 Quitters never win and winners never quit, but what if in order to win you have to quit today? We're going to talk about why you should leave your dojo Hey guys, don't forget to pick up your own colors of combat t-shirt We've got a brand new collection 22 designs over multiple different martial arts that way you guys can wear your art with pride So get your own now check out the link in description art of one dojo comm slash door We usually place great emphasis on the positive aspects of the martial arts being supportive of anyone who wishes to train Or thinking about joining the school and trying to offer tools and advice on how to pick the right school for you But we also have to be realistic Not everyone's experience is the same and sometimes you may find yourself in a school that you're not very happy with and the question Comes in should you quit? The short answer is yes If you are not happy with your school or you're not getting out of it what you'd hope to get then you should think About a change Now this episode is actually inspired by one of our viewers who's been with us since pretty much the very first episode We released and he's expressing doubt with his current training situation And I felt that this was a good topic that we should address today because it's rarely a case of black or white or so easy to Determine because let's be honest if you had a clear idea of why you wanted to quit a school in the first place You probably wouldn't have been searching for videos on the topic finding a school to join takes a bit of effort And sometimes some soul-searching you should be able to identify your goals and Expectations and do some vetting on the school that you wish to join If you're at the point that you're thinking of quitting then quite honestly I think you should do the same diligence the most important question to ask here is why why do you want to quit? What sparked this doubt? Is there something about the art that you don't like or is it this particular school? Are you having an issue with your instructor or classmates? Are you bored? Is there another school catching your eye? You need to pinpoint exactly what is bothering you before making any decisions Just as you establish the goals you want to achieve when picking a school you should identify what your sources of doubt are Sometimes you can resolve them or sometimes resolution is to leave now There's also a big difference if you are a brand new student to the martial arts in general or a lifelong veteran Generally speaking reasons for leaving are going to be different for different people If you are brand new to training and you feel a little bit out of your comfort zone or it's not as exciting as you thought it Would be I would actually recommend sticking it out a little bit more Assuming there isn't another glaring problem being out of your comfort zone can actually be a good thing It often means you're being exposed to new information and that's a sign of learning If that's the case you might find your comfort level increasing as you become more familiar with the art and the training After training in Kempo for 25 years and joining a jiu-jitsu school I felt a major sense of culture shock a lot of foundational concepts were different and I was definitely out of my comfort zone But that's what I wanted a different perspective and after a while of sticking with it It began to feel more natural and I'm really glad I stayed with it So if you're just starting out, I recommend that you try it a little bit longer. It's possible You just haven't found your groove yet. Otherwise identify what you're unhappy about if you've tried it for a little while You just don't feel it's right for you. Okay, maybe a change is due but now how do you go about doing it? There are two general ways to approach quitting One telling them you're unhappy and you're going to quit or two you could just stop showing up personally speaking I think it's best to be up front and address any points of concern be honest and keep it simple You don't owe anyone any major explanation But you want to be respectful be honest about why you're leaving and give them constructive feedback that they can use to Possibly improve things on their end if they are receptive to hearing it you might be pleasantly surprised You might find your concerns can be addressed now the hard part about addressing this and this was the major point of concern Our viewer raised is that they didn't want to offend their instructor or burn any bridges Hey, I get that and depending on the culture school or people you're training with this could be a tightrope to walk If it's a large school or a chain then the truth is they're probably used to people coming and going I would still talk to them and voice my concerns and if those concerns are not taken seriously Well, then guess what you don't owe them anything. You're paying for service. You're not getting it might be time for a change But this of course brings up another question. Did you sign the contract or not? Some schools especially the larger ones Make you sign here contracts if you sign the contract and you want to quit you might be responsible for paying the remainder of this contract Now that's something you should have reviewed and considered before joining the school in the first place But at this point it might still be a factor now if it's a smaller and more intimate school Then it might be more of a personal conversation Leaving a small school or family-run school is going to hurt them a little bit more than the franchise But at the end of the day if you're not getting the training or the goals that you'd hope to achieve That conversation has to happen Sometimes a reconcilable difference has happened and falling out to occur if that's the case you just have to move on It doesn't have to be dramatic if you're worried about burning bridges Well, that's a two-way street if you're respectful to them and you're honest and you're upfront and they're spiteful about it And honestly that's on them, and it's probably better that you're leaving them anyway However, if you feel threatened or in danger in any way that it's probably best you don't go back to that school Cut it as a loss and start looking elsewhere. At the end of the day, you have to realize you joined for a reason You've got goals and if you feel you aren't attaining those goals You have to the right to seek out something else You don't need permission and you won't find what you're looking for unless you take the action to seek it The worst thing you can do is stick with the style school or teacher that you feel is doing you harm or is Ineffective you'll develop bad habits. You're going to waste money and in the long run possibly develop resentment for the martial arts But I also ask that you be honest with yourself Is there something that you can do to change the situation? Is it the matter of the grass is greener on the other side situation? Sometimes it's easy to fall into habits and attitudes that might skew our own perspectives If you're not sure you have questions, then please by all means ask them down below in our comment section We've got a pretty awesome community here And there's a good chance that somebody might be able to offer you some fresh perspective So if you are on the hunt for a new school Check out these warning signs of mcdojo's and make sure that the institution you're joining is focused on your well-being And not just making a quick buck