Why Struggling Helps You Learn
Have you ever taught someone a new skill, watched them get it right away, and thought, “Wow, they’ve nailed it”? But then the next day… it’s like they forgot everything.
This is a common trap for teachers, coaches, and learners: doing well in the moment (performance) doesn’t always mean real learning has happened.
Learning vs. Performance
Learning is what sticks — lasting changes in knowledge or skills.
Performance is how well someone does right away, while practicing or just after a lesson.
Performance is short-term and can be deceiving. Learning takes longer and only shows up after some time has passed.
Why They’re Different
It feels natural to assume that if someone performs well, they’ve learned it. But research shows that isn’t always the case. In fact, sometimes the better you perform right away, the less you remember later.
That’s because easy practice can make progress look good in the short run, but it doesn’t push the brain to store knowledge in a lasting way.
The Paradox: Struggle Builds Strength
Here’s the surprising truth: a bit of struggle during practice is a good thing.
When learning feels too easy, it often doesn’t last. When it feels a little tougher, it usually sticks better.
Psychologists call this idea “desirable difficulties.”
What Are Desirable Difficulties?
These are learning strategies that make practice harder in the short term but lead to stronger memory and deeper understanding in the long term.
Some proven examples are:
Spacing it out – Study or practice a little over several days instead of cramming all at once.
Mixing it up – Work on different (but related) skills together, instead of drilling one thing over and over.
Testing yourself – Try to recall or use what you know, instead of just re-reading or re-watching.
These methods can slow progress and cause more mistakes in practice, but they make the learning stick.
Finding the “Just Right” Challenge
The trick is balance.
If practice is too easy, learners don’t grow.
If it’s too hard, learners can shut down.
The sweet spot is the middle ground — where the task is challenging enough to cause effort and maybe some mistakes, but still achievable.
A Rule for Teachers and Coaches
If your students or players aren’t struggling at least a little bit, they’re probably not truly learning.
Real learning often feels messy, slow, and uncomfortable — and that’s okay. That’s when the brain is working hardest to make knowledge stick.
As learning expert Robert Bjork put it:
“Don’t trust the feeling of ease. Be okay with difficulty — that’s when learning is happening.”
Final Thought
Our goal as teachers and coaches isn’t to make practice look smooth and perfect. It’s to help knowledge and skills last. That means embracing challenges, letting learners struggle a little, and trusting that effort today will pay off tomorrow.
Struggle now. Remember later. That’s how real learning works.