Instructor burnout

[masterphoenix]

After many years of teaching martial arts, how do you deal with periods of burnout? How do you keep things exciting?

[sensei8]

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.

[masterphoenix]

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.

[iesureddo]

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.