Poor performances at the Hockey World League Finals could be a “blessing in disguise” for Britain’s men and women.
The men’s team finished sixth in India, while the women were seventh in their event, which was won by Argentina.
The hosts defeated New Zealand 5-1 on Sunday, with Germany beating China 6-2 for bronze.
“Unless people go through these experiences we won’t actually be fully prepared for Rio,” Danny Kerry, coach of Britain’s women, told BBC Sport.
Kerry coached the GB women to Olympic bronze at London 2012 and then moved into the performance director role – overlooking both squads – before returning to the women’s set-up in 2014.
Both teams have since secured places at next year’s Rio Olympics, while England’s women won a historic European gold medal in August.
“We can’t lose sight of the big picture which is Rio, so it’s probably a blessing in disguise having gone undefeated throughout the summer,” said Kerry.
“Both squads are actually in really good shape so there’s a lot of cause for optimism despite the results at the end of the year.”
Helen Richardson-Walsh finished as the women’s tournament’s top scorer with four goals, and also made her 100th appearance for Britain.
She believes the team will learn from mistakes in Rosario as they attempt to become GB’s first Olympic hockey champions since Seoul 1988.
“No team becomes a bad one overnight,” she told BBC Sport.
“Yes, there are some critical things we need to look at and do better with, but this is an amazing squad and the European success shows what we can accomplish when we get it right.”