Anyone feel down after training or teaching martial arts? I just taught 2 one hour taekwondo sessions (I don't teach my own club but help out from time to time) and I've noticed (not for the first time) that it can leave me a bit down afterwards. I really enjoy teaching, helping people, etc. But afterwards I start questioning whether I did a good enough session?Did people enjoy it? Was I 'too much'? Did I give people enough attention? Explain myself properly? Make everyone feel welcome? Perhaps it's my own self doubts and insecurities?
I can have a bit of depression after a particularly hard workout, whether it be lifting, rowing, or martial arts. I think it's less about the psychology of training and more about brain chemistry.
Or perhaps it's you being a conscientious teacher. Your questions (to yourself) reflect that you actually care a whole lot about the class. I see that as a good thing. I haven't taught anything for a long time, but yes, I did question myself afterwards. But not to the point of feeling down, no. Perhaps you can spin these reflections to be, "Hmm, maybe if next time I [whatever] instead of [whatever] it will be more effective."
I treat it as me just being tired. Then I over analyse myself on doing a crappy job. I rarely focus on the positives. Bench 80kg? Yeh well I used to do 110kg Tapped out a few people? Yeah well not against those who started after me. Stuff like that. Then I eat, play some video games and chat rubbish over whatsapp (usually bullying @Chimpcheng) and suddenly I feel better.
I used to cry myself to sleep and fantasise about suicide if I had a really bad session. So now if I have a bad session I'm just glad to be alive xD
Imposter sydrome comes with the turf in martial arts. If one is striving to do better one cannot help but be aware of ones own shortcomings. when it comes to teaching as long as no body got hurt and everybody enjoyed themselves you have done your job. If students keep attending they are going to learn something!
I'd say I definitely feel down as in best, but it's not usually alongside any negative feelings. I worked out a little tonight and once my shower is done, I'm drowsy like I just took cough medicine or something. Good night's sleep is usually the best fix.
I think that there may also be a difference between teaching full time and occasionally teaching. I teach 4 nights a week at 2 different clubs and my students get regular checks via gradings, competitions, occasional sim days etc. None of those things are controlled by me so if my students do badly it's because I've prepared them badly. As a result, I'm on a sort of continuous evaluation. If you teach occasionally, you don't have that definite feedback, so you are left second guessing yourself. Either that, or teaching regularly can make you complacent, which I think is also true. External validation and competition have their place as a result.
I’m really interested in this. Who else can feel this way? What helps? The benefits of exercise-induced endorphins are widely recognised, but I too can feel low immediately after high-intensity training (despite healthy eating post-exercise).
I think it's like anything. You're competing with yourself and sometimes you lose. I didn't lift as much as before or I didn't push as hard as I could/should have etc.
Although I compete with myself, I don’t feel the low mood’s caused by being self-critical. Rather, it’s more like this response to high intensity training. And a quick google also threw up this: Does high-intensity exercise affect endorphin release? I don’t know what if anything to do about it, because martial arts training is pretty high intensity.
Some martial arts practise should be classed as high intensity trained and the rest of your training planned accordingly you would never run back to back CNS intensive days if you were training strength and conditioning so you really shouldn't run hard classes back to back or hard classes followed by hard conditioning or powerlifting for example. As non recovery or incomplete recovery can have a negative effect on hormones, mood etc. But often we treat martial classes as different separate from our S&C when it really isn't
My issue is definitely not a disappointment-in-performance issue. The harder I work out, the more likely I am to experience post-workout blues a couple hours later. It's like being hungry-sad only more intense.
