Why Most People Quit Tai Chi
A senior Tai Chi teacher told me 9 out of 10 people quit Tai Chi within the first few months.
You see the pattern once you’ve been around long enough.
Why Most People Quit Tai Chi (and Who They Are)
1. Perfectionists
They need every move to be perfect. But Tai Chi is about doing each part less wrong day by day. There is no perfect.
They obsess over tiny details, can’t relax, and end up exhausting themselves until they burn out.
2. Skeptics
They laugh when chi is mentioned. They tell you Qigong is pseudoscience and cite Wikipedia to back themselves up.
They give one class a try, waiting to be proved wrong but nothing happens because they’ve already decided nothing can happen.
3. Gym Bros
Lifting weights is about contraction. Tai Chi is about relaxing. They are complete opposites. You can’t muscle your way through it. They force the postures with strength, missing the point completely.
In the end, they leave because it doesn’t feel like a workout.
4. Speed Demons
They gotta go fast. Tai Chi is like moving underwater. They can’t handle it. No wonder people live longer doing this, you’re moving in slow-mo. They feel like they’re gonna die of old age here.
They leave after one class to sprint back to HIIT or a spin class.
5. People Who Hate Slow Progress
Tai Chi progress is measured in years, not weeks. The changes creep up on you. Day by day, you won't notice them but they are slowly building up.
If you need quick wins, it feels like torture. They quit before anything has a chance to happen.
6. Quick Fix Crowd
Their doctor recommended Tai Chi. They come in stressed, hoping Tai Chi will be a miracle cure.
They want peace of mind in one session but the first time they leave class still stressed, they don’t come back.
One session sadly won't cure your ailments.
7. People Who Can't Handle Silence
Tai Chi has long pauses, standing still, listening inside. Silence isn’t empty but it feels that way at first.
If you can’t sit with it, you’ll be itching to leave before the first class ends.
8. Competitors
They’re always checking who’s “better.” But in Tai Chi you must invest in loss. You learn by cooperating, by making mistakes, not by winning all the time.
Competitors have a bit of an ego. They eventually get humbled and disappear.
The Twist
These are the people who would benefit the most from Tai Chi but they rarely stay long enough to find out.
The few who do stick around become obsessed. That leads to… different problems...
But that’s another thread for another day!
Written 12th September 2025