Dojo owners/instructors always hope that each new student that walks in the door will fall in love with their school and its martial arts classes and stay with them for years, even decades. Good instructors pour their hearts into what they do and want to see their students receive all the benefits of martial arts training they have come to appreciate over the years. Realistically though, this kind of long term commitment is rare, and even if students are committed, there will be times when life leads them to take breaks. Senseis must learn to accept this inevitability and be able to say goodbye with respect and grace. It’s not necessarily easy for them though, especially if the student has been with them a while, so there are things students can do to help the process.

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Tags: leaving a martial arts school | taking a break from martial arts training