I don't quite know what I am going to write yet... so bear with me here.

I'm currently taking a bit of a break from training for various reasons. It's been *counts on fingers* twelve sleeps since my last training session, and believe it or not, I am feeling so completely la di da about it all! In other words, happy. I'm relaxed and stress free, and I have to say, I have gained a bit of perspective on things. I don't have an urge to go back to training at the moment, but I know one day along the line I definitely will. My love for karate is still very much there, but I have been able to see that sometimes a bit of a break can be good.

I don't know what I am getting at... but I think that in a sense I was relying far too much on karate for me to be a happy person overall. When I do go back, it will be with a different attitude towards my training. I will still be intense, but I will be in understanding that karate is not the be all and end all.

Has anybody else taken a break from training and come back, and did your attitude change at all upon your return? Or am I just weird.

Hi Jess

Yes I started with GKR back in 1998 and had a two and a half year absence from the club and went back to it.

I have to say that two and a bit years away gave me a lot of perspective on a lot of things, not just my karate. I think that because of that my karate and my enthusiam has been a lot stronger the second time round.

I have to admit I am going through a bit of a slump again now though, enthusiasm is at a bit of a low after being back at it for a while now. Having the break was the right think for me to do at the time, as my father passed away, and I had a lot of personal issues to resolve within myself. I always had it in the back of my mind that I would definately go back to my karate in the future.

This time round my enthusiam is slipping because my development within karate is becoming quite stagnant and my confidence was lowered after entering my first tournament, but am determined to stick with it this time and work through those issues.

So anyway thats my story so far, I hope it helped.

Yup - did me the world of good too. Had a break for about two-three months at about blue belt level.... I was completely over training. After about a month of enjoying 5 free evenings a week I started missing it...then when I went back it was with renewed enthusiasm....
When I became a teacher I couldnt do that and I really wished I could... I guess thats why we should take holidays from work....(mental note - take holiday from work )

Have a break!

Hi there

Interesting post...

This is my first time to this site as I only joined GKR a few weeks ago.

I've had a long break from karate, I practiced shotokan from the age of 7 until I was 12 and I got to just over halfway to BB. At the time I just lost interest in karate, all my mates were playing footy, basketball etc. and I felt like I was missing out. Anyway now 10 years later I have gone back to karate and this time I know I will go all the way to BB.
I believe that it is easy to take karate too seriously because whilst we may be enjoying ourselves when we are there and feel good about it, we can get burned out and need to refocus on our motivation.
My motivation this time around is somewhat different, this time I am doing it for the enjoyment, as a stress release and to do something I know I can be good at if I try hard enough.
By the way to go a little off topic, It is amazing how much karate is ingrained into you, after ten years I could still easily remember first and second kata. My technique is a little off but the basic stances, strikes, blocks etc are still pretty much there.
IMO I think it's fine to take a break if you feel you need it, but there is no way I would leave it ten years again before going back, I feel I've lost so much ground.
Good Luck
Brad

I was just thinking back here, and I realised that I took my very extended break from karate at pretty much the same point in my life as you Jess.
I had my first big lot of exams for year 12 around the point where I quit.
I have all my other reasons of course, but you might find that interesting for comparisson purposes.

My attitude to karate previously had a lot to do with the social thing - my best friend at the time convinced me to do karate with her in the beginning, and although I was continuing, she slowly stopped going.
The same thing happened with some other friends, and I realise now that I did not enjoy karate if my friends were not training also.

When I did stop, I thought I would just have a break, and then eventually it went from "I do karate" to "I used to do karate"..
We moved house a couple of years later, and I got rid of all my old gi's, mitts, pads, grading certificates, belts, and magazines. I truly though I would never return. However, I did keep my 4 years worth of yellow cards, so perhaps my sub-concious was telling me differently?

One day last october I mentioned out loud to a friend what I had been vaguely been thinking about - that I would like to try out a class again.
She gave me the poke I needed, and convinced me to at least give it a go, and see if things had changed at all.
A phone call to the RM to find out where the nearest class was, and 2 hours later, I was walking into a dojo again.

This time for me it is not a social thing. I have met lots of people through the club, especially from competeing on the tournament team, and I am now lucky enough to consider them my friends, but if they all upped and left tomorrow, I would still train with the same conviction.

Karate is now my thing.
I'm doing it for me, and nothing is going to stop me from reaching my eventual goal.

You trained for four years before??
what..did they make you start again?

GKR and some other styles do that.

Many years of experience, AKF accredited coach, a BB in a previous style, a 2nd kyu and 1st kyu in 2 other styles, and the person described still had to start as a white belt.

Just watch out for them when they grade to yellow and start entering tournaments...