History Main / WellTrainedButInexperienced

* ''Series/{{Hawkeye|2021}}'': While Kate Bishop is a skilled archer and martial artist, she has little practical experience outside of gyms, which immediately shows when she runs afoul of the [[TheMafiya Tracksuit Mafia]] and finds herself struggling against them - however LaughablyEvil they may be, their whose practical experience proves a match for her extensive training.

* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'': When Giles is fired as Buffy's Watcher, he's less than impressed when his replacement, Wesley Wyndam-Price, boasts about his training.

* Lampshaded in ''Fanfic/{{Bastard}}''. Gil reflects on the countless brilliant duelists who lost their lives in wizarding wars: since wizard duels are practically a sport and have a very strict set of rules, most of the duelists weren't prepared for the real battlefields at all.

* Lea and Kairi spend most of ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII'' being trained to use their Keyblades under Yen Sid's supervision in preparation for the upcoming battle against [[Characters/KingdomHeartsXehanortsIncarnations the Thirteen Seekers of Darkness]]. When the battle occurs, Lea and Kairi are proven to be the weakest of the Seven Lights. While Lea does have experience wielding his chakrams and [[PlayingWithFire fire magic]] as Axel, he has only recently acquired his Keyblade, and Kairi has ''no'' combat experience. Worse still, Merlin is the one to supervise them, and while he is very intelligent, he has no Keyblade or combat experience of his own and thus lacks certain qualities that would make a proper teacher for them. When they are brought into the final battle, Lea is quickly overpowered by Xemnas and Kairi is also kidnapped.

* Lea and Kairi spend most of ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII'' being trained to use their keyblades under Yen Sid's supervision in preparation for the upcoming battle against [[Characters/KingdomHeartsXehanortsIncarnations the Thirteen Seekers of Darkness]]. When the battle occurs, Lea and Kairi are proven to be the weakest of the Seven Lights. While Lea does have experience wielding his chakrams and [[PlayingWithFire fire magic]] as Axel, he has only recently acquired his keyblade, and Kairi has ''no'' combat experience. Worse still, Merlin is the one to supervise them, and while he is very intelligent, he has no keyblade or combat experience of his own and thus lacks certain qualities that would make a proper teacher for them. When they are brought into the final battle, Lea is quickly overpowered by Xemnas and Kairi is also kidnapped.

In practice, even the most practical forms of training and education may end up failing the student when they finally have to face the subject in the real world. Consequently, in this trope, characters who've learned their skills through the best training that money can buy may find themselves folding like cheap suits the moment they leave the training grounds - especially in the case of military training.

* ''LightNovel/InvadersOfTheRokujyouma'': Yurika claims to be [[MagicalGirlWarrior "Magical Girl Rainbow Yurika"]], sent from [[MagicalLand an otherworldly kingdom]] to defend Room 106 from evildoers... but she never displays any magic, and is timid, lazy and generally incompetent enough to become the group ButtMonkey. However, when she's not restricted by her land's PrimeDirective she proves herself to be a StrongAndSkilled CowardlyLion with a knack for elaborate {{Wizard Duel}}s. In volume 19 it's revealed why Folsaria would send an agent who seems so ill-prepared for their duties - [[spoiler:reaching the rank of "Rainbow" would normally take about five years of training, but Yurika was so [[StrongAndSkilled gifted]] and [[PassingTheTorch driven to follow in Rainbow Nana's footsteps]] that she went from {{Muggle}} to {{Archmage}} in only ''one year''. Nana claims that the only place left for Yurika to grow is her [[{{Determinator}} strength of heart]], and on the day she achieves that she'll go down as the greatest wizard in history.]]

** Momo Yaoyorozu got into UA on recommendation, coming from a rich family and possessing a quirk - "Creation" - that she had spent hours studying for in its use. While she is an incredibly intelligent member of the class and has used her quirk to great effectiveness when as part of a group, she has difficulty when forced to stand on her own, a problem that has given her reserves of self-doubt as she continues to lose fights as the series progresses. Recognizing this, Aizawa pairs her up with Shoto Todoroki (who also relies too much on his quirk to carry him) against himself.

* In ''Film/DownPeriscope'', Lt. Emily Lake has the highest simulator score in the US Navy, but no actual experience on a boat prior to being assigned to the ''Stingray''. Also, she's not very confident, which doesn't help.

