I QUIT!
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There’s no question that perseverance in the martial arts is an admirable quality. Persistence and determination are key to reaching a good standard. And though meeting the goals that we set may seem like the only option, the truth is that in certain circumstances, giving up is sometimes a viable choice. It’s a hard concept to accept, since giving up is often equated with failure; however, knowing when to walk away is a skill worth developing. (*See what I did there?)
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Never giving up is constantly reinforced in the martial arts. “Nana korobi ya oki” (literally: seven falls, eight getting up) means fall down seven times and get up eight. This speaks of the Japanese concept of resilience. No matter how many times you get knocked down, you get up again. You DON’T give up. You DON’T quit.
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Knowing WHEN to quit though, takes integrity and maturity (*and here) – it’s hard to walk away from something we’ve invested so much of ourselves into.
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But once you determine that leaving a situation is in your best interest, you can view your ability to recognize when it’s time to quit as a strength, not a weakness. (*There it is again)
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I think one of the reasons that so many people quit the martial arts is simply false expectations about either the content or just how difficult it will be. Training can be grueling, painful, and difficult. The rewards are small and incremental. You can go for weeks or months without feeling like you’ve improved at all.
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There are many people who like the ‘idea’ of a martial art, rather than ‘doing’ the martial arts. Once it doesn’t live up to that picture in their minds, many head for the door and never come back.
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Expectations are the biggest let down. A lot of people who train martial art expect big changes from little work. I watch people train for years, reach a high grade, and then realize the focus and love for martial arts they had when they first started has been worn down, because all the fun they originally had learning new things, has developed into repetition. People who are truly dedicated and love their martial art do the repetition not because it’s easy, but because their endeavors will demonstrate prolific results.
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People quit for a lot of reasons, people get bored, they quit because life is calling them elsewhere, it may be work or family related.
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The martial arts takes an actual investment of time, and hard work, but interests change, life demands change.
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People quit martial arts because they are hard. Really and truly hard. Every single student you ever get will eventually quit. I never liked that, but it’s true – all you can do is focus on the ones that want to learn right now. Unfortunately commitment to learning is only a promise, not a guarantee. 
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