loss of motivation....advice?

[kiddbjj]

hey guys,

so basically ever since i got my blue belt about a year ago my motivation to train bjj has really started to decline. i used to train 2-3 times a week regularly, now i'm down to less than once a week. It just doesn't excite me any more and I find that I only feel compelled to train to 'keep' what i already learnt and because i feel like i 'should' train rather than because i look forward to it.

any advice or similar experiences? i think its important for people to have some kind of self defence skills but basically i'm over it. especially since training doesn't wrap up till about 9.30pm which leaves me a half hour to eat/shower/get home etc to be asleep by 10 (I have to be up at 6am for work).

over the past 6 months i've become much more into crossfit and just general powerlifting type training. I love the fact that i can set my own schedule and train when it suits me rather than having to adhere to other people's timetable. so that's kind of the direction i'm heading in but i still feel guilty about my attitude to bjj now. i've also noticed that the purples, browns and blacks in BJJ are the guys who train regularly because they love to, not because they feel obligated to, and thats why they excel.

so thats my rant. any useful advice? should i just move on?

cheers

[DickHardman]

mabye you just need a break for a while. if you enjoy crossfit more and its better suited to your schedule then stick with that for a while. take a break, and mabye you will find yourself wanting to come back to it someday. no point in doing something you dont enjoy unless you really feel you are in need of particular skills to defend yourself from something.

[Hardball]

Do you have a purpose? Why did you take BJJ in the first place? Why do you study martial arts? When you get in a rut and don't feel like training, get in touch with your purpose. If you don't have a purpose then get one.

I have had the same purpose since 1992. And that purpose is to be able to efficiently handle a multiple attack situation. When I get in a rut, I get in touch with my purpose.

www.tommycaro.com

[Clooneytkd]

i have felt the same way. honestly time away is the best thing for you. start watching matches and moves on the computer while in your down time. the longer you stay away from it without actually staying away from it helps you come back to it slowly.
also what helps is if you have some friends. its always good to challenge them if your not getting into any fights. fool around and choke them out and you will realize how useful it is. making your friends look like total pussies helps you get more motivated to learn more and stick with it. for now i would say take some time off.

[whitebelt]

Go to some seminars in other arts. Do some cross training. Seminars are a good way to cross train without a big long term expense.

[7r14ngL3Ch0k3]

Now would be a good time for you to switch arts. Start training and getting good at Boxing or if you just want to stick with grappling, do pure Judo.

[doubleouch]

If you aren't enjoying it then don't do it. There isn't anything more to it than that. BJJ isn't for everyone.

[lorenzodamarith]

hello,

kiddbjj, it is possible you just need a break. anyone doing any kind of training program (weights, gymnastics, combatives) should take 1-2 weeks off per year anyway. you should take 1 or 2 TRAINING days off per month too. this just helps recover. sometimes called a layoff.

a lack of motication may be a symptom of fatigue.

it happens a lot more often than one might think.

thanks.

[JaredExtreme]

Dude, I am experiencing the EXACT same thing right now. I got my blue a year ago, and these last few months I felt like I was just going through the motions, attending class cuz I felt I HAD to.

Like you, I have to wake up at 6 am, so basically by the time I left work, I had just enough time to eat a PBJ sandwich at home, get all my crap together, then go to bjj, class doesn't get over til 8:45, so I don't end up getting home until 9 pm then of course i have to shower and go to sleep.

To be honest I was really feeling like crap. I started getting injured, my rib popped and started to be sore, my back started getting really sore for about 3 days after every bjj class.

So I told my instructor I needed to take this month off and he was cool with it. Lately I'm just been doing some weight lifting, and when the weather is nice out I jog or do sprints in a park close to my house. The thing is, I actually feel HEALTHIER not doing bjj.

Really, I'm not sure what I'm going to do. I feel like BJJ is a part of my life, and I've started to have dreams about it. I'll see how this month goes, maybe I'll come back, maybe not.

[Micker]

You are experiencing burnout. It happens with anything people do. It can happen due to the loss of a goal, overtrainging, other interests etc..