* In ''Film/{{Outbreak}}'', Major Salt is the NewMeat of the USAMRIID team and though he's trained well enough to detail the symptoms of Ebola from memory, he has absolutely zero field experience. Sure enough, while deployed to a CrisisPointHospital hit by [[ThePlague the Motaba virus]], Salt pukes inside his hazmat suit and tears the helmet off in a blind panic - an act that could have been fatal if the strain of the virus had been airborne. Though badly shaken, he recovers and begins working hard to make up for his earlier cockiness, soon adjusting to the pressure of working in the field - to the point that he even manages to commandeer a helicopter and help Daniels save the day.

* By the midway point of ''Literature/TheMagicians'', the Physical Kids have completed the mind-pummeling coursework at [[WizardingSchool Brakebills]], polished off a year of TrainingFromHell in Antarctica (complete with a naked march to the South Pole), have graduated, and are fully trained magicians - for all intents and purposes, minor {{reality warper}}s. After several months of mindless hedonism, they decide to journey into the MagicalLand of Fillory... and in their first battle, they're quickly reduced to a terrified, confused, shambolic mess because none of them have any combat experience. It takes several battles before any of them can [[TookALevelInBadass effectively apply their skills to combat,]] and [[SupportingProtagonist Quentin]] doesn't become remotely useful until the second book in the series. Worse still, they're also pretty easy to outsmart, given that they haven't had to apply their intellectual gifts to anything serious in months: [[spoiler: [[BigBad the Beast]] is able to fool them into serving as his MacGuffinDeliveryService, and would have ended up dooming Fillory if Alice hadn't took the fight to him.]]

** Aeryn is normally SkilledAndStrong, having both the Peacekeeper training and the experience to serve as a deadly martial artist, an expert sharpshooter, and an AcePilot. However, "[[Recap/FarscapeS02E22DieMeDichotomy Die Me Dichotomy]]" uncovers a critical gap in her experience: her dogfighting's been limited to the vacuum of space. By contrast, Crichton has only his IASA-standard training and what he's learned from Aeryn, but ''does'' have experience with flying in an atmosphere back on Earth - resulting in problems when [[EnemyWithin Harvey]] takes over his mind and leads Aeryn on a chase across an ice planet. [[spoiler: Harvey is able to use her limitations to perform a surprise attack from above, critically damaging Aeryn's prowler and ultimately sending her on a fatal plunge into a frozen lake.]]

* In contrast to her predecessor [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderAvatarAang Aang]], [[Characters/TheLegendOfKorraAvatarKorra Korra]] in ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'' has spent a majority of her life being professionally trained by masters in a bunker in the South Pole. Because of this, she is an expert in Earthbending, Waterbending and Firebending. However, her training has been predominantly focused on martial arts and has allowed her spiritual skills to atrophy, making her useless when facing threats involved with the spirits. Because her fighting experience has been predominantly based in a controlled environment, Korra can be easily overwhelmed when facing a large group, facing a combatant that uses techniques that do not involve the three aforementioned abilities (like airbending, metalbending and chi-blocking) or when an opponent fights dirty. She slowly gets better with these problems over the course of the series, but even then she can still be rendered helpless when an opponent thinks outside of the box.

* ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'': Garth aka Tempest is a far better sorcerer than the IncompletelyTrained Kaldur. However, Garth also lacks in combat experience and his problem of second-guessing his attacks is acknowledged by Mera during a sparring session between himself and Tula. In season 3, Garth's single fight against an enemy has him rather easily dispatched and it is quite telling that he doesn't have Kaldur to aid him.
* ''WesternAnimation/Ben10Omniverse'': Rook Blonko is a graduate from the Plumber Academy who becomes Ben's new partner. However, he tries to be a ByTheBookCop, not understanding how bad guys think or act outside of what he has read about them. In his first mission with Ben, he foolishly gave a villain back his helmet so he can breathe just because he said he would tell them what they wanted to know, not realizing [[ILied he would just run away afterwards]].

* In ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', the mission to Grissom Academy features a unit of [[PsychicChildren biotic students]] being trained for the war against [[MechanicalAbomination the Reapers]]; the kids have received the best training possible... but none of them have seen any actual combat experience, resulting in confusion and panic when [[LesCollaborateurs Cerberus]] attacks the academy. How well they do depends on whether or not [[DarkActionGirl Jack]] survived the previous game: if yes, Jack is working at Grissom as a teacher and is [[BadassTeacher able to keep the kids focused enough to survive the battle]], eventually deciding that her students are ready to serve on the front lines. However, if Jack isn't there, the students' CO is killed by Cerberus before you arrive, [[[[YouAreInCommandNow forcing Ensign Jason Prangley to take command]]; lack of overall experience results in Prangley getting killed while rescuing a fellow student, and Kahlee Sanders doubts that the survivors are remotely ready for front-line combat.

* ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'': When teenaged knight Mule Wolflame engages the pirate captain Bonebeard in a sword fight, Bonebeard remarks that Mule is clearly well-trained in the orthodox fencing style of the nobility. However, the old pirate gains they upper hand by exploiting Mule's lack of experience fighting on treacherous ground, and vulnerability to CombatPragmatist tricks.

* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'': When Giles is fired as Buffy's Watcher, he's less than impressed when his replacement, Wesley Windham-Price, boasts about his training.

* Also in [=WW2=], the newly-minted Liutenant John Foley first realised that a full year of intensive training at Sandhurst summed up to knowing which set of cutlery to use for each course, and a schooling in the protocols and politenesses of a pre-war officers' mess. Within a day he had binned his course notes from officer school and was learning how it is really done in wartime, from the bottom up. Later in ''Literature/MailedFist'', after escaping from a brewed-up tank, he discovers that being a marksman on the pistol ranges means nothing when he is trying to shoot at real-life German soldiers carrying machine-guns. He misses with every shot from close range.[[note]] fortunately they panic and run away[[/note]].

* In the second episode of ''Anime/SamuraiChamploo'', [[MasterSwordsman Jin]] is the target of an assassin who is an excellent swordsman. At first Jin has the advantage, until the assassin begins taking advantage of the environment, causing Jin to start making mistakes due to his lack of experience with fighting in the middle of a wild forest.
-->'''Assassin:''' I've got to admit [[BaddieFlattery you're better than I expected]]. In fact, [[CombatCompliment if we were fighting in a dojo, I might not be able to beat you]]. ''[After starting to get the upper hand in the fight by utilizing the terrain]'' It isn't the same as fighting in a dojo, is it?

* The Daughters of Aku in ''WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack'' were trained since birth by the cult that raised them to act as the ultimate assassins to kill Samurai Jack. While at first they were successfully able to overpower him, finding him where he hides and mortally wounding him, by the time they locate him after he had fled his wound have already healed sufficiently enough for him to regain his strength and ambush them. Jack trained by touring the world, allowing him to learn different cultures and lifestyles as well as learn different fighting styles. By contrast, the Daughters were kept isolated and cut off from the rest of the world, thus they know nothing of the outside world or anything that isn't related to killing Jack. Also, being raised to be [[TheSocialDarwinist Social Darwinists]] and being discouraged from aiding one another ultimately becomes their undoing as Jack is able to easily whittle their numbers down by using the environment against them.

* In ''Manga/FoodWars'', during Stagire week, Hisako Arato gets paired up with Soma at the restaurant they're both interning about. Hisako, at this point, is pretty haughty though a good cook, and doesn't think much of him despite Soma having proven he's likewise a formidable cook. However the restaurant they work in deals in lunch rushes and Soma questions Hisako if she's ready for it. She claims she had experience in staged situation at Totsuki. But come time to face the real deal, she is ''completely'' overwhelmed as it's nothing like she expected. Soma, on the other hand, breezes through as working in a special-of-the-day diner has long given him the skills necessary to keep up with the demands of the incoming patrons. Hisako has to swallow her pride and follow his lead in order to keep up and by the end, she's humbled by the experience.

* ''WesternAnimation/Ben10Omniverse'': Rook Blonko is a graduate from the Plumber Academy who becomes Ben's new partner. However, he tries to be a ByTheBookCop, not understanding how bad guys think or act outside of what he has read about them. In his first mission with Ben, he foolishly gave a villain back his helmet so he can breath just because he said he would tell them what they wanted to know, not realizing [[ILied he would just run away afterwards]].

