first 6 months of any martial art suck — heres why you should stick it out

if you are in your first 6 months of any martial art — BJJ, muay thai, boxing, wrestling, karate, whatever — and you are thinking about quitting, this post is for you.

the first 6 months are the worst. heres why:

month 1-2: the confusion phase

• you dont understand anything. the terminology is foreign. the movements are unnatural
• your body does not cooperate. your brain says "shrimp" and your body does a weird wiggle
• you are the worst person in every class. not by a little. by a LOT
• you are sore in places you didnt know could be sore
• this phase sucks because you feel incompetent and humans hate feeling incompetent

month 3-4: the frustration phase

• you understand WHAT you should be doing but you CANT do it
• you watch the technique, you drill the technique, and then in live training your body reverts to panicking
• you start comparing yourself to people who started before you. this is poison
• the initial excitement has worn off and the reality of how long the journey is sets in
• this phase sucks because you can see the gap between where you are and where you want to be

month 5-6: the breakthrough phase

• something clicks. it might be one technique. it might be one position. but SOMETHING starts working
• you catch someone with a move you drilled. the dopamine hit is unreal
• you survive a round against someone who used to dominate you. progress
• your body starts moving without conscious thought. muscle memory is forming
• this is where people who stuck through months 1-4 get HOOKED

why people quit:

• months 1-4 are uncomfortable and humans avoid discomfort
• they compare their month 3 to someone elses year 3
• they expected fast progress because they are athletic/smart/determined
• they dont have a supportive gym community to encourage them through the hard part

why you should stay:

• every single person in your gym went through months 1-4. every black belt was once a confused white belt who wanted to quit
• the skills you build in martial arts (discipline, resilience, humility, problem-solving) transfer to every area of your life
• the community you gain is unlike any other hobby. training partners become genuine friends
• in 12 months you will look back and be amazed at how far you came. but only if you dont quit at month 3

DFW newbies: if you are struggling, post here. this community will talk you off the ledge. we have all been there.