You got your blue belt and that was probably a goal you set. Now, you probably won't see any advancement to your next belt for awhile. Maybe set your sights on your purple belt and strive for that?? Sometimes you try something new, like lifting etc. and you start to really enjoy that. You start to progress at the other hobby faster and it becomes more rewarding, compared to the slow increase in BJJ.

I would say to take a little time off and see what happens. If you don't really enjoy BJJ, then it will be a waste of your time. You need real motivation do do something as intense as BJJ.

[lorenzodamarith]

hello,

after you take some time off, you might consider talking with your instructor about what you should be focusing on in training. the things you did as a white belt and the things you will need to do as a blue belt are very different.

take a week or two off. just relax. then, sit down with your instructor and really get pretty deep into what will be going on in your training. if it sounds good, you will probably like it and stick with it.

if it sounds bad, you have our permission to become a professional cartoon watcher!!!

ideally, we (the crowd) would like to see you continue, but you know what you need. if you honestly need a change, all that can be said is "respect. would rather see someone make an honest decision to leave than a half baked decision to stay".

whatever you decide, we wish you well. without jiujitsu, you will get grey hair, and you will have chronic bad breath. without jiujitsu you could become homeless or possibly hunted by the mob... but we wish you well!!

hahahahahahahahaha!!

thanks.

[kiddbjj]

Originally Posted by JaredExtreme

Dude, I am experiencing the EXACT same thing right now. I got my blue a year ago, and these last few months I felt like I was just going through the motions, attending class cuz I felt I HAD to.

Like you, I have to wake up at 6 am, so basically by the time I left work, I had just enough time to eat a PBJ sandwich at home, get all my crap together, then go to bjj, class doesn't get over til 8:45, so I don't end up getting home until 9 pm then of course i have to shower and go to sleep.

To be honest I was really feeling like crap. I started getting injured, my rib popped and started to be sore, my back started getting really sore for about 3 days after every bjj class.

So I told my instructor I needed to take this month off and he was cool with it. Lately I'm just been doing some weight lifting, and when the weather is nice out I jog or do sprints in a park close to my house. The thing is, I actually feel HEALTHIER not doing bjj.

Really, I'm not sure what I'm going to do. I feel like BJJ is a part of my life, and I've started to have dreams about it. I'll see how this month goes, maybe I'll come back, maybe not.

Mate that's just bizzare. I also popped a rib which incidently took 7 weeks to heal and i have been hitting the weights and running since then. I also had a bjj dream last night. we must be on the same wavelength at the moment. weird. I have been feeling great physically and mentally too.

Basically all my energy and focus is on finishing my degree (13 months to go) and working in my field (i landed a sweet cadetship with the local government). I find that when i commit to regular BJJ training everything else takes a back seat and thats all i think about during the day. So right now i'm not sure whether i should go back or not. I also have trouble doing bjj 'just for fun' because i expect alot of myself in terms of improvement and performing well. maybe a break would be good.

as for taking up another art i know it would be the same situation for me. i work and study on other peoples schedules so im sick of it

[blitz]

Well, I'm kind of in the same situation and I haven't done BJJ in a month. But I'm getting my urge back, I've been dreaming about BJJ for 3 days straight, I mean I must have done more armbars than I've ever done in rolls. + Watching Marcelo Garcia at ADCC kind of made me want to go again, but right now I have my final exams in my last year, so I think I should just keep it in until I finish next month.

[dogzilla]

hehe dont wory motivation will come as it has gone,

when i started training taekwondo after 3 years of doing nothing in MA, i had the weirdest dreams, i was dreaming i was haveing training mixed whit judo and taekwondo,... when you think about something much you will dream about that, its same if u wish about something, you will dream about that to.. well dreaming MA is good, your mind is telling you you want to train and learn

[lorenzodamarith]

Originally Posted by dogzilla

hehe dont wory motivation will come as it has gone,

when i started training taekwondo after 3 years of doing nothing in MA, i had the weirdest dreams, i was dreaming i was haveing training mixed whit judo and taekwondo,... when you think about something much you will dream about that, its same if u wish about something, you will dream about that to.. well dreaming MA is good, your mind is telling you you want to train and learn

hello,

dreaming martial arts could also mean freddykreuger is gonna whuppdatass!! hahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!

thanks.