History Main / TaughtByExperience

* In ''LightNovel/ACertainMagicalIndex'', Touma Kamijou has never received any formal training but has picked up street fighting skills from a lifetime of defending himself and others from bullies and street thugs. His various fights also help him pick up patterns and weaknesses in people's fighting styles and powers. However, he once got [[CurbStompBattle curb-stomped]] by Motoharu Tsuchimikado, who mocked him and said self-taught [[GoodOldFisticuffs street fighting skills]] [[CantCatchUp cannot compete with]] [[MyKungFuIsStrongerThanYours elite martial arts training]].

* The two sisters in ''LightNovel/{{Maoyu}}'', particularly the older one, understands about being poor with no food very well unlike those who haven't, such as the sons of the noblemen being taught by the Crimson Scholar. When one of them nonchalantly mentions how the nobles will take care of their people in times of trouble and famine, the older sister comments that they must have never starved before.

* In ''LightNovel/SagaOfTanyaTheEvil'', Tanya regularly cites experience as the best teacher, though with the caveat that the tuition fees are extremely high. Those that made it through the TrainingFromHell she delivered and their incredibly high-risk engagements quickly became a BadassArmy.

* One of the features to be included in ''VideoGame/{{Civilization}} VI'' will have your faction research techs faster by doing things related to them. For example, having a quarry will boost research on Masonry, while settling coastal cities and building fishing boats will speed your way through naval techs.

* In the ''Literature/{{Worm}}'' x ''VideoGame/{{Bloodborne}}'' crossover ''[[Fanfic/UnwelcomeStormsHunter Hunter]]'', Taylor comes to learn to defeat Father Gascoigne this way. She learned how he moved, shot, and struck, dying and respawning several times until she finally killed him.

** German General Gotthard Heinrici as the undisuputed defensive expert of the Heer took this to an extreme: he could spend time in the front lines, just watching and listening, and predict not only where the Russians were about to launch an attack, but ''when'' - right down to the hour. [[note]]he used this knowledge to pull back his army from the front line in the threatened sector, with the result of the Red Army wasting its artillery barrage on empty trenches. Heinrici's intact army would then meet them in combat.[[/note]]

** Germany's General Heinrici took this to an extreme: he could spend time in the front lines, just watching and listening, and predict not only where the Russians were about to launch an attack, but ''when'' - right down to the hour. [[note]]he used this knowledge to pull back his army from the front line in the threatened sector, with the result of the Red Army wasting its artillery barrage on empty trenches. Heinrici's intact army would then meet them in combat.[[/note]]

* In ''Girl Genius'' story ''Fanfic/RaisedByJagers'', Agatha did her best to help with the Jaeger medical treatments growing up, but she didn't know what she was doing and had no teacher. Mamma Gkika couldn't teach her much, since she wasn't a doctor or a Spark. When she gets to TPU and has real medical classes, she discovers startling gaps in her knowledge and realizes that the only reason she never killed anyone was that Jaegers are Nigh Invulnerable.

[[folder:Film]]

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Ratatouille}}'': Learning from the health inspector's surprise visit, the new restaurant has a dining area hidden from the humans that is accessible to Rémy's clan and they can honorably get food. Only Rémy, Colette and Linguini are seen in the kitchen which makes it easier to keep Rémy's participation hidden.

* ''Dungeon World'', built on the ''TabletopGame/PoweredByTheApocalypse'' system, gives players an experience point every time they fail a roll.

* In ''Franchise/MassEffect'' lore, getting the coveted N7 rank requires N6s to prove themselves in actual combat and not only survive but do so in "admirable and effective fashion".
** In ''VideoGame/MassEffectAndromeda'', this is noted to be part of the problem the angara have with fighting the kett. The kett are fanatical, not stupid, and they will adapt their strategies to counter the angara's, just as the angara do the same.

* The ''VideoGame/QuestForGlory'' series both subverts and plays this one straight. In the first game, you get to define the abilities your character starts with, and each class has specific skills that can or cannot be used. The only way to increase skill in something is to use that skill (which makes sense: you get better at climbing by climbing stuff, better at swordplay by swinging your sword, and so on). The subversion comes later in the series, starting with the third game, where the Thief character can be taught the acrobatics skill and immediately becomes proficient in it within seconds (though not necessarily ''good'' at it, that takes practice). In the fourth game, Fighter and Paladin characters can read a book and instantly learn how to climb. Mages subvert this from the first game: finding a magic scroll and reading it ''instantly'' imparts the spell to the mage, although it is at a low skill level. At least half of every game in the series (there are five) is spent just practicing your skills.

