I am losing interest again?

[Double]

I started karate back in 2003, i had confidence issues growing up. It was a good experience for me, my sensei was the best. However, I eventually stopped a few years later due to high school. School had prevented me from focusing on practice.. there was just never enough time in a day, it quickly became a burden. When high school had ended, my parents and i had moved to another city. Either way, it was meant to be.

In March 2013 i joined again, same business as before, same belt rank as before, just a different dojo and sensei. I re-joined because of PTSD related issues, and needed to rebuild. My mental state has since recovered, and i am now starting to feel that burden on my shoulders.. once again.

Part of me wants to continue for exercise sake, but the other part of me is just losing patience, among other things. I have trouble retaining information because i do not have the patience to practice like i should. Too many other interests are calling out to me, and i would rather perform exercise on my own schedule.

My sensei is a very kind spirit. I do not want to disappoint him with this news, and i do not want to have any regrets. I love the community and the culture, but my ability to focus on the art is barely present. Although my mind has already been made up, somehow i still feel like i need help in this decision.

:s484:

 

[K-man]

Welcome to MT. :wavey:

I think you'll find that most martial artists have felt the same way at some time and probably most of us have taken a break at some stage as well. Now a change is as good as a holiday. Why not try a different martial art for a while and see if that rekindles your interest? If not, then take a break. Nothing worse than being unhappy or dissatisfied with your training.
:asian:

 

[donald1]

For interested there's one thing I can say, not everything is interesting
, some people think certain things aren't interesting. You can also train at home too, if you have the time go for it. After a while of practicing your kata will look better and your instructor will likely be impressed

Don't doubt yourself, that's a good start, then keep trying
Best of luck

 

[Badger1777]

If your heart is not in it, then there's no point doing it. You know this. Life is far to short to be wasting time with stuff you no longer enjoy. If you don't want to give up martial arts entirely, how about trying out different schools and different styles? I did karate when I was kid, got a bit bored of it, and switched to kung fu. Loved that, left for reasons that I can't remember, then didn't train for years. Then a few months back I joined a tang soo do class, and love it. But I can't say with certainty that I'll stick it out. My motivation has been shaken a few times. There are other options.

I must add that while I'm not knocking karate, everyone I know that started off doing karate all migrated to other styles, or just left martial arts completely. The actual original style is pretty awesome, but karate has over the decades become very diluted and commercial in many schools.

 

[Kong Soo Do]

A lot may depend upon your reason for training. If it's just exercise, well, there are lots of ways to exercise and changing the routine keeps it fresh and is good for the body.

If it's a personal challenge then I'll offer this, you are only in competition with yourself. Uechi Kanei Sensei practiced the opening movements of Sanchin kata for hours a day for months. Let me repeat...just the OPENING movements of the kata, for hours a day for months. How powerful do you suppose he became in doing kata? There are many stories about this. The point however was that it probably wasn't 'exciting' in-and-of-itself. But it was both the journey and the destination that was the focus rather than just the specific details. I'm not suggesting you practice the same thing for hours/months. Rather, set yourself small goals that you can zero in on and perfect. Then move on to the next goal. If you can only practice for 15 minutes at home, make it the most intense 15 minutes possible...for YOU.

 

[Argus]

I'm actually going to recommend you just keep it up.

Make a commitment to show up. Maybe just once a week, even if you're not really into it.

I say this because my own interest rises, peaks, wanes, and sometimes even lies dormant for a while, but always returns; not just in martial arts, but in many of my hobbies from language learning to programming. It's kind of a natural cycle, I think. The key is to keep yourself exposed to it during that "down time," if you think that it is something you ultimately want to continue doing.

I'm quite glad that I've stuck with what I have. In the long run, it's rewarding, and you'll be glad you did.

 

[ks - learning to fly]

don't mistake 'disinterest' for being on a plateau - which is what this sounds like...Don't give up!!

 

[Double]

Thanks for the advice guys, I appreciate all your thoughts. If anyone has anything else to add, please feel free.

