What are the main reasons why white belts quit BJJ

[Vitamin C]

Exactly. Plus, all we're doing is guessing here. Because really, we're the guys who didn't quit.

That's the problem with asking this question here! Haha, none of us can really say unless we called all the guys we have known that quit our gyms and ask them why, provided they even give honest answers. Which I really doubt they would.

 

[Senshi]

The same reason anyone quits anything. It's not like a white belt in BJJ is much different from any novice starting anything.

 

[Mongomangomang]

I really wonder why more people dont quit. If you think about why in the world would anyone want to become a expert in BJJ? There has to be tons of more logical things to spend your time doing.



But then again I spend absurd amounts of time training and really enjoy it HAHAHAH

 

[OMjitsu316]

From someone who is going through it right now: finances and time commitment.

I've been through several times where I thought I needed to be smarter with my money. Shelling out 80/mo, and needing a $14k surgery didn't seem smart. Then the issue of my kid. Gf and I working opposite shifts, damn am I gonna need a second job? That kinda stuff. Obviously, I made this a priority, I didn't want it to be just something else I ended up quitting. I got plenty of support, and it got figured out. It's still tough, though. A lot of people are willing to drop something they enjoy to save some money. Hopefully I don't have to, but someday I might decide I need to conserve my cash for something more important.

 

[TheAth-ah-lete]

I really wonder why more people dont quit. If you think about why in the world would anyone want to become a expert in BJJ? There has to be tons of more logical things to spend your time doing.



But then again I spend absurd amounts of time training and really enjoy it HAHAHAH

I don't understand why anyone would ever play video games. Martial arts training makes more sense to me than anything else in the world. So many people enjoy a fight or violence or hunting because whether you realize it or not we're just smart super predator chimps that created technology to increase our power and dominance.

Still, we are relatively the same evolutionary speaking as our ancestors hundreds of thousands of years ago. We still have bodies which need physical exercise or "work", inherent traits like the will to reproduce and protect our young, and an ego that wants to feel protected against the very dangerous world, which is very easy to forget in Hometown, First World Country.

Knowing how to kill people with your hands is useful for a variety of reasons, and besides self defense applications, and mental and physical toughness training, learning power and how to control it as well as the ego shapes a much more controlled and thoughtful person.

Of course not everyone takes this from martial arts training, mostly they are not tough enough and lack the true desire, but that does not mean THAT much about their character. I could think of plenty of examples of people who without, the world as we know it could not exist that would never train martial arts. If everyone were like me we would probably be living in tents and wrestling in the dirt, can you imagine if everyone were like Albert Einsten?

The reality though is that all people do exist as they are and they are all different no matter how many similarities they share. A person's worth is not judged by what they do but how they do it.

 

[Katriona1992]

How bout quitting since you found an "better" alternative? Not to say BJJ isn't effective but I am quitting it soon purely because a judo dojo has opened up closer to my house (walking distance) and it is way cheaper ($100 vs $40 a month)

 

[sb413197]

Maybe they don't like it!

Honestly in terms of raw numbers that's probably the main one. There are tons of guys who go for a few months then stop - many after only a session or two.

 

[Charlitos1988]

1

 

[bradlabo]

I think one reason could be is that a guy that is close to blue gets his ego stomped on when he gets tapped by a newer white belt and don't want that to happen when they are actually blue..... But it happens, live and learn.

 

[Deathmonkey]

Plus, all we're doing is guessing here.

I'm curious as to how many members here own their own school?

My next question would be to those who do, how many have taken retention surveys to find the answer to this question?

 

[eREAPER]

How about getting injured? I also bet a lot of people get frustrated because they aren't blue belts after 6 months....(entitlement, ego, etc) I've seen a few guys who have quit after seeing their classmates get promoted, and they are not. Just up and stop coming to class.

 

[sgtlunajuice]

time: becoming good at a martial art and sport takes dedication, and most people are hobbyists. it's hard to balance work, school, home, gym, and/or church.

learning curve: if someone has never trained before it can be hugely intimidating and of course we all want instant results. some people don't understand that it takes years and years to....understand the details and intracacies of manuevers.

money: it's expensive, plain and simple.

 

[Uchi Mata]

1. Pain. The high of grappling isn't worth the very real pain.
2. Sucking/patience. BJJ takes longer to get better at than many people will wait.
3. Distractions. Family or other hobbies can make it hard to train, which leads to more of #2.
4. Don't enjoy it. It's not for everyone. You can give it the old college try and hold out a year, but if you still don't like it you shouldn't spend your leisure time doing it.

 

[Knock Out Ned]

It's hard.