[[folder:Web Animation]]
* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'':
** This is the state of Weiss at the start of the story. She's been trained as a Huntress both in her previous school and at home, but during her first day at Beacon Academy where she gets field training, she gets awkward at first when fighting real [[AnimalisticAbomination Grimms]] for the first time.
** Coco and Yatsuhashi are second-years who have been on a few field missions, and are considered the star students of Beacon. However, the two are easily defeated by Emerald and Mercury, two criminals who have had [[DarkAndTroubledPast to constantly fight to survive]] without the luxury of a controlled environment to train in. The song playing during the battle, "I'm the One", repeatedly insinuates that despite their reputation and abilities, Coco and Yatsuhashi never had to struggle in the real world like their opponents did and thus, can't hope to beat them.
[[/folder]]

** Aeryn is normally SkilledAndStrong, having both the Peacekeeper training and the experience to serve as a deadly martial artist, an expert sharpshooter, and an AcePilot. However, "[[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Recap/FarscapeS02E22DieMeDichotomy Die Me Dichotomy]]" uncovers a critical gap in her experience: her dogfighting's been limited to the vacuum of space. By contrast, Crichton has only his IASA-standard training and what he's learned from Aeryn, but ''does'' have experience with flying in an atmosphere back on Earth - resulting in problems when [[EnemyWithin Harvey]] takes over his mind and leads Aeryn on a chase across an ice planet. [[spoiler: Harvey is able to use her limitations to perform a surprise attack from above, critically damaging Aeryn's prowler and ultimately sending her on a fatal plunge into a frozen lake.]]

[[folder:Fanworks]]

[[folder:Films - Live-Action]]
* ''Film/{{Aliens}}'': During the landing on LV-426, Lieutenant Gorman says that he has participated in thirty eight "drops" (landing in enemy territory via DropShip), but that they were simulated (i.e. in training). When asked how many combat drops he has made, he says "Two... including this one." In other words, this is only his second combat drop, which explains why he's so uptight and nervous. Finding this out only makes the battle-hardened marines resent him more than they already do. He soon makes things even worse by giving a poorly-explained order for the marines to not use their heavy guns under the colony's reactor, and then [[HeroicBSOD freezing up]] when the xenomorphs attack. This gets most of the platoon killed, forcing Ripley - a more-experienced civilian - to take charge and drive the APC in to rescue the survivors.

[[folder:Franchises]]
* The clones from ''Franchise/StarWars'' were a major case of this at the beginning of the Clone Wars, having trained their entire lives in simulations and practice battles, but never having had their lives on the line.
[[/folder]]

-->'''Wesley:''' I have, in fact, faced two vampires myself. Under controlled circumstances, of course.
-->'''Giles:''' No danger of finding those here.
-->'''Wesley:''' Vampires?
-->'''Giles:''' Controlled circumstances.

* In ''VideoGame/TheSecretWorld'' the [[MegaCorp Orochi Group]] maintains an [[CorporateWarfare extensive private army]], but it quickly becomes clear that they're hopelessly out of their depth; regardless of how well they were prepared for the supernatural threats of the game, it's simply not enough to prepare them for the realities - hence why Orochi security is often a RedShirtArmy. Kurt, the only surviving member of the tank battalion in Kaidan District, bitterly recalls that he didn't have the experience to deal with the narrow streets of a city as big as Tokyo or cope with the threats that the [[OminousObsidianOoze Filth-infected]] city threw at him. And this was ''before'' [[EldritchAbomination the Black Signal]] killed everyone else in the battalion and [[MindRape drove Kurt insane]].

* ''Film/TheKarateKidPartII'': although he's a well-trained martial artist by the end of the first film, Daniel's time in Okinawa shows he's unprepared to deal with other karate practitioners outside the rules and regulations of the tournament. It shows especially in his final fight with Chozen, where using his tournament moves gets him thoroughly beaten until he improvises.

* ''LightNovel/RokujyoumaNoShinryakusha'': Yurika claims to be [[MagicalGirlWarrior "Magical Girl Rainbow Yurika"]], sent from [[MagicalLand an otherworldly kingdom]] to defend Room 106 from evildoers... but she never displays any magic, and is timid, lazy and generally incompetent enough to become the group ButtMonkey. However, when she's not restricted by her land's PrimeDirective she proves herself to be a StrongAndSkilled CowardlyLion with a knack for elaborate {{Wizard Duel}}s. In volume 19 it's revealed why Folsaria would send an agent who seems so ill-prepared for their duties - [[spoiler:reaching the rank of "Rainbow" would normally take about five years of training, but Yurika was so [[StrongAndSkilled gifted]] and [[PassingTheTorch driven to follow in Rainbow Nana's footsteps]] that she went from {{Muggle}} to {{Archmage}} in only ''one year''. Nana claims that the only place left for Yurika to grow is her [[{{Determinator}} strength of heart]], and on the day she achieves that she'll go down as the greatest wizard in history.]]