 

[oftheherd1]

don't mistake 'disinterest' for being on a plateau - which is what this sounds like...Don't give up!!

When I studied TKD, I found I plateaued a couple of times. In my case I stuck it out the first time because I didn't want to quit, but considered it because I didn't seem to be getting anywhere. A while later, I realized I was again having fun and had 'suddenly' advanced a great deal. That my not be what you are experiencing, but give it a though anyway.

 

[Transk53]

I started karate back in 2003, i had confidence issues growing up. It was a good experience for me, my sensei was the best. However, I eventually stopped a few years later due to high school. School had prevented me from focusing on practice.. there was just never enough time in a day, it quickly became a burden. When high school had ended, my parents and i had moved to another city. Either way, it was meant to be.

In March 2013 i joined again, same business as before, same belt rank as before, just a different dojo and sensei. I re-joined because of PTSD related issues, and needed to rebuild. My mental state has since recovered, and i am now starting to feel that burden on my shoulders.. once again.

Part of me wants to continue for exercise sake, but the other part of me is just losing patience, among other things. I have trouble retaining information because i do not have the patience to practice like i should. Too many other interests are calling out to me, and i would rather perform exercise on my own schedule.

My sensei is a very kind spirit. I do not want to disappoint him with this news, and i do not want to have any regrets. I love the community and the culture, but my ability to focus on the art is barely present. Although my mind has already been made up, somehow i still feel like i need help in this decision.

:s484:

Take what you feel and make a pick. At the end of the day, the decision is yours alone.

 

[Instructor]

I guess I would suggest to dig a little deeper. Revisit everything you have learned and try to delve into it more and see if you can glean new lessons and ideas. I know the more I learn the more I realize how much I still have to learn. If you are just going through the motions of course you are bored but I bet if you try to look at each and every lesson with a different perspective it would become interesting again. Try looking at things from:

History
Physics
Biology
Anatomy

Chances are your art has many layers that you have not explored up till now.

 

[Tony Dismukes]

Not everybody wants or needs to make a lifetime study of the martial arts. The hours you spend training are hours you could be doing something else which might be more important or more meaningful to you.

That said, I've personally never lost interest in the martial arts. I've lost interest in training certain styles and at certain schools, so I moved on to new schools and new arts. I've had times when my body and brain were burned out from hard training and I needed to take a few days off and recharge. I've had times when I had other aspects of life which were more important and I had to cut back on my training hours to focus on those areas. Those are all valid responses. But if you reach a point where you just don't care about training anymore, it's okay to devote that time to something which is more personally rewarding to you. Martial arts training is something you should do for yourself, not because you want to keep your instructor happy.

 

[whitebeltforever]

Hii! I'm a newbie at karate so I cant really comment, but agree about the waxing and waning of interest to do with keeping up any sort of practice.. Yoga and singing have both been with me from early childhood but iv not always kept it up.
Wat I can say from the point of mental health, is that alot of what seems like disinterest, slackness laziness or whatever its called, is actually an underlying unconscious process of having things like ptsd. If I could offer any advice its to get yourself a good counsellor. The incredible potential people have in having joy and love and passion in life and anything sometimes can be locked away when there are underlying issues deep in ur unconscious. You might be a different person altogether if u have ever experienced any trauma in life. It may affect how u feel, how ur senses work, how ur behave with others and ultimately it may affect ur choices. I would hold off quitting, find a counsellor or psychologist (altho they tend to focus on cbt, v effective for ptsd but not for everyone) that u can feel comfortable with, and reassess quitting again after a few months of counselling.
To anyone who's posted before me by the way iv found this v useful too so I know wat to expect in the future if I feel like quitting.

 

[sfs982000]

I'm currently taking a break from training and actively looking at starting back up with a different school. I was initially feeling a bit guilty about leaving my previous school, but the break has been great for me and I'm starting to get the itch again. Not sure what other options for schools you have in your area, but maybe give that a shot to see if one of those is a better option for you.