masterphoenix Posted July 2, 2010 Share Posted July 2, 2010 After many years of teaching martial arts, how do you deal with periods of burnout? How do you keep things exciting? /\Palms together in respect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sensei8 Posted July 4, 2010 Share Posted July 4, 2010 I've faced a few burnouts in my life as an instructor/student of the martial arts. All I do is forge through until I defeat the burnout. I don't go fishing or watch a movie or take a walk or do something other than the martial arts; I just keep teaching/training. Please don't hate me and/or think less of me with what I'm about to say. Once I was so burned out that I didn't want to teach any kyu ranked students. I was fortunate enough to have a very solid base of assistant instructors under me so that they could teach the kyu ranked students during my burnout. While I was experiencing this burnout, I only wanted to teach Dan ranked students, and the higher the Dan rank the more I was drawn to teach them. This burnout lasted about a month and a half. I was so ashamed of myself because my students mean the world to me, all of them, and I shuned my kyu students on the floor temporarily. I'd still talk to them and laughed with them and the like, but I didn't teach any kyu ranked students during this burnout. My kyu students had no idea that I was experiencing burnout because I was talking to them and laughed with them and the like during this burnout. Still, I felt that I let them down tremendously by not making myself more available to them on the floor during this burnout. Then one day, I was ok and the burnout was over!Having someone I trust to talk to really helped me to defeat the burnouts. **Proof is on the floor!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
masterphoenix Posted July 4, 2010 Author Share Posted July 4, 2010 I've faced a few burnouts in my life as an instructor/student of the martial arts. All I do is forge through until I defeat the burnout. I don't go fishing or watch a movie or take a walk or do something other than the martial arts; I just keep teaching/training. Please don't hate me and/or think less of me with what I'm about to say. Once I was so burned out that I didn't want to teach any kyu ranked students. I was fortunate enough to have a very solid base of assistant instructors under me so that they could teach the kyu ranked students during my burnout. While I was experiencing this burnout, I only wanted to teach Dan ranked students, and the higher the Dan rank the more I was drawn to teach them. This burnout lasted about a month and a half. I was so ashamed of myself because my students mean the world to me, all of them, and I shuned my kyu students on the floor temporarily. I'd still talk to them and laughed with them and the like, but I didn't teach any kyu ranked students during this burnout. My kyu students had no idea that I was experiencing burnout because I was talking to them and laughed with them and the like during this burnout. Still, I felt that I let them down tremendously by not making myself more available to them on the floor during this burnout. Then one day, I was ok and the burnout was over!Having someone I trust to talk to really helped me to defeat the burnouts. Sounds very human to me, after doing the same thing for years. Most senior instructors I know don't teach beginners anymore. I don't think there's any dishonor in moving on to allow lower ranked students to run things and focusing your experience on the higher ranked ones. This seems to be a pretty natural trickle down effect. Some long time instructors will be out on the floor with beginners and some won't. I don't think it's anything you should be hard on yourself about. /\Palms together in respect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iesureddo Posted November 9, 2010 Share Posted November 9, 2010 After many years of teaching martial arts, how do you deal with periods of burnout? How do you keep things exciting?I have only had my Dojo a little over four years. I been in karate about 20 years. I also have went through burn outs as a student and instructor. I am always happy/sad when I hear a young third dan is about to open a School. for me the first years were so hard. competing with sports in a small school as soon as someone starts to catch on they quit for baseball and then come back for three months or less until football season starts. living in a SMALL town it's hard to keep new people coming through. I went home and told my wife I was gonna close everyday for the first three years. We take two weeks off in December and the month of July for my mission trips. Every year I was almost forced to start back by my wife and Sensei. This year has not been that way. It is going way to awesome. I think that is the beauty of growing pains. I remember the first three years. The way I dealt with it that I have people of like Styles that I train with. when I am not teaching. I love the Arts and these guy love them as much as I do. I would not workout with an Instructor who never works outside of his dojo. The key I think is like was said earlier, PUSH through it. Scottie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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