Feel like quitting your martial art?

In our experience and as discussed in my last blog on perseverance, the majority of people who quit martial arts training do so at two key points; within the first few months and shortly after becoming a black belt. There are many reasons people quit. The novelty of training may have worn off and they may be struggling with the commitment required to progress. They may have become frustrated with themselves and believe they are not good enough. Or they may be struggling with injury or illness. For newly promoted black belts, they may feel that they have achieved their goal and don’t want to make the commitment to several more years of training to progress to the next level.
 
There are a myriad of reasons for quitting. However, the way people quit is similar. They will often tell their instructor by text or email after they have made the decision to leave. Some just stop training without even telling their instructor. Others will say they are taking a break, but in our experience few will ever return to training. While students may quit in different ways and for differing reasons, one thing is consistent. They rarely talk to their instructor about the difficulties they are experiencing before they make the decision to quit.
 
At some point during your martial art career you are likely to feel like giving up. So what should you do if you feeling like quitting?

• Talk to your instructor about the difficulties you are having. A good instructor will find ways to help you and can give you guidance and advice. For example, we have students who struggle with their memory. We can provide reassurance, as well as teaching different ways to develop their memory skills. For those struggling with injury, we can adapt their syllabus to work around that injury. If we know about the difficulties you are experiencing, we can help.
• Talk to other students you trust. Martial arts builds a sense of collegiality between students and they become a good source of support and guidance. They may have felt like quitting and can give you advice on what they did to get through that difficult time.
• Give yourself some time before making a final decision to quit. You may just be going through a bad patch, related to the belt level you are at. By sticking at it, you may find that you are able to work through your difficulties and as a result, become a better martial artist. For example, most students struggle with their memory in a martial art likes ours (Kuk Sool Won™), which has a lot of material to remember. This is challenging, especially during the first few months. Eventually you will develop your memory skills if you stick at it. It is part of the process.
• Remember that if you decide to take a break, you are unlikely to return to training. A better approach maybe to reduce the amount of training you are doing for a period of time.
• If you do decide to quit, try to let your instructor and other students know in person so they have the opportunity to say goodbye to you. This is particularly important when you have been training for several years. Close relationships are formed through martial arts training and it can be hard on your instructor and fellow students if you quit without saying goodbye.

 
Martial arts training is not easy. It is difficult and you are likely to feel like quitting at times. I am interested to hear about your experiences. Have you ever felt like quitting and if so, what did you do about it? Please leave a comment.
 
JKN Jane Hurst
First degree black belt and school owner
Kuk Sool Won™ of Onewhero

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