Why simply 'trying again' is a great learning strategy
When we come to learn a new movement it's quite common not to succeed the first time around. When that happens a few times in a row it's all too easy to give up and walk away, when in fact simply trying a few more times (sometimes quite a lot more times) is all that is required. In this post we're going to talk about why simply trying again is a pretty good option.
To understand why trying again is so beneficial we need to understand some reasons why we might have failed the movement in the first place. Here are three of the most common reasons:
A lack of physical attributes. The classic example of this is lacking the strength to perform the movement.
A lack of skill. In this situation, you may or may not have the physical attributes to perform the movement, but even if you do, you don't know how to use them effectively to perform the movement. A classic example of this would be a bodybuilding or powerlifter who takes up martial arts and is easily defeated but a much smaller and weaker opponent
The incorrect application of an existing skill. In this situation, you have both the physical attributes and the skill to perform the movement, but simply fail to execute it properly. The classic example here is the athlete who has performed flawlessly and only needs to do one last simple thing correctly to win, but fails to do some.
The thing to realize here is that it is very clear cut, items 2 and 3 are improved through practice. Trying again is a great solution to either of those problems. What's not so obvious is how even in the case of item 1 (a lack of physical attributes), simply trying more is often highly beneficial.
There are two reasons why trying again is a great option even when a lack of physical attributes is the cause of the failure. The first is that trying again (so long as it is done diligently, deliberately etc) will send a signal to your body that you want to be better at the movement. Your body will adapt (over time) to help you get better at the movement. If you're lacking the strength, you will gradually build it. If you're lacking the flexibility, it will improve. But you must be trying diligently. Sloppy efforts won't help as much.
The second reason is that what initially appears to be failure due to the lack of a physical attribute (often strength), is often a lack of skill. In situations where you have the basics of the skill in place, the fact that it feels like you're not strong enough is often due to your technique being unrefined. In these situations it is possible to make up for the poor technique using additional strength, flexibility etc, and so it feels like that is what is lacking, when in fact the root cause is a lack of skill.
As you can see, it's very rare that simply trying again will do you any harm (so long as you don't do it excessively or give yourself an overuse injury). Yes, the learning process can often be sped up with supplementary training and skill acquisition approaches, but if you want to learn a new movement, being stubborn and continuing to try has plenty of merit.
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