In the world of sports, there’s one myth that every serious athlete hears: you have to go through the same pain and setbacks as everyone else to “earn” your success. It’s the classic belief that mistakes are part of the game, something you have to slog through to grow stronger. But let’s challenge that notion. Do you really need to make every mistake yourself to get better? Or could you skip some pitfalls by paying attention to those who’ve already been there?
Here’s a powerful thought, borrowed from Buddha: “Even an idiot can learn from his mistakes. A wise person learns from other people’s mistakes.” As athletes, this mindset can be a game-changer. Yet, it’s often ignored or brushed aside by people who want to “do it their own way.” The truth is, while everyone makes mistakes, the fastest way to improve is by watching what others did wrong and steering clear of their errors. So, let’s dig deeper into why learning from others’ mistakes can save you pain, keep you healthy, and put you on the fast track to success.
The Dangerous Culture of “Learning the Hard Way”
There’s a culture in athletics that almost glorifies suffering through mistakes. It’s seen as a rite of passage: push too hard, get injured, then bounce back stronger. It’s the whole “no pain, no gain” mantra or the “Mamba mentality” taken to the wrong way. But think about this—if you’ve watched a teammate burn out from overtraining, or seen someone continue to fail despite previous warnings, why would you want to repeat their journey?
This “learn it the hard way” culture makes athletes feel they need to experience everything firsthand to become tougher, more disciplined, or more dedicated. But real strength and wisdom come from breaking this cycle. When you start looking around at what’s working and what’s not for other athletes, you’ll find that you can skip over a lot of unnecessary setbacks.
When I was speed skating in Calgary I was part of this development group which had only two sprinters in it, myself and my buddy Chase. It was the off-season, and we were training in the foothills of Calgary doing repeat hill sprints. We all had our heart rate monitors on to assess our recovery before our next sprint (first warning sign, this coach was not adept at coaching sprinters). So, we’re killing ourselves up this hill and I’m winning every sprint up. At the top of the hill we have to yell out our heart rates. My is significantly lower than everyone else’s. Everyone is in the 200’s and I’m sitting at 180 bpm. My coach starts belittling me in front of everyone else because I’m not working hard enough. I keep winning the sprints and I keep digging a deeper and deeper hole for myself.
Finally, we finished, the coach pulled me aside for not working hard enough and continued to scold me. We go back to the Oval for an ice session. The next morning, we have another ice session followed by weights. I’m doing my warm-up sets of back squats. I take a 45lb plate off the bar, bend over to put it on the rack, and tear my hamstring. This was a grade 2 tear with the back of my leg black and purple the following day and I’m out for over a month.
I reported this to Speed Skating Canada and the head at the time, told me, “You should have listened to your coach better.” This was one of the reasons I went into coaching. I didn’t want other kids to have to suffer through ignorance like this. This was someone who refused to learn from their mistakes, but I could learn from mine. I left the program a couple months later and found coaches and a new pathway.
Mistakes Are Inevitable—But Some Are Avoidable
Every athlete will face challenges, setbacks, and lessons learned the hard way. That’s just part of the process. But some mistakes are entirely avoidable. There’s a big difference between experiencing new challenges for growth and falling into traps you’ve seen others go through. If you know that not recovering enough leads to burnout and injury (a lesson proven time and time again), why would you ignore that knowledge?
Sometimes, athletes say they have to do things on their own terms. They think that means going against advice or guidance, even when that advice is based on years of experience. That mindset might sound bold or independent, but it’s often just risky. Yes, every athlete has their unique journey, but ignoring others’ mistakes doesn’t make you tougher—it’s often foolish and can just set you back.
My biggest regret in sport wasn’t an injury, but a decision I made toward the end of my career. I chose to leave sport on someone else’s terms and not my own. For those of you who don’t know, in a previous life, I was engaged and racing bikes. My fiancé did not appreciate me racing bikes because I was starving student-athlete. I was broke, but doing what I loved. I was finishing my masters in exercise science and I was riding the best I had ever ridden. I had just silver medaled in the Pacific Northwest Championships in the sprints and we were set to go to Nationals where I was expected to hit a massive personal best. After which, I was supposed to go to Australia for a practicum and race in the Christmas Carnivals – a major track cycling event through South Australia.
Driving home, I called my fiancé and told her the exciting news. It doesn’t go well. I get the ultimatum to quit cycling, or we’re done. I’m driving back from Seattle at the time with my coach, Keith, and I tell him. He said, leave her. We had a further discussion, and I decided to stay with her, despite Keith telling me that you will regret this decision. Two years later we split up, but the damage was done. To this day, that is my biggest regret in sport. I didn’t make the decision for me; I made it for someone else. I share that story so that others can follow their dreams and passions as far as you want to take them.
How to Spot and Avoid Common Pitfalls
So, what are some common traps that athletes fall into, and how can you steer clear? Here are a few patterns I see time and again:
1. Overtraining – Athletes push themselves because they want to be the best, but redlining it often leads to injury. If you see teammates or competitors burning out from lack of recovery, poor program design, or training excessively, don’t just think, “It won’t happen to me.” It can and will if you ignore the signs.
