Improving debugging skills involves understanding error messages, using print statements, testing with edge cases, and staying patient and methodical.

Improving debugging skills in competitive programming is essential, as it can mean the difference between success and failure. Debugging starts with understanding error messages, which often point to the exact issue or line number causing problems. Becoming familiar with common errors like segmentation faults, array index out-of-bounds errors, or infinite loops can save time in identifying the problem. A widely-used debugging technique is to add print statements that help track variable values and program flow. Testing with various edge cases, including minimum and maximum input limits, empty inputs, and unusual data configurations, can reveal issues that don’t appear in standard cases. When a solution doesn't work, rather than re-writing everything, isolate sections and test them individually to find where things go wrong. Staying patient and breaking the problem into smaller parts often yields quicker fixes than tackling the entire code at once. Consistent debugging practice will not only enhance coding resilience but also develop intuition for pinpointing errors swiftly.