 

[zegrapplez]

realizing how long it takes to get even proficient.
realizing that even with training, a much larger, wrestler or judo player will make your life miserable.

the amount of time you spend being the nail rather than the hammer. for a loooong time.

 

[oldnoob]

Injuries without any visible benefits. I started in December, separated a rib the first week, took 5 weeks off, dislocated my big toe my first week back and then bad cauliflower ear the very next week. Unless you're dedicated I believe this is enough to scare off most people. Especially for older guys like me (36 years) who are more injury prone and have longer recovery times.

 

[KGB313]

We have been having a lot of discussion on why white belts drop out of BJJ....even as they get close to blue belts. I know there are tons of possible answers to the question but what are the main reasons in your opinion...

1) Life gets in the way - People change/lose jobs. People move. Guys get girlfriends, or get married. People go back to school. People have kids. In short, they may even want to keep training, but other obligations get in the way.

2) It's a hobby, not a passion - Not everyone lives and breathes BJJ like some of us do. For some, it's just a hobby or a way to stay in shape. Other interests catch their eye, and there's only so much time in the day.

3) Ego - It's not easy being the low-man on the totem pole, especially if you're the new guy in your gym. When it comes to mat time at the end of class, I'm still one of the least experienced guys on the mats most nights. Some people can't take just getting beat again and again until they get better.

4) Belt obsession - Some guys want to be the fastest guy to black belt in the history of time. A guy doesn't make 1st stripe by 2 months, or blue belt in 6 months, he's crushed. I know a young man that once confided in me that he's not motivated to train because he can't get his blue belt until he turns 16. Likewise, some folks get that blue and then bail because they can't imagine going years before their next belt. Also in this category are the guys who think they deserve a promotion, but quit because they feel they're being held back.

5) Someone broke them mentally - Ever had one of those days where someone kept beating you so easily that you just wanted to cry? Some people don't bounce back from those. Remember this when you're schooling a white belt with your A-game.

6) Someone broke them physically - Injuries are a part of the game. However, not everyone has good insurance, and some people wind up risking their livelihood with a serious injury. Some just never bounce back, or they decide the risk isn't worth it.

7) Lack of (perceived) progress - One of the problems with gauging progress in jiu-jitsu is that your training partners keep getting better. I think some of us tend to think of our partners as static, and when it feels like you're never getting over the hump against a more experienced partner, it can feel like you're not getting any better.

8) All or nothing - Most people want to be the best. At a gym like mine, some folks watch how hard our top guys work, all the extra stuff they do in-between to get better, and actually get discouraged by it. For everyone that says "if that's what it takes to be great, that's what I will do", there are ten more that say "if that's what it takes, I'm not going to bother, because that's crazy".

9) Coleslaw - Some folks just don't get along well with the people at their gym. Especially in areas where there might be only 1 or 2 decent options to train, if you decide you just don't belong at your gym it may mean you quit training completely.

10) Laziness - When you decide to skip BJJ to plant yourself on the couch to watch Scooby Doo or play Skyrim, there's nothing else to call it.

 

[teamcarvalho]

1. No Curriculum – People like organization and also want to know what is expected of them to earn rank.

2. Warm-ups are too hard – Most people join a BJJ school to learn Jiu-Jitsu and not to participate in an aerobics class.

3. No self defense training – A lot of BJJ schools don’t teach self defense and just concentrate on sport. Most students don’t have a desire to compete instead they want to learn how to protect themselves.

4. No beginner classes – Students are mixed with advanced students and are learning advanced techniques instead of the basics.

5. Sparring before they learn the basics – Some schools have new students sparring right away and they end up getting hurt.

 

[Doctor Venture]

probably the same reasons why some beginners at everything quit. Once you spend some time actually doing something, rather than seeing it on UFC and thinking it looks cool, you get an idea of what you're really getting yourself into. some people don't have the time, the money, or the attitude for it. Some people are just lazy. Everyone has different reasons.

 

[Vitamin C]

7) Lack of (perceived) progress - One of the problems with gauging progress in jiu-jitsu is that your training partners keep getting better. I think some of us tend to think of our partners as static, and when it feels like you're never getting over the hump against a more experienced partner, it can feel like you're not getting any better.

I can totally back this up. One of the things that I have felt the most discouragement from is never doing any better against the guys who are better than me. That isn't a consistent feeling, but on those bad nights, this is generally the reason I feel down on myself. On the other hand, I swept a guy who gives me big problems regularly the other night and maintained control in top half guard for like, a minute. I was flying high the rest of the night.

9) Coleslaw

lol