Coach or Compete?

Tonight was a lovely wake up call for me. I started giving lessons @ 2 right up until 4. From there I taught club until 6. @ 6 I went to the University & practiced, if that's what you could call it. By the time I was halfway done doing footwork, I was basically done thinking and moving for the night. I fenced a young student of mine who, after this weekend, decided that I was in fact old & slow. Because he made me feel it.

I wondered why I fenced so poorly by the time I was fencing for myself. Perhaps it was because I had already fenced for 4 hours before I got to practice for me. I sit here typing this & I am almost exhausted.

I am in good physical condition. I run approximately 20 miles a week give or take a few. Today just about killed me in terms of workload. So I am considering dropping competition for a while in favor of focusing on coaching. In logical terms it makes sense. Good coaching results in a better club, more money, & better students. It puts no wear and tear on my nice mask, cords, or cuff. I really enjoy coaching & find it to be a rewarding experience when my students excel. Coaching really is the bomb diggity. In short, coaching seems to be best for everybody.

In contrast, competing is incredibly awesome. The weight of a medal around my neck is one of the most satisfying feelings in my entire life. I can touch it whenever I feel insecure, lonely, or cold. I like the feeling of walking around after a tournament with one around my neck, going to restaurants & the like. Someone may stop and say "Hey what's the medal for?"
"Oh, why thank you for inquiring my good sir, this is a fencing medal denoting my accomplishments for the day... I ROCK!"

But their are many downsides to competing from my perspective. I've been doing it for so long that I am becoming apathetic about it and losing a bit of focus at larger events. On the whole I am better than I used to be and far more consistent, but I feel I have lost some of that killer adrenaline edge that you need to win a hard bout. Plus it's expensive. Stuff breaks, tournament fees are never pleasant, & I have to pay to travel. But despite all of that, I love competing in a tournament.

I will likely stop competing on a regular basis to focus on MFA and the skill base of my students. The nice thing about this decision is that it doesn't have to be permanent. Electric gear doesn't have a shelf life, so you can bet that I will return someday.