* ''Film/{{Ratatouille}}'': Learning from the health inspector's surprise visit, the new restaurant has a dining area hidden from the humans that is accessible to Rémy's clan and they can honorably get food. Only Rémy, Colette and Linguini are seen in the kitchen which makes it easier to keep Rémy's participation hidden.

* ''Fanfic/ThisBites'': How does Chopper know how to [[KnifeNut throw scalpels so well]]? No, Kureha didn't teach him; he just examined all his memories of ''her'' throwing things at ''him'', and replicating her technique.

** Darth Vader is also an example. We see Anakin falling into a '[[GeoEffects I have the high ground]]' trap by Obi-Wan, which led to insta [[DarkLordOnLifeSupport Life Support]] and ArtificialLimbs UpToEleven. Come '' Film/ReturnOfTheJedi'', Luke gets the high ground on Darth Vader to try and finish him quickly, but an OlderAndWiser Vader simply destroys the platform, robbing Luke of his advantage.

* In the first ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry1'' game, [[MonsterCompendium bestiary files]] are kept on every enemy encountered, including descriptions of their attacks and abilities. For every new attack and gimmick you witness, another section is added, usually with an explanation on how to stop/avoid it. Oh, and by the way, there are files on bosses too... [[UnexpectedGenreChange except the FinalBoss]].

* In the first ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry'' (not so much the sequels), files are kept on every enemy encountered, and descriptions of their attacks as well. For every new attack you witness, another section is added, usually with an explanation on how to stop/avoid it. Oh, and by the way, there are files on BOSSES, too...[[UnexpectedGenreChange well, except the last one]]. [[ThatOneBoss Shame]]...

* Comicbook/{{X 23}} demonstrates in ''Comicbook/{{Wolverines}}'' that she's learned from what happened when Daken and Elixir tried to fight Siphon during ''The Logan Legacy''. The next time she has to deal with him she [[SuperheroPackingHeat packs a shotgun]].

* Common in PeggySue [[FixFic Fix Fics]], where characters go back in time with the benefit of having lived through future events and seen what works and what doesn't.

* In the first ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry'' (not so much the sequels), files are kept on every enemy encountered, and descriptions of their attacks as well. For every new attack you witness, another section is added, usually with an explanation on how to stop/avoid it. Oh, and by the way, there are files on BOSSES, too...[[UnexpectedGenreChange well, except the last one.]] [[ThatOneBoss S]][[ThatOneAttack h]][[MoreDakka a]][[RailShooter m]][[EnergyWeapon e]]...

* Burk of ''WebComic/HeroOhHero'' claims his only experience in fighting comes from [[http://neorice.com/hoh_169 wrestling with his brother]] and "defeating things". He's still capable of defeating enough wolves to have given someone with military training trouble.

* ''WesternAnimation/UltimateSpiderMan'': This is the reason why Spider-Man is recruited into S.H.I.E.L.D. and given four agents to lead: while he's essentially a RookieRedRanger to the more trained Iron Fist, Power Man, Nova, and White Tiger, Spidey has a year of superheroics under his belt -- experiences the other four don't have, which prevents them from operating at their peak performance.

* In the ''Franchise/StarWars:'' ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'' FanGame ''VideoGame/TheJediMasters'', the only real training the PlayerCharacter has in the way of the Force is [[IncompletelyTrained a couple hours]] with the [[SpiritAdvisor ghost of the Sith Lord Freedon Nadd (and potentially Jedi Knight Ulic Qel-Droma)]]. [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] by the fact that Nadd grants them a portion of his power to make up the difference [[GameplayAndStoryIntegration which grows as they do]]. Later on the player recruits [[GeneticMemory a clone]] of TheExile's EvilMentor Kreia, and if they ask her for training she flat-out tells them FigureItOutYourself while implying they don't need any. Even though [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatResponsibility it takes tremendous effort for Force-sensitives to resist the pull]] of the DarkSide even ''with'' proper training, [[FridgeLogic which may have been her intention]]. By the start of the second act, the player's apparently skilled enough to train apprentices.

* In the ''Franchise/StarWars:'' ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'' FanGame ''VideoGame/TheJediMasters'', the only real training the PlayerCharacter has in the way of the Force is [[IncompletelyTrained a couple hours]] with the [[SpiritAdvisor ghost of the Sith Lord Freedon Nadd]]. [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] by the fact that he grants them a portion of his power to make up the difference [[GameplayAndStoryIntegration which grows as they do]]. Later on the player recruits [[GeneticMemory a clone]] of TheExile's EvilMentor Kreia, and if they ask her for training she flat-out tells them FigureItOutYourself while implying they don't need any. Even though [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatResponsibility it takes tremendous effort for Force-sensitives to resist the pull]] of the DarkSide even ''with'' proper training, [[FridgeLogic which may have been her intention]].