Embracing Failure

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Research Corner

Elite athletes often attribute their athletic success to their ability to learn from failures. Michael Jordan famously highlighted this in a Nike commercial, stating:

Beyond being a great commercial, this perspective is actually supported by research indicating that failure can either improve or stunt performance, depending on how it is handled by the individual. A healthy approach to failure with a growth mindset can lead to:

• Increased Resilience: Athletes who view failures as learning opportunities develop greater mental toughness, enabling them to persevere through challenges.

• Enhanced Skill Acquisition: Analyzing mistakes allows athletes to identify areas for improvement, leading to more effective practice and skill development.

• Motivation to Succeed: Experiencing failure can fuel a desire to overcome obstacles, driving athletes to work harder and smarter.

In some situations, failure can feel devastating - a surgeon failing during an operation, for instance, can have life-altering consequences. The kicker missing a straightforward field goal in a tied football bowl game, may feel his failure weighs an immeasurable amount.

An athlete’s comfort with failure, however, may be the “secret sauce” to what keeps them practicing their craft day in and day out, aiming towards that 10,000 hour level of mastery few achieve.

HEMA Hot Take: Using Failure as a Training Tool

Intentionally Seeking Failure in Training
Failure isn’t an unfortunate byproduct of testing your limits—it’s a tool for growth. When you intentionally create opportunities to fail in your fencing, you accelerate your progress by identifying weaknesses and pushing your boundaries.

Why Testing Yourself is Important:

• Exposes Weak Points: Failure highlights areas that need improvement, whether it’s an issue with strategy, endurance, or technique.

• Stimulates Adaptation: Your body and mind grow stronger when challenged beyond their comfort zones.

• Builds Resilience: Learning to manage failure teaches you how to recover and refocus during high-stakes situations (aka tournaments)

How to Incorporate Failure into Training:

• Failure in Sparring:

  • Spar with opponents above your skill level as often as possible. When you lose, record the footage and re-watch later or ask for feedback on what weaknesses your opponent noted and took advantage of.

  • Spar with multiple specific constraints (e.g., no thrusts and only ripostes) to encourage creative problem-solving through challenging situations.

  • When you fence to exhaustion, reflect on what fatigues first—your legs, your timing, or your focus.

• Failure in Conditioning Training:

  • Occasionally test your limits with a heavier load or an extra rep, while keeping proper form and safety in mind.

  • Use methods like AMRAP (as many reps as possible) sets to push past your usual boundaries.

  • Record your workouts so that you can note your improvements over time, and when you failed or succeeded at what.

• Failure in Fencing Drills:

  • Choose the techniques you struggle with most, even if they feel awkward or frustrating.

  • Push the bounds of your drill to the point where you begin failing more - aim for ~60-70% success rate instead of 80-90%.

    By embracing controlled opportunities to fail in training, you’ll grow stronger, more adaptable, and better prepared to excel when it truly matters.

Coach’s Corner

Language That Makes Failure Safe
As a coach, the way you communicate about failure can significantly impact your students' development. Emphasizing effort and learning over outcomes encourages fencers to actually look at and consider how to grow from their failures instead of dismissing them. Particularly in the competitive setting, embracing failure and discussing performance regardless of the win or loss creates a growth mindset and healthy approach to setbacks.

Effective Communication Strategies:

• Praise Effort and Process:

  • Instead of: "Great job winning that bout!”
    Try: "I saw you applying the techniques we've been practicing!"

  • Instead of: “You’re learning really fast for a beginner”

    Try: “I’ve noticed your dedication!”

• Normalize Failure as Part of Learning:

  • Instead of: "Don't worry about the mistake."
    Try: "Mistakes are a natural part of learning. This is a safe place to make them.”

  • Instead of: “Don’t worry about losing, he’s better than you”

    Try: “What’s something you can take away from that bout?”

  By being mindful of your language when wins and losses are discussed, you help students look for the learning opportunity in each failure and stay motivated through both wins and losses.

Health & Fitness Tips

Failing Safely in the Gym

Go on Youtube or TicToc and you can find some spectacular and scary gym fails. While many of them are (ahem) well-deserved (don’t put a barbell on your neck, people!) watch enough and you may become leery about loading up the barbell beyond your usual stack or ramping up the speed and incline on the treadmill to test your limits.

Pushing your limits can be an excellent way to measure progress and identify areas for improvement—but testing your fitness comes with risks if not done safely. Whether you’re aiming for a one-rep max in the gym or running to exhaustion, here’s how to embrace failure while keeping your body safe:

Prepare Appropriately

• Timing: Testing is a tool, not a daily routine. Maximal effort should be reserved for specific training phases or when reassessing your progress every 6-12 weeks. Decide in advance the day you’ll do your 1RM or run your long distance.

• Health: Assess how you feel day-of. Ditch the 1RM plan for another day if you feel poorly or off in some way.

• Fuel Up: Fuel appropriately that day with good hydration and nutrition to set yourself up for success.

Strength Training

• Equipment: Make sure you have the appropriate equipment. For example, if you’re attempting a squat max, ensure you’re set up on a good rack with safety bars at the correct height to catch the bar if needed.

• Proper Form: When testing a one-rep max, focus on maintaining correct form over lifting heavier weights. Poor form under maximal load increases the risk of injury.

• Spotter: Always have a spotter when testing heavy lifts like squats, bench presses, or overhead presses. If no one is available, use safety bars or machines designed for self-spotting

Recovery
Post-test recovery is critical. After testing your limits, prioritize:

• Active Recovery: Light stretching or low-intensity movement helps reduce soreness.

• Nutrition: Refuel with a balance of protein and carbohydrates to aid muscle repair and energy replenishment.

• Sleep: Quality rest helps your body recover from maximal effort.

Conditioning Move of the Week

Lateral to Forward Leap

The Lateral to Forward Leap is a dynamic plyometric exercise that combines lateral movement with forward progression, challenging your stability with direction change. This is harder than it looks to do with both power and control!

Upcoming Events

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