I'm suffering through many things that tire me and wear away at me but I must admit Kendo isn't one of them 😂 My struggle is the other way around now. Trying to actually get to training but balance being considerate to my wife and family is the struggle for me. I'm hoping to take the Godan exam this year and my normal inclination would be to really ramp up my own training now and my overall fitness and so on to put the final polishing on my Kendo after the last 4 years of study but family commitments at the moment are making that challenging shell we say with two little ones in the house and so on. It would be easier if my dojo was able to offer more than two training opportunities per week but we can't at the moment due to a membership drop we are still recovering from due to the pandemic and it's effect on membership. We do have a good support culture in our club though. I'm grateful for this particularly as I'd be one of the highest rank (two yondan including myself) and one of the oldest. So it's nice as a coach to have more junior levels be considerate in the manner you describe here.
I hadn't fully considered this perspective! More often than not, I hear about/see coaches burning out due to the pressures they feel in a leadership position in the club. That doesn't necessarily mean the coaching role. Instead, its all the 'other stuff' - for example, acting as club president/secretary/treasurer/comms person, etc. as well as thinking about training. I have seen a lot of people leave a club as these added responsibilities detract from their overall experience (perhaps because they feel inadequate for the role; or because, as you say, they have many other commitments to balance with family and life)...when all they really want to do is have a good bash with their clubmates. Your point about having more trainings available to allow for more flexibility is interesting, too. In some settings, adding more trainings to the week can put more pressure on some people to turn up and oversee things. Its a really tough one, especially when we are, in essence, 'hobbyists' at the end of the day. Its great to hear you have a supportive culture in your dojo. Thanks so much for your comment and all the very best with the prep for your 5th dan this year :)
I'm suffering through many things that tire me and wear away at me but I must admit Kendo isn't one of them 😂 My struggle is the other way around now. Trying to actually get to training but balance being considerate to my wife and family is the struggle for me. I'm hoping to take the Godan exam this year and my normal inclination would be to really ramp up my own training now and my overall fitness and so on to put the final polishing on my Kendo after the last 4 years of study but family commitments at the moment are making that challenging shell we say with two little ones in the house and so on. It would be easier if my dojo was able to offer more than two training opportunities per week but we can't at the moment due to a membership drop we are still recovering from due to the pandemic and it's effect on membership. We do have a good support culture in our club though. I'm grateful for this particularly as I'd be one of the highest rank (two yondan including myself) and one of the oldest. So it's nice as a coach to have more junior levels be considerate in the manner you describe here.
I hadn't fully considered this perspective! More often than not, I hear about/see coaches burning out due to the pressures they feel in a leadership position in the club. That doesn't necessarily mean the coaching role. Instead, its all the 'other stuff' - for example, acting as club president/secretary/treasurer/comms person, etc. as well as thinking about training. I have seen a lot of people leave a club as these added responsibilities detract from their overall experience (perhaps because they feel inadequate for the role; or because, as you say, they have many other commitments to balance with family and life)...when all they really want to do is have a good bash with their clubmates.
Your point about having more trainings available to allow for more flexibility is interesting, too. In some settings, adding more trainings to the week can put more pressure on some people to turn up and oversee things. Its a really tough one, especially when we are, in essence, 'hobbyists' at the end of the day.
Its great to hear you have a supportive culture in your dojo. Thanks so much for your comment and all the very best with the prep for your 5th dan this year :)