2. Ignoring the Importance of Recovery – Rest days aren’t optional. Look at high-performing athletes—they know when to step back, even if they’re in peak form. Recovery isn’t weakness; it’s part of training, part of the recipe for success.
3. Neglecting Mental Health – Mental stress and burnout are real, yet too many athletes act like powering through is the answer. The athletes who have come before you who took no time to recover mentally struggled more in the long run.
4. Skipping Warm-Ups and Cool-Downs – They might seem unnecessary, especially when you’re feeling fresh, but lack of proper warm-ups and cool-downs is a mistake you’ll see play out with injuries across every level of competition. It’s usually immediate, but over time stress will accumulate.
These mistakes aren’t new. They happen every season, and they cost athlete’s valuable time. If you want to stand out, be the one who learns from them without repeating them.
I was working with an athlete previously, a sprinter. This athlete had been training hard over the off-season but was getting antsy to race. We approached the first part of their race season. They came out flying and saw some early success. After this the athlete started to get a little complacent with pieces of their training. They started to neglect the small things like eating enough, sleeping enough, and doing their mobility work. They started to get lax on their warmups, not completing them with intention, but going through the motions. They would completely skip cooldowns altogether often. They peaked early in the second part of their season and were never able to exceed that mark for 3 months. We were fortunate that no major injuries occurred during that time because the stage was set for it. Instead, performance suffered, and mental health suffered a great deal.
After that season, though, we discussed everything that happened and laid it out. We came up with a plan of attack for the next off-season and involved a couple of other skilled coaches in the mix to help with mental skills and nutrition. We saw a major turnaround in how the athlete showed up for practice and even at school. These small parts of training are not fun or sexy. They don’t look cool on Instagram, but they are the difference makers.
Learn from Wins, Not Just Losses
When it comes to learning, don’t just focus on mistakes. Look at what makes other athletes successful. Why is it that some athletes seem to stay strong, recover faster, and avoid injuries? Chances are, they’re sticking to a routine that respects their body’s needs—balancing intensity with recovery, not skipping their mental prep, and respecting their limits.
Observe your peers who perform consistently well. What are they doing right? Do they have strong recovery routines? Are they flexible in adjusting their training based on how their body feels that day? Being wise isn’t just about learning from failures; it’s about studying success and emulating the habits that work.
Ask Questions
One of the best ways to learn from others is simply to ask. Athletes are often afraid of looking weak or admitting they don’t know everything. But here’s a secret—most successful athletes and coaches are happy to share what they’ve learned. Asking questions shows that you’re committed to getting better. Plus, you might discover tricks and strategies that can elevate your training without going through unnecessary trial and error.
When I was in high school, we had a physics teacher, Mr. Savage (no joke). Mr. Savage was a stocky former rower for Oxford. He was quick witted and brutally honest. That’s why he was one of my favourite teachers. He always told the class to never be afraid of asking the “stupid” questions in class because chances are there is more than one person thinking the same thing. I liked this approach and so I asked a lot of questions. I did well in his class and physics/biomechanics in university. At graduation, though, he came up to me, shook my hand, and said, “thanks Khyl for never being afraid to ask the stupid questions.”
The Risks of Ignoring This Advice
Some athletes might read all this and still think, “Well, I’ll take my chances.” And sure, you could. But remember, for every high-achieving athlete who thrives, there’s a crowd who fell short due to avoidable mistakes. Injury, burnout, and missed opportunities don’t always have to be part of your journey.
Ignoring the hard-earned lessons of others is taking an unnecessary risk. It’s like stepping on an icy patch after watching someone else slip and fall on it. There’s no heroism in that; it’s just a lack of foresight. The best athletes aren’t the ones who go through every possible setback—they’re the ones who build on the wisdom around them to move forward faster.
Training Smarter, Not Harder
At the end of the day, the athletes who achieve the most are the ones who know when to listen, when to rest, and when to observe. Charlie Francis used to say, you have two ears, two eyes, and one mouth, use them proportionately. They use others’ mistakes as stepping stones, not as personal obstacles they have to trip over to get stronger. Training smart is about balance, humility, and the willingness to learn from anyone—especially those who came before you.
Learning from others isn’t about weakness; it’s about wisdom. By taking in the lessons and stories from teammates, coaches, and mentors, you’re not cutting corners—you’re cutting out wasted effort and unnecessary pain. You’re positioning yourself to train harder and more effectively because you’re saving your body and mind from setbacks you don’t need.
So, the next time you see a teammate struggling with an avoidable mistake, ask yourself: what can I learn from this? And how can I avoid making it part of my journey? Being wise isn’t about skipping hard work; it’s about making sure every step you take brings you closer to your goals, without stumbling over what you could have avoided.
By respecting others’ experiences, you’re not only a better athlete; you’re a smarter one.