Don't Fight The Last War
What Got You Here Won't Get You There
General Edward Braddock was one of the top military minds of his generation. Coming up through the ranks of the elite British Coldstream Guards, and served in the Netherlands and Gibraltar, as well as spending time as a dedicated military historian. He helped form the successful British battle tactics of the day, and was a natural choice to go and direct troops in the American colonies.
His field experience involved precision, discipline, and large form battalion attacks on fixed fortifications. In the “rank and file” form of combat, no force on Earth came close to the success of the British armies. It was this mindset he took with him when he sailed west.
When Braddock arrived in Virginia in 1755, he didn't see a new world; he saw a world he needed to tame. He looked at the endless forests and saw obstacles to be cleared so he could perform his "proper" drills, rather than a terrain to be adapted to. His years of excellence in the British military system convinced him that the system was universal. He believed that if the environment didn't fit his tactics, he would simply force the environment to change.
Braddock was tasked with the capture of the French Fort Duquesne (modern-day Pittsburgh). He traveled there, slowly, with two regiments of British regulars, but insisted on cutting and leveling a road as they went so that they could march in a disciplined and orderly formation. Needless to say, between the chopping of the trees, the marching drums, the red uniforms, and the slow pace, it was easy to keep track of them.
On July 9, 1755, Braddock’s force was crossing the Monongahela River. Suddenly, they were engaged by a force of about 900 French and Native American fighters. These fighters were not in brightly colored uniforms and they did not line up across a wide field in a “gentlemanly” way. They fought from behind. Hid among rocks. Shot men as they tried to cross running water. Moved in small groups.
They fought the war using the terrain instead of trying to change it.
This is where the “last war” mindset turned fatal. As the British soldiers realized they were being slaughtered from the woods, many tried to break rank and take cover behind trees to fight back on equal terms.
Braddock refused to let them. He reportedly beat his own men with the flat of his sword to force them back into neat, standing rows of red targets. To Braddock, taking cover was “cowardice.” He insisted they maintain a civilized posture, making them easy targets for the enemy in the trees.
More than 900 British soldiers died there, and only about 30 of the French and native fighters were lost. Braddock himself was fatally wounded, and his last words were reportedly, “We shall better know how to do it next time.” I really hope that is true.
We fight the last war when we try to replicate our first year of climbing in our 20th.
We fight the last war when we do the same exact training we did last year.
We fight the last war every time we ignore a changing landscape.
One of my favorite quotes is from Sam Harris. Harris said, “If someone came to me with my list of problems, I would be able to sort that person out very easily.”
To avoid fighting the last war, we have to move from relying on accumulated answers to implementing active observation. There are four strategies that can help us avoid those same mistakes.
Assemble a “Red Team.”
The Red Team is a group (or person) tasked specifically with playing the "enemy" or the "disruptor." Their job is to find the holes in the current plan.
A coach or trusted friend can help. Imagine presenting your past performance, goals, training plan, schedule, and life situation to this team. They certainly won’t just say, “Looks great. Go for it.” If they are at all concerned with your success, they’ll help you sort out the details.
Seek new information.
What worked for me at age 17 was fun, got me to higher grades, and would be both devastating to my body and totally ineffectual in getting me up hard routes 35 years later. As tactics stop producing noticeable results, we need to seek out new ones. This can be as simple as lifting heavier weights or trying a different style of bouldering.
In the 1990s, the use of system training walls and campus boards was high among dedicated climbers. These tools helped us with specific strength, explosiveness, timing, and more. Although still useful tools, most of us have moved on to using training boards for the same purposes. These boards tend to simulate climbing better, may have a lower injury risk, and are much more entertaining.
Remember the Washington Principle.
George Washington was a master tactician and had learned well the ways of moving through the terrain of the colonies. He could have helped Braddock succeed because he knew better how to navigate the geography of the New World. He had a better understanding of the French and Native American fighting styles. In short, he knew the performance environment.
Far too many of us forget to look at what others are doing to prepare.
Every year, high level climbers travel to my home area of Wild Iris, Wyoming, to try out some of the short and powerful limestone climbs. In preparing for the area, they spend extra time on hard boulders and explosive moves. They may even hang from their middle fingers to prep for pockets. But every year there is a story of a great climber injuring a ring finger on a shallow pocket and leaving the area early to start recuperating.
Instead of working on explosive strength on small crimps, they might have done well to talk to others that climb there regularly, or that have sustained this injury in the past. “What did you do to prepare beforehand? How long does it take? Once there, how should I progress into harder climbs?”
Think in OODA Loops.
Developed by strategist John Boyd, the OODA Loop (Observe, Orient, Decide, Act) is the antidote to Braddock’s 12-foot-wide road through the Virginia wilderness. Braddock focused on force: more men, bigger cannons, wider roads. Instead of building out a huge and detailed 3-year training plan based on what you did last season, think in terms of general direction, intensity, and small changes in addressing weaknesses.
What does this season require?
What has changed since I last did similar training?
What is the simplest way to develop these skills?
What can I do, today, to make steps toward my next goal?
Familiarity and past successes are easy traps to fall into. IF progress is not coming the way it used to, the first step is to recognize that your past strategies might be outdated or used up. Breaking free of these traps is the fastest way to progress into the next stages of your development.