Have you ever considered quitting your MA(s)?

[Sensei Payne]

I'll never stop...martial arts is like reading a very large book...that takes a lifetime to read

 

[Sukerkin]

Over the years, I've seen a lot of dan grades made only to see them quickly disappear.

I've never been able to figure out why - if you enjoy something enough to put in the years to reach the proper starting point then why stop doing it just when you're beginning to learn something?

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

Over the years, I've seen a lot of dan grades made only to see them quickly disappear.

I've never been able to figure out why - if you enjoy something enough to put in the years to reach the proper starting point then why stop doing it just when you're beginning to learn something?

Absolutely. It is all about the passion and love for what you are doing. I have always had that, so no I have never thought about quitting.

 

[bushidomartialarts]

I've never considered quitting martial arts in general, but I often think about doing something else for a while. Especially now, where my requirements for rank are pretty nebulous and the wait between ranks in half a decade. I often think about taking a few years to explore something else.

But I'd come back to Kenpo. It would be more like immersion cross training than actually quitting.

 

[Steel Tiger]

Over the years, I've seen a lot of dan grades made only to see them quickly disappear.

I've never been able to figure out why - if you enjoy something enough to put in the years to reach the proper starting point then why stop doing it just when you're beginning to learn something?

Absolutely. It is all about the passion and love for what you are doing. I have always had that, so no I have never thought about quitting.

I think it is because too many people see a black belt as the ultimate goal in martial arts. They don't understand it is the point at which you really begin to learn your chosen art.

All too often it is seen as a means to an end. I have a black belt I can now work in security or something similar, I don't need anymore training.

Or they have been swayed by cinematic portrayals in which all the heroes problems fall away when he has a balck belt.

All in all its a bit sad that so many people attain the beginning but can't see what is before them.

 

[Sukerkin]

Quite right, gentlemen - I call it "Blackbelt-itus".

I don't understand how the atitude comes about, as I said above, but I do concur that it's root lies in seeing that 1st Dan as the end rather than the beginning.

 

[Balrog]

Have you ever considered quitting the MA(s) you practice? If so, why? If not, what keeps you motivated?

I first started in 1966 in GM Jhoon Rhee's organization. I stopped training right before I made Black Belt. In 1987, I started with the ATA and have never stopped.

I've thought about it more than once. I have rheumatoid arthritis and when I was going through some bad flare-ups, it seemed like even my hair hurt. But I didn't quit, thanks to my instructor who motivated the hell out of me.

Lately, I've been thinking about it because of a variety of reasons. However, I have an obligation to my students to come into the school every day, run their butts into the ground and be the best instructor I possibly can. That's what keeps me going, and makes me find ways to get around my own personal issues.

 

[MartialArtHeart]

I've had knee problems... leading me to quit basketball, and wear braces in karate. I've had time issues, leading me to quit my volunteer activities. I've had personal issues, leading me to stop coming to class for a few weeks. Often, schoolwork interferes, and I end up going to class anyways.

Quit karate? I'd rather die. Or, rather, I would die. It's my life. I breathe it, every day. Speaking of which, off to class I go!

 

[Makalakumu]

Yes. I've quit martial arts for a variety of reasons.

1. I quit judo because my instructor moved and I couldn't afford to go to a different dojo.

2. I quit shotokan because my family moved and I couldn't find another teacher.

3. I quit all martial arts for a short time because I was injured pretty badly.

4. I've started and quit a number of other arts because of the pressures that my family/kids exerted.

5. I've thought about quiting TSD a time or two because the art seemed like such a mess when it came to how it was being taught. In this instance, I took the longer and harder journey and am now attempting to sort that out.

 

[terryl965]

Quit why quit I have been doing this so long that it is part of my life and like my kids it is here to stay.

 

[kelly keltner]

I decided recently to retire from the arts. I don't believe that quit is the right word. I put in a lot of good years and did a lot of work for other people instead of looking out for myself. Burnout is a good word to describe it.


kk

 

[Sukerkin]

Ah, that's a thing to look out for to be certain, Kelly.

It's a very personal issue I suppose in the end.

At the very obvious risk of being overly metaphysical, for me, the time I spend practising my 'art' is a period of 'timelessness'.

I have no worldly stresses preying on me. All my focus is on wielding that sword as perfectly as I can, accepting that 99% of the time it will not be perfect but knowing that one in a hundred will be close is satisfaction enough.

It's therapy without a couch that costs me just over a quid an hour .

EDIT: Okay, the 'startup costs' are a bit steep (good swords not being cheap) but the hourly rate is still very low for something that does me so much good.

 

[sddoherty]

Have you ever considered quitting the MA(s) you practice? If so, why? If not, what keeps you motivated?

I'll start: I've never considered quitting, although there've been days (sometimes weeks) where I just really wasn't motivated to attend class, tournaments, or other events - but quit? Never.

 

[geezer]

This thread is nearly 14 years old. I was on the forum when it started. I began traditional martial arts back in the mid 70s. And at one point I did stop practicing for about 15 years. Life happens. When it comes to quitting, "never" is a long time.

So how long have you been training?

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

@sddoherty I think your comment got messed up somehow-I'm only seeing what you quotes, not the reply, and I'm not able to quote your post itself.

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

As for the original post/poll, I have my doubts about the responses. Can 47% of the responders really say that they have never considered quitting? Never woke up one morning before a workout (or after one) and thought "is this really worth the effort", or had joint or back pain and thought "maybe martial arts isn't such a good idea"? Even if the thought goes away a second later when you realize emphatically, yes, it is worth the effort and I want to continue, you still had considered quitting.

 

[Kemposhot]

I’ve had a few dojos close over the years forcing me to leave or start over in a new style.
I’ve considered quitting my current style on occasion, but never MA in its entirety. I’ll never quit MA all together, as long as I’m physically and mentally able to continue. However, I have considered branching out and funds are only so limited. What usually keeps me is that after 14 years in the same dojo, it’s hard to leave when the members of said dojo are all old friends now and I still very much enjoy training there.

 

[Urban Trekker]

I think it is because too many people see a black belt as the ultimate goal in martial arts. They don't understand it is the point at which you really begin to learn your chosen art.

All too often it is seen as a means to an end. I have a black belt I can now work in security or something similar, I don't need anymore training.

Or they have been swayed by cinematic portrayals in which all the heroes problems fall away when he has a balck belt.

All in all its a bit sad that so many people attain the beginning but can't see what is before them.

Or, depending on the art or school, black belts do more teaching than training. And not everyone wants to teach.

I had my criticisms of the BJJ promotion system, but one thing I like about it is the fact that they have two different paths of promotion in the dan grades for those who want to teach and those who don't.

Would be nice if other arts could follow their lead on that.

 

[Michael Hubbard]

I never think about quitting. When I was working my way up to a black belt over 12 years and didn't test when I wanted to I would huff and puff but in the end, I love training too much to simply quit. Once I became a candidate black belt I was very content. Now as a first Dan, quitting never never enters my mind.

 

[Michael Hubbard]

I've never considered quitting martial arts in general, but I often think about doing something else for a while. Especially now, where my requirements for rank are pretty nebulous and the wait between ranks in half a decade. I often think about taking a few years to explore something else.

But I'd come back to Kenpo. It would be more like immersion cross training than actually quitting.

Very well said. I would like to dabble a little in a different style to help me be more diverse.