Was I wrong for quitting Tae Kwon Do?

Question

I did Tae Kwon Do for a bout three years, and I was a black belt. I spent $450 on my blackbelt test alone. I quit because it was too much pressure. Was I wrong for quitting????

Answer 1

do u think u were wrong for quitting? if u didnt feel like u didnt want to do tae kwon do anymore u didnt. it was ur choice do u feel guilty?

Answer 2

You are probably wise to quit Tae Kwon Do. If it took you only 3 years to get a blackbelt, either you are very good, or the instruction and testing very bad. In either case, I'd go for instruction in either Brazilian Ju-jitsu, or in Judo. You learn more throws in these and more grappling to go along with your strikes and kicks that you already know. Good luck.(^_^)
For street-use, the most effective martial art is in stick/cane fighting, if you can find an instructor (for cane/walking stick) combination. But not for the traditional escrima type where each person is dueling someone else who also has a stick. You hardly ever find that going on in the US, do you? Cane fighting is a counter-attack type defense against someone who may NOT have a stick, but has a knife, or something. This is what I was trained in. Again, good luck!

Answer 3

http://www.bullshido.net/modules.php?name=Reviews&file=viewarticle&id=3

I suggest you read this article. If your school sounds anything like the school in this article. IT COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE!

Does your school do full contact sparring? (meaning it looks more like ufc or a boxing match with legs and elbows than an orgainzed, one hit, score a point then back away = that is point sparring).

It is ok if you loved it, just realize that that kind of training doesn't prepare you to defend yourself in a real situation. Any boxer or untrained fighter against a point sparrer would destroy them unless they are a midget and even then I'd give the midget the better odds.

Just look at the training realistically, if you enjoy point sparring as a sport like tennis or golf but have no illusions, then by all means, do it, enjoy. Just don't delude yourself into thinking that kind of tip-tap training will do anything but make you a WORSE fighter than if you didn't have any training.

you should also look around the website, there are a lot of bjj and mt nutriders there but the majority of people are not, they are very nice and open so long as you don't spout bs and lie about your level of training or ability, and the openess of the site and forums are very good.

Answer 4

No you weren’t wrong for quitting. As your life changes so do your priorities. The pressures of maintaining your workout routine, probably teaching, and the increasing responsibilities that come with a black belt can be overwhelming. While I think $450 is way out of line and three years to achieve a black belt is too quick consider your time and money an investment in yourself, it will multiply with interest in the years to come. Don’t regret any decision you have made, it was the best one for you at the time. You can always go back, go to a different school, or study a different style.

Answer 5

Well, if you have already learned all your forms... I take tae kwon do so if someone attacks me, I'll know what to do. I think all your effort and money is wasted without practice. If you don't take classes anymore, practice your forms and moves. You can still be powerful even without classes. You could try a different company that offers new and exciting things to do. You can learn more and not be bored. Good job on the black belt!

Answer 6

No you were not wrong. Congrats on the black belt but $450 are you kidding me? For what? Thats pathetic and thats the trend that most schools move to.

Here is something to think about.

Normal belt test fees are around 50$
1. a color belt costs $2 wholesale (thats how they buy things)
2. a board to break is $2
3. his time is maybe worth $8/ student

Where is the rest of the cash going? TO HIS BANK! they do that to make money... Im sorry but I am SOOO happy I quit TKD. I had been to ATA, ITF, and WTF and they all blow. If you think of them as a sport thats fine, because thats all they are.

$450 for a belt test, that blows my mind!!!

welcome to McDojang

EDIT: To that Christine girl above me... I will protect you for free. You know TKD not self defense, and you would need all the help you can get and i offer it for free.

Answer 7

Yes, you were wrong. Anything that you have put that much time and money into is not something that you should quit. Especially if you have achieved that level of success. Considering the kind of commitment it took to get you there, a great deal of your identity has got to be tied up in your art. If you feel the pressure is too great, just back off a bit for a while. Just make sure that your instructors know the reason why you are backing off. It is important that you do not lose the portion of your identity that took you that far.

Answer 8

Whoa! $450 for a black belt test.Well,look at it this way,if you aren't having any fun and as you said,being pressured,I'd look into doing another style or go to another Taekwondo place.I got my black belt in Taekwondo and I decided to do karate instead cause it was closer(the taekwondo school was about an hour from where I lived) and I saw a lot of stuff that happened that shouldn't have happened.I could've quit when I saw everything that was happening but I didn't and got my black belt for it.

Answer 9

Tae kwon do helped me alot, both in health and mental focus. I got into less trouble and did better in shool when i was involved. Don't give it up but instead try to find a different system. most teachers will accept previous experience and rank you according to that. if you don't feel your teacher is doing it right, then leave and find someone you can feel comfortable with

Answer 10

Don't listen to these other people who keep calling you a quitter. You were quite right for quitting such a lame art that probably won't teach you anything useful. Now that you're ready to move on with your life, might I suggest attending a much cheaper school that'll teach you to fight with resistance?

Answer 11

$450 for a black belt test? In three years? Sounds like a money factory to me!

But I'm not sure what pressure you are referring to. Practicing the martial arts is not about pressure, it is about the study of an art. I would recommend finding another style of martial arts, one that isn't focused on making money, and focuses on the art and not competition or rank.