Do you keep a martial arts diary?

[qi-tah]

Hi all;

I've made it my practice for a number of years now to keep a martial arts diary of my training, but i don't personally know anyone who does this. I can''t be alone here, surely? How many of you out there keep a martial arts diary of some sort? If you do, what form does it take and what sort of stuff do you record in it? Why do you keep it?

If you do keep a diary, how long have you been keeping it? Do you find yrself going back to old volumes for info you have forgotton, or just to remember what you were thinking about/feeling back then? How useful do you find the practice of keeping a diary? Is it important to you? Do you find yourself recording more and more in it as you progress, or less?

Many thanks;

qi-tah

 

[Hand Sword]

Along these lines, funny enough, I always kept a notebook full of all the techniques that I was taught, or thought of. I've kept it since my beginning. When I was practicing, it was very important to me. (even took it to the bathroom-LOL) I found myself writing in it as much as I did when I first started. Reflecting, changing, and deleting along the way.

 

[nathan3]

I've kept a catalog of techniