The revolving door of a judo club

If you've been in judo long enough you will realize that judo clubs have revolving doors -- not physically of course but metaphorically. People come and go in judo, and only a small handful will stay for the long haul. That's just how it is.

As someone who runs a judo club, of course I hope to retain as many members as possible but I also realize there is no point losing sleep over members who quit. There really isn't even any point in trying to change the minds of those who want to quit.

A while back I had read an article by a Canadian coach who tried to analyze the many different reasons why people quit judo, and they are as varied as the reasons people take up judo. At the end of the day it boils down to two things. If judo training is not fun or meaningful to them, they will end up quitting judo. Knowing that, we try our very best to make the training fun and we also try to impart important lessons in the class.

Judo is a really tough sport, in every sense of the word. It's difficult to master the techniques and it's hard on the body. The general toughness of the sport can easily wear someone out before they get very far. Only those who truly enjoy the sport and those who are able to glean some important life lessons from judo will have the desire and perseverance to carry on training.

When I first started the club, more than four years ago, I used to be very disappointed whenever someone left the club. I always felt, what a shame we were not able to retain that person. I have a friend who feels exactly the same way when an employee leaves her company. "Why don't you want to stay?" always rings through her head whenever someone quits.

These days I view people quitting with stoic equanimity. Whatever the reasons someone may have for wanting to leave, one of two things are obvious: They are either not suited for the sport or they are not suited for the club. So, you can treat it like a kind of natural selection process going on to improve your club. The ones who stay back are precisely the kind of members you want in your club. They are the ones who will help you grow the club and take it to greater heights.

In recent months, we've had a handful of members leave and we've also had a handful of new people come in. This churn will continue because, as I've said, judo clubs have a revolving door. People come and people go. The ones who stay will be the ones who go on to become black belts and hopefully, have meaningful experiences that will enrich their lives.