Why Learning to Fail Might Be the Best Lesson We Teach

We live in a world where kids are often told they’re amazing at everything they do. Participation trophies? We love them. Smiles and applause just for showing up? Totally fine. And while encouragement is important (and let’s be real—kids should feel supported and celebrated), we’re doing our kids a disservice if we don’t also teach them what to do when things don’t go their way.

Because failure is coming.

Maybe not today, or this year, but eventually—and if the first time they fail is when they don’t get into their dream college, or bomb the SAT after months of tutoring, or don’t land that big job after graduation…it hits harder. A lot harder.

At Plano Taekwondo America, one of the best things we teach isn’t just how to kick or block or yell really loud. It’s how to fail successfully. Gracefully. Productively.

Whether you’re in our Lil Dragons program for 4–5 year olds, our Juniors classes for elementary kids, or our Teens and Adults, the lesson is the same: success is not a straight line. It’s a zig-zag path full of progress, plateaus, and sometimes setbacks.

Here’s What That Looks Like in Real Life:

You show up for class, and you don’t earn the stripe you wanted.
You go to belt testing, and you don’t pass.
You feel disappointed. Maybe even embarrassed.
And then…you show back up.

We talk a lot in class about perseverance, and it’s not just a word we memorize for testing—it’s a mindset we practice every week.

Our students learn that failing doesn’t mean you’re a failure. It means you’re still in progress. It means your goal is worth working for. And the next time they face failure—in school, in sports, in life—they’ll have the emotional toolkit to handle it without falling apart.

As a parent, it can be tough to watch your child struggle. But trust us: the ability to dust themselves off and try again is one of the most powerful muscles they can build. We just happen to build it through Taekwondo.

Want your child to gain real confidence and grit?
Come visit us at Plano Taekwondo America! Schedule a class, stop by for a tour, and if you’ve had a great experience with us, we’d love it if you left us a review on Google to help other families find us too.