Why I Quit Karate

[robothat]

I'm telling my story here, and I'd like to know your opinion on if I made the right move, what your general reaction is, any experience you have that's similar...

I quit practicing Seidokan Karate in January of this year (2011.)

I had a 2nd Degree Brown Belt, and I'm 18, almost 19 now.

I quit because I was very discouraged at the way I wasn't making any progress anymore.

I have fallen arches on my feet, always have. It's meant as a kid I could never run as fast as everyone else, in swimming I can't dive right, and even now I'm not a good a runner as I would be without the stupid weak foot muscles.

Doing Karate barefoot from 6th grade to senior year of high school (when I quit) I'm sure did help my arch support, by building up the muscle there.

I was doing very well in Kata, weapons, sparring, in terms of that I was improving steadily and proud of my ability. Objectively, I earned all my promotions to that point definitely.

Then I foolishly got shoe inserts, and things went downhill from there.

My feet rapidly weakened from daily shoe-wear. This extremely hurt my kicks; I couldn't balance properly, especially on sidekicks. I was faced with the choice of kicking comfortably, and having no power, or kicking hard like I used to and stumbling uncontrollably.

My stances suffered as well, like they had when I first started training.

I couldn't kick confidentially or well high or hard anymore, it was all very humiliating and depressing.

I tried wearing shoes during training and it didn't help either.

I stopped going to the Dojo and I quit.

I've sworn now, finally, to never put myself through this kind of suffering again by ever taking up another martial art.

I'm simply not built for them...

[still kicking]

Robothat, I hope you will reconsider your decision. I'm sure others more articulate than I will have some useful advice for you, but here's what I think. I think you should talk to doctors, physical therapists, your sensei, whoever you can think of who might be in a position to help you. If your doctor or PT can't help you, get one who can. There are many many people who have overcome all kinds of obstacles and physical challenges to succeed in martial arts. You say your 6 or so years of training have helped you in many ways, and it sounds like you were doing well since using the inserts. Obvious question... why not stop using them? Basically, though your specific problem might be different, it is very normal to have times in training where you hit a wall or reach a plateau, however you want to look at it. You are still young, and I think if you can put up with the disappointment and frustration of the temporary setback, and deal with the blow to your pride and ego due to not being able to function as well as you had been, I am sure you can overcome this and emerge victorious! If you quit now, you might always regret it. It's also possible that you might later realize you miss MA's and get back to it, or that you'll find some other area of interest. I just think that you might be happier with yourself if you perservere through this rough patch, maybe train to shodan, then decide if you want to stay with it. Whatever you decide, good luck!

[Kuma]

If the training was helping you and the main cause of your problems were the shoe inserts, why not just ditch the shoe inserts and keep training? It's better for your body to condition itself to the point where it is minimalized rather than compensate for something with an artificial means for the rest of your life.

[Wastelander]

It sounds as if you quit karate because you are upset that you can't perform like you used to. That sounds like a very youthful thing, and I honestly think that you will regret the decision later in life if you do decide to stay out of martial arts. If the problem is wearing shoes with inserts, stop wearing them.

Get rid of your shoes and start wearing Vibram Five Fingers shoes on a regular basis, instead. Those have been proven to help build up the muscles in the bottoms of the feet, just like walking barefoot, but still provide protection from whatever you may be walking on. I don't have any, myself, but one of our black belts does and I've had them recommended by a constantly growing number of hikers who have similar problems to you.

[andym]

Then I foolishly got shoe inserts, and things went downhill from there.

Surely if you stop using the inserts, your former abilities will return. This may take time, but not as long as when you were first learning. Patience , return to the Dojo and explain - you wont have burnt your bridges their. Again I advise patience and training. Then you will be back to where you left off, and can begin to advance.

Good luck

Andy

[skullsplitter]

Does your sensei know of your foot problems? Perhaps he/she can help.

My son has a very mild case of cerebral palsy. He started karate at 3.5 years old and is now almost 11 and still doing it. His sensei knows his condition and knows that he just not as flexible and strong as the other kids. She's given him specific stretches to do at home to help with his problem areas.

I'm saying don't give up if this is something you love. Talk to your instructor and see if he/she can help.

[bushido_man96]

I can understand your feeling, being depressed about not being able to do something you used to be able to do. But I would urge you not to give up. Take up the challenge before you, and strive to be the best you can be. Try to figure out how to adapt to your condition, and attack it to overcome it. It would be a tough road, but one worth travelling.

[LittleW]

Six years to brown belt doesn't sound like you arent talented. I wouldn't quit, if I was you.

[Blade96]

Six years to brown belt doesn't sound like you arent talented. I wouldn't quit, if I was you.

Agree!

I was born with a balance problem (born with an underdeveloped cerebellum) yet I do well in Shotokan Karate. Sure there are things I can't do and i find kind of embarrassing but most things I can do and it helped that everybody is so supportive of me in my dojo. but I do well in spite of it. I'd say get rid of the shoe inserts you'll get better and don't worry about what you can't do. As an example, I'm going to be tested for my green belt next month and I've been doing shotokan a little over 2 years.

[Spodo Komodo]

It all comes down to what you are attached to. If all you value in Karate is advancement and getting the next belt then yes, you should probably quit as it will never live up to your expectations. However, I don't think you will have got to a 2nd degree Brown Belt with only grading and glory to spur you on. There must have been something that kept you going for all this time and that is what you need to find for yourself. When you weigh up the pros and cons of training then at the very least you are giving up on some very good exercise.

I went through a similar experience, my knees are a mess of bone-fragments and scar tissue after being run over a couple of times and I have a weight problem stemming from repeated use of painkillers and being immobile for about two years. It took me a while to swallow my pride and realise that I needed to go back to the basics and rebuild my practice of Karate. I am now well on the way but a good club and a sensei who pushes me as far as I can go all help. I really hope that you realise there was something else pushing you to go to class after class and that it can push you to do something again, maybe a different style or art, maybe the same style but a different you.

Good luck.