and the 7v7 Open Field Series.

See The Range

Contact

Reach the academy directly for pricing, program details or partnership inquiries.

GRIT Athletic Academy
Emaildsmith.grittyathlete@grittyathlete.com
Phone602-456-2103
ServingKids travel from Tempe, Mesa, Chandler and Gilbert
ResponseFill out the contact form and we'll contact you within 24 hours
HoursAsk about session times when you contact us