quitting MA

[Shadow Skill]

I have talked to different people who used to study some MA or another. Some where in the conversation they almost all seem to say something about wishing they never quit.
My question is why do you think most people quit martial arts?

[lunghushan]

I have talked to different people who used to study some MA or another. Some where in the conversation they almost all seem to say something about wishing they never quit.
My question is why do you think most people quit martial arts?

There are plenty of people that I used to take MA with that quit. Most of them didn't think that MA was that important in their life, and they went on to do other things (college, girlfriends, boyfriends, husbands, wives, kids, etc.) A lot of them probably still want to train, like I was talking to somebody from my old class a couple of months ago, about starting back up, and he just couldn't put in the time with family. Ironically his kid goes and he sits there and watches the kids class, though.

[Black Jack II]

ma is such a small slice of life, in the end it really does not mean that much for a lot of folks, which is fine.

Family and career are so much more important anyway.

[bodhitree]

My Dad quit when he got his black belt (tkd). I guess he felt he accomplished something good? He switched to tennis and biking as a sport then. He doesn't quite understand me and my martial obsession. My dad doesn't regret it, but it was a hobby for him, not a lifestyle.

[xcakid]

I have talked to different people who used to study some MA or another. Some where in the conversation they almost all seem to say something about wishing they never quit.
My question is why do you think most people quit martial arts?

Well I am one of those people.

I started taking MA back when I was in Jr High. Continued on non stop, although different styles, I was 25yo.

I ended owning and running a school eventually. That was the start of my burned out phase. It was no longer fun and the business aspect came into play. So I sold the school and quit MA altogether. 3yrs later, I returned to study again. However, after a year I changed careers. I had to commute to work and if not commuting, I was traveling. Time constraint forced me to give it up again.

Fast forward 12yrs later to current day. I am back training again. 30lbs heavier, older, and less flexible. I guess I can't fully get away from it. I just keep coming back.

It is very difficult to come back after a long absence. It is also very hard to start up again as a white belt and learn basics all over again. I know part of martial arts is humility and patience, so I am making the most of it. I just look at my time learning basics again as my way of getting back into shape. I sure need it.

My best friend who taught with me at my school also left and never came back. He started a family shortly after we sold the school and between work, raising kids and general family life, he has not been able to find time for himself to start back up again. He is teaching his kids privately though. So I guess in that respect, he has not completely quit.

[David Jamieson]

People quit because they don't want to do it anymore and the reasons vary from lack of impetus, to poor relationships, to you name it.

People quit at a lot of things. It's not important really.

[FuXnDajenariht]

lol your becoming such a nihilist DJ.

"nothing matters....life is meaningless..." you sound like me in Junior High.

i can't say i blame you with the impending sequel to WW2

[Chief Fox]

I think people quit for a lot of different reasons.

The main reason I think is, it stops being fun.

[lunghushan]

I think people quit for a lot of different reasons.

The main reason I think is, it stops being fun.

What I found is that teachers tend to do bad stuff from time to time.

Like trying to talk you into private lessons to make more $ off of you and not teaching you stuff in the regular classes to force you into privates.
Or stringing you along by not teaching much so they can make $ off you longer.
Or making you essentially teach for free in exchange for promotion or continuing in the school.
Or playing one student off against another for political reasons, like promoting one student over another because they brought a new student or did something nice for the teacher, trying to make the other student bring in new students or do something nice for the teacher.
Or having their students teach instead of teaching themselves when you paid for their teaching.
Or lying to you about what they really know or don't know.
Or teaching you stuff off of videos they didn't really learn from a real teacher.
Or basically running a McDojo factory school with some facets of all of the above.

So it isn't always the student loses interest, but sometimes the teacher/school becomes a bad/unethical teacher/environment.

[Chief Fox]

What I found is that teachers tend to do bad stuff from time to time.

Like trying to talk you into private lessons to make more $ off of you and not teaching you stuff in the regular classes to force you into privates.
Or stringing you along by not teaching much so they can make $ off you longer.
Or making you essentially teach for free in exchange for promotion or continuing in the school.
Or playing one student off against another for political reasons, like promoting one student over another because they brought a new student or did something nice for the teacher, trying to make the other student bring in new students or do something nice for the teacher.
Or having their students teach instead of teaching themselves when you paid for their teaching.
Or lying to you about what they really know or don't know.
Or teaching you stuff off of videos they didn't really learn from a real teacher.
Or basically running a McDojo factory school with some facets of all of the above.

So it isn't always the student loses interest, but sometimes the teacher/school becomes a bad/unethical teacher/environment.

I think it pretty much goes without saying that if you're being or feel like you're being screwed over then you should quit.

[lunghushan]

I think it pretty much goes without saying that if you're being or feel like you're being screwed over then you should quit.

I guess the point I was trying to make is that it's very hard to find a school environment where you can stay there for a long time without getting screwed over in some way by the means above.

Very few teachers stay ethical, don't play stupid political games, and aren't just in it for the $, and if you do find one, there's no guarantees they'll stay that way. At some point when teachers get a bunch of students, stuff like above tends to go on after a while as they get greedy.

And I didn't even talk about extra fees like promotion fees, testing fees, seminar fees, tournaments and all of that.

It seems like a lot of people quit MA for crap like this. Personally I've quit schools because I got tired of the teacher treating his students like an ATM machine and trying to take as many $ from them as possible.

[bodhitree]

I think it pretty much goes without saying that if you're being or feel like you're being screwed over then you should quit.

Or you could find a new place to train?

[lunghushan]

Or you could find a new place to train?

Yes, but then it's hard to progress unless you can find the same style in the area you are in, or if when you move to a new area you have to find a new style.

Personally I quit schools because I got tired of the crap that was going on, and having to start over at every new school.

And then I found out after I had quit that there is an even worse threat at schools which is they aren't very hygienic.

All in all, not a large percentage of people stick with MA in the long run, and it's not hard to understand why given all the money sucking schools out there.

Hey -- there's a new insult. Instead of mother f*****, money sucker. All you money sucking leeches.

It totally fits and isn't even a swear word.

[SPJ]

I never quitted.

sometimes I do more. sometimes I do less.

It is your body, health and all.

some types of physical activitities are better than sitting all the time in front of the TV, computer etc etc.

--

[Black Jack II]

All you money sucking leeches

.

You seem to state this a lot in a number of different posts. Do you have something specific against schools making money or is it just how they do it??