If you’re crazy about BJJ you won’t even think about quitting it. Other people, however, at some point end their adventure with Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. And there are various reasons for this. However, if none comes to your mind or you just want to understand why some people disappear from your jiu jitsu academy, you’ll find the 6 most common reasons to quit BJJ here.
Most Common Reasons to Quit BJJ
Injuries
No matter how you take care of yourself, how quickly you tap, do you remember about stretching, etc. you may still be at risk of injury. They can happen literally to anyone. From total beginners to the best black belts in the world, we are all equally vulnerable to them. This does not mean, however, that we should immediately quit BJJ as they happen to us. Actually, if the injury is not serious, the greatest jiu jitsu enthusiasts do not even stop training and others just take short breaks. Most of the time such rare and harmless injuries are not therefore a reason to quit BJJ training.
However, if injuries multiply, even minor ones become problematic and make training difficult. And when the break from being on the mat is getting longer it’s getting harder to come back. The same is true for serious injuries after which you cannot train for a long time. The gap created after the lack of BJJ is replaced by other activities. For some, these other activities may turn out to be more interesting and permanently replace Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for them.
Moreover, people who have experienced the most severe injuries, the ones that not only prevented training but also hindered everyday functioning may decide that it is not worth training the sport that led to them. We often think we are indestructible, so such things can really scare you. No weird then that serious injuries can be discouraging for many people and make them disappear from the mat.
Expectations vs. reality
If we have very high expectations, reality may disappoint us. There can be many things here. For example, for those who came to lose weight thanks to BJJ training, the reason for quitting it may be the fact that they lost only a few kilos instead of immediately becoming muscular gods. Others may think that they will become world champions but in reality, they don’t even win at local competitions, so they get discouraged. Such examples could be multiplied indefinitely. The point is that when we have expectations of something and it doesn’t meet them, we give it up. People for whom, for various reasons, BJJ did not meet expectations simply quit it. Jiu jitsu is just not for them.
Everyday life
When we have a lot of free time and we do not have too many responsibilities, it is easy to train a lot. Of course, from time to time, everybody, even those with lots of free time, doesn’t come to the training because they have to study for the exam, have to stay overtime at work or go to their aunt’s birthday. It’s normal. However, when time is running out and the schedule of the day becomes tenser and tenser, participating in BJJ classes becomes harder. For some even impossible. For such people, training would mean neglecting children or threatening to lose their job, etc. They don’t have time for a hobby in the form of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Generally, they barely have time for anything, because they are so busy with the duties of their daily lives. Therefore they simply decide to quit BJJ.
Lack of visible progress
Especially at the beginning of our journey with BJJ, we learn something new at virtually every practice. We get better with every training. At some point, however, each of us collides with the wall. The learning process slows down. We stop seeing visible progress. We have the impression that our skills even regress. By such stagnation, we begin to wonder why we are doing it, what’s the point of training, etc. At such a difficult moment, some will just clench their teeth and continue to come to class hoping that this crisis will finally pass. Others, however, will decide it’s not worth it. They will listen to the voices in their head that the trainings are pointless because they are learning nothing and will simply quit BJJ.
Blue belt
Now you can think: “Wait what? I thought getting the blue belt is a good thing rather than a reason to quit BJJ”. If you thought so, then you are right and wrong at the same time. Getting a higher belt is a good thing. However, promotion to the blue belt at the same time can also be potentially ending your jiu jitsu career. It is because it can be the beginning of blue belt syndrome, otherwise called blue belt blues or blue belt curse. Despite slight differences in names, all of them refer to the same phenomenon of abandoning BJJ after receiving the blue belt. Generally, most people have enough enthusiasm to get a blue belt. Then, however, sometimes they don’t have enough of it to continue. You can find more about why most people quit BJJ specifically at the blue belt here.
People
People and the atmosphere they create can turn virtually any place into paradise or hell. A day with toxic people in a better-paid and/or more interesting job will be harder for most of us than working for less money and/or doing something boring but in a cool team. It will be no different with BJJ. Super-quality mat doesn’t matter if people who roll on it are shitty, arrogant, aggressive, or simply do not suit you for various reasons. It is also worth mentioning that at this point it is not just about other students, but also about trainers. The coach may be too harsh or strict for some, they don’t like the style of his classes, etc. So it could be that some people started training BJJ in the wrong place and instead of looking for another club, were so discouraged that abandoned this sport at all.
