Once you take a month or two away see then think about what you love about martial arts and what you don't. Figure out what you'd like to get out of them, and what you don't. Make a list of pros and cons then step away from it for a little bit. Take the time to let it sink in then come back and think about it more.
If you decide after you've been away, that you still feel like you do now, then don't train any more. If however you find you have a deep love of the arts and want to train, then use your list to find a new style and a new school.
The bottom line is that if you don't love martial arts any more then you don't have to do them. People change and at your age you're growing up and changing.
Finally remember that any decision you make now isn't set in stone. You're allowed to change your mind and come back if you decide to leave. And you can leave if you decide you are going to stay.
Most importantly good luck. You're at a hard time in your life but an exciting one. Enjoy it as it goes quickly
Sometimes time away can recharge the battery, i grew to a point in my teens where i hated martial arts and many people do. I was pushed into it and begun to resent being there. Then a short time away and time to reflect of other things and decide what i wanted to achieve in life eventually led me back to martial arts. I found myself recharged and wanting to start again, i just take it far less serious now.
Maybe 3-6 months away might do more good than bad in your case. just dont turn you back on it completely after this time. Always leave it as an option. Maybe think about trying grappling as a change from TKD maybe that might be the change you need. I found it helped me to get away from Grappling and focus more on Muay Thai for a while. now i am happy with both.
Well first off you are not a second degree black belt if you started training at nine. You were at a McDojo. Just to get that out of the way.
But if you want to quit then quit. Or try something else. Try BJJ. I would say it's harder in a way then muay thai. It's more technical. Maybe a challenge will do you some good.
You're an adult. You can leave if you want. No one is forcing you to stick around.
However, you have completely misunderstood martial arts. You are not "perfectly capable of defending" yourself. There is always someone bigger, better, smarter, and faster than you. Your goal in martial arts is to level the playing field. Your only "real" training in self-defense - if you got any at all - should have started at around 16 or 17. At 18, it is likely you've done only a few wrist grab escapes. Done any rolls, back falls, side falls, or high falls? Chokes? Choke escapes? Grappling? Weapons? I doubt it: any place that takes 9 year olds and turns them into 2nd dan 18 year olds in the same timeframe that good places turn adults into black belts tells me you've only done sparring. Few places will teach a 9 year old real self-defense. Such instruction begins realistically and appropriately in high teens or later. I'll bet you've traded TKD sparring for MT sparring, and that's why you find it boring.
It's not your fault, that is entirely the fault of your instruction - and our style as an industry. You've burnt out. Really: how many trophies can one collect? Want to go to yet another tournament? Replace your sparring gear? Such a life is a hassle, and I'm betting it was't a big deal when someone else had to schlep you back and forth to your classes and tournaments. But now that you're older and on your own, you're look out to see what else is there, and it's not appealing.
I get it, we all plateau.
But be warned. You probably are confident (thanks to martial arts). But I think you're too confident. Martial arts is not a "I got black belt, now what" kind of thing. It's a lifelong journey. If you stop now, your skills will quickly degrade. You may have gotten what you went for, but I bet you don't have what you went for. And you certainly won't have tomorrow what you got yesterday and what you have today.
I did Martial Arts ever since I was 9, and I'm almost 18 years old. I'm a second dan black belt WTF Taekwondo. I practiced Taekwondo for 7 years. I practiced boxing for 1 year. And I'm currently training in Muay Thai (it's been 4 months). I changed to Muay Thai thinking it would motivate me and make me more excited and loving of Martial Arts. But I'm find it boring. Not just Muay Thai but Martial Arts in general. The reason I started was to build confidence and learn how to fight/defend myself. I was bullied as a kid once, so I took Martial Arts so that'd never happen again. I'm very good, but I just find it unamusing now. I'm thinking of just getting a gym membership so I can stay fit. Besides that I don't want to train Martial Arts anymore. I mean, especially Muay Thai because since I've gone all I've been doing it fighting. Most of my work out is fighting others. I've gotten skinnier since going to Muay Thai. I learn techniques and just fight, I have my tones but I just got skinnier. We don't do much other workouts. I'm just tired of Martial Arts. I'm super confident now, and I'm actually more hooliganish than that kid I was before Martial Arts. I'm perfectly capable of defending myself, I got what I went for. I just want to quit. What so you think?
