History Main / TeachMeHowToFight

* ''Literature/HarryPotter'': Ron and Hermione ask Harry to do this, and Dumbledore's Army is born.
** [[Literature/HarryPotterAndThePrisonerOfAzkaban Previously]], Harry asks Lupin how to fight off dementors, and Lupin teaches him the Patronus Charm.
* Jason Marshall, in ''Rogue of Literature/{{Gor}}'', devises a plan to defeat the pirates who are terrorising the peaceful river-ports along the Vosk. But first he must learn to fight with a sword. He wins the gratitude of the broken-down alcoholic Callimachus, who when sober is an excellent swordsman, levels up as per the plan and does indeed defeat the mean old pirates over the course of the remainder of the book and the next one.

* MyBodyguard, starring Creator/AdamBaldwin, has some of this in it.

* ''{{Pendragon}}'': After nearly being beaten to death by Saint Dane, Bobby asks Loor to do this. His training is very much TrainingFromHell.

Cue TheProtagonist going to a trusted friend [[{{Badass}} who can]], and asking to be taught. They agree, but although the two are on friendly terms, the training is anything but easy. It's sometimes even TrainingFromHell but the protagonist [[TookALevelInBadass takes a level in badass]] by the end of it. Cue LookWhatICanDoNow.

* ''Series/BabylonFive'': Sheridan asks [[TheObiWan Kosh]] to teach him how to fight "those things" ([[BigBad the Shadows]]) after first learning about them, and that they were connected to the fate of his wife on the doomed voyage of the ''Icarus'' ("In the Shadow of Z'ha'dum").

* Richard Cypher of the ''SwordOfTruth'' spends a good portion of the first book doing this, until he takes up the mantle of the Seeker and starts calling the shots. He's a woodsman who doesn't even let himself be ''angry'' because his mother was killed by a fire caused by an angry outburst. He knows questing, and killing, from nothing.

** In fact, this is pretty much [[UniversalTrope universal]] in kung fu movies not starring Jet Li, Bruce Lee, or Chuck Norris. Taken to extremes when the "teacher" is so completely non-badass that the suspension of disbelief is completely broken, e.g. Billy Blanks, Pat Morita, Mako, etc.

* ''{{Change 123}}'' uses this trope ''twice'', both times a ''boy'' asks a ''girl'' to teach him... well, not actually how to ''fight'', since both boys do indeed have some confidence and experience in fighting (one of them is a black belt in judo and another one a fearless street brawler), but rather how to take their fighting skills to a higher level.

* In the comic ''{{Superman}} vs. Muhammad Ali'', Ali teaches Superman to box. This is, of course, to create a non-superpowered "fair fight" between the two.

* Luke's arc as a Jedi in training (''{{Star Wars}}'' episodes IV and V) begins with the death of his guardian family on Tatooine, starting with Obi-Wan Kenobi as his mentor, but this trope is particularly invoked when he goes to Dagoba and trains with [[RetiredBadass Yoda]], where Yoda at first [[AdventureRebuff rebuffs his request for training]], the training is particularly challenging, and he clearly does [[TookALevelInBadass Take a Level in Badass]] when that training is finished.

* Also happens in ''TheForbiddenKingdom'' with the protagonist and Jackie Chan's character.

* Happens in ''Manga/RosarioVampire'', a couple times. [[spoiler:The first time with Tsukune being trained by Ruby and Moka. The second time, Tsukune is trained by Touhou Fuhai.]]

* Oh god poor Shirahama Kenichi in ''KenichiTheMightiestDisciple'' . As the show goes on, one starts to wonder if he would've been better if he just lost the match to Daimonji.

* ''ShakuganNoShana.'' Yuji is a NonActionGuy, but his insistence on keeping up with Shana's demon-hunting lifestyle led him to receive TrainingFromHell from several different sources, eventually taking [[TookALevelInBadass several levels in Badass]]. Most striking is when he's being pushed around by a minor demon, who intends to use him as bait to draw out Shana. He suddenly realizes that this guy is well below his current power-level, and proceeds to kick his ass. Yep, Yuji's all grown up now...
* ''MahouSenseiNegima.'' Negi is already quite good at the start of the manga (it's suspected that he's been training from age four), but it really gets serious when he asks [[DrillSergeantNasty Evangeline]] to teach him.

* Happens in Rosario+Vampire, a couple times. [[spoiler:The first time with Tsukune being trained by Ruby and Moka. The second time, Tsukune is trained by Touhou Fuhai.]]

* ''XenaWarriorPrincess'' gets asked this by Gabrielle.

* Subverted when Connor asks {{Angel}} how to fight vampires; he's actually doing it to learn Angel's fighting style [[IHateYouVampireDad so he can kill him]].

* ''DungeonsAndDragons'' adventure [=OA5=] ''Mad Monkey vs. The Dragon Claw''. During the sea journey {{NPC}} Ko La Ko approaches one of the {{PC}}s and asks the PC to teach him kung fu so he won't be so useless in a fight.

* In ''{{Madlax}}'', after Vanessa shoots a person for the first time (it's to protect the eponymous heroine and she only grazes her target, but she [[ItNeverGetsAnyEasier angsts nonetheless]]), she eventually asks Madlax to teach her to shoot. [[spoiler:It doesn't end well, as she dies when protecting Madlax again.]]

* Shirou from ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight''. Saber starts training him just to shut him up and convince him that he's out of his league fighting Servants.

* MyBodyguard, starring AdamBaldwin, has some of this in it.

* ''HarryPotter'': Ron and Hermione ask Harry to do this, and Dumbledore's Army is born.
** [[HarryPotterAndThePrisonerOfAzkaban Previously]], Harry asks Lupin how to fight off dementors, and Lupin teaches him the Patronus Charm.

[[folder: Real Life]]
[[AC: RealLife]]

* Any military training obviously enough. But mentioned for historical interest is the Great Louisiana Maneuvers of 1941. These were a TeachMeHowToFight on a national scale, meant to change an army meant for small border actions into one capable of fighting WorldWarII. The commanders of the "blue army" and the "red army" included many famous American generals.
* Cassius Clay A.K.A Muhammad Ali's origin story. After his brand new bike was stolen, Ali was taken to the boxing gym by the police officer he complained to so he could learn how to fight. The rest is history.
[[/folder]]

* ''{{Babylon 5}}'': Sheridan asks [[TheObiWan Kosh]] to teach him how to fight "those things" ([[BigBad the Shadows]]) after first learning about them, and that they were connected to the fate of his wife on the doomed voyage of the ''Icarus'' ("In the Shadow of Z'ha'dum").