endings

Discussion in 'General Martial Arts Discussion' started by bodyshot, Jun 25, 2015.

  1. bodyshot

    bodyshot Brown Belt Zanshin Karate

    Well, I guess this was bound to happen at some point. Today I'm writing in regards to a recent situation that lead me to effectively quit the martial arts. To be honest my training has gone down hill over the past year, illness, work and other little things have just put training to a halt. My instructor called me, he was concerned because he hadn't heard from me in so long, we talked, I said I wouldn't be back anytime in the foreseeable future he understood and that was about it.

    All in all, it was fun, I met some people and that was good for me, I got into good shape and I even learned a few things that may come in handy. Its a bit of a relief really. Just wanted to share this with you guys. Map is still fun to visit and I will from time to time so no good byes here.:cry:
     
  2. Prizewriter

    Prizewriter Moved on

    Funny, Fusen posted a clip from a bjj documentary where a bjj pioneer and black belt quit because he had a family to support. He felt that doing his law degree and working as a public prosecutor was a better way to serve his family and the public. Doing bjj, getting black eyes or getting his arm broken would impair his ability to do his job and help his family and society. So he quit bjj.

    I think everyone calls it a day at some point. Life is short. If you feel it's the right thing to do, power to you.
     
  3. holyheadjch

    holyheadjch Valued Member

    When something stops being fun, you should always jack it in sooner rather than later.

    - incidentally, not a sentence you should use when breaking up with a partner.
     
  4. YouKnowWho

    YouKnowWho Valued Member

    People play tennis because they enjoy of doing it. Why can't we enjoy of MA training? If when you train MA, every part of your body all feel good, there will be no such thing as quitting. Of course if your attitude is always, "no pain, no gain", you know that you will quit some day when you no longer be able to take the pain. So the simple question is, "How can we make our MA training to be fun?"

    One day you will retire from your work force and enjoy your life. Will you spend 12 hours daily just to watch the blue sky and white cloud? What will you do with all the free time that you will have if you don't train MA?
     
    Last edited: Jun 25, 2015
  5. qazaqwe

    qazaqwe Valued Member

    I think you are missing the point of what bodyshot said.
     
  6. Count Duckula

    Count Duckula Valued Member

    I dropped out of MA when I was finishing up my masters degree and starting an internship. Too much to do, too little time, and I was not prepared to risk a concussion.

    After my 2nd child started sleeping full nights (15 years after dropping out of MA) I started Japanese jujutsu again, and have been doing it for 7 years now. And now if feels like fun again. If you no longer enjoy training, and don't HAVE to keep doing it, quitting is the right call.
     
  7. belltoller

    belltoller OffTopic MonstreOrdinaire Supporter

    That's just the problem - there is no free time at'tall. The responsibility of facilitating the care of others is a very, very time-consuming burden.

    I can likewise relate to Bodyshot - I had to quit a very good boxing school not long ago as it required so much in the way of logistics because of the insane traffic in our area.

    Only difference is, in my case, I know that if a situation turns up where I don't have to spend more time travelling to the training facility than I do actually training, I'd find a way to get back in.

    In the mean time - I've outfitted our basement with MT bags and gym rings because when I do find that situation at the right time, I hopefully won't be too out of condition to take advantage of it.

    I'd advise bodyshot to do the same :)
     
  8. Prizewriter

    Prizewriter Moved on

    This is a somewhat controversial blog for some people (even though I think the guy makes very reasonable points, and I like his humour)... The guy speaks here about Karate, but you could just as easy apply it to any martial art I think.

    http://dysfunctionalparrot.com/martialarts/quit-karate/

    And like belltoller said, you can still hang a punching bag at home or do katas now and then if you want to workout at home.
     
  9. Dead_pool

    Dead_pool Spes mea in nihil Deus MAP 2017 Moi Award

    Which iirc he's now restarted.

    Putting a Holt to training happens in relife, but even when I've not been training MA, I've still been training my body. Training my body to be better is just a positive strategy, because if your not getting better, your getting worse.
     
  10. Anth

    Anth Daft. Supporter

    Rather than saying "I'm dropping out of MA," I seemed to just fall out of it at the start of the year. Had my gi in my bag ready to go back after christmas and just never got back to the class I was going to. A combination of working 8pm-1am five nights a week (meaning I was out six evenings every week and not seeing my family for more than a couple of hours a day), losing a relative in January and my health turning downwards mean that I just haven't wanted to get back into what I was doing. I only took the gi out of the bag yesterday (don't worry, it was a clean gi!). Don't get me wrong, after 13 years in MA I'm still interested in it all and wouldn't mind starting at a local iaido class and a locaL HEMA group but that would need a change in work which so far is proving elusive.

    I'm still around MAP though but not as active.
     
  11. bodyshot

    bodyshot Brown Belt Zanshin Karate

    Thanks to everyone who shared. Best wishes to everyone at map.
     
  12. Prizewriter

    Prizewriter Moved on

    Hope you continue you to contribute mate. Just because you don't train, you're experience and experience could help others.
     
  13. Van Zandt

    Van Zandt Mr. High Kick

    What will be will be mate.

    I've been doing martial arts for more than 25 years and I think about stopping probably once every couple of months.

    It's natural, it happens and the best thing you can do (in my opinion) is not even try to fight it - go with your instincts and if you want to come back to it, you will.
     
  14. ap Oweyn

    ap Oweyn Ret. Supporter

    You're not alone Bodyshot. I'm done too. The kidney transplant was a success. But contact sports are out according to the medical experts. (Johns Hopkins' written materials actually specifically said "no kickboxing." Fancy that.) And at 44 years old, with a wife and three children, I'm not bucking their advice for a hobby. So that's that. And that's okay. It was a good run. And I'm looking forward to trying out some new things.

    Doesn't mean I'm leaving MAP.
     

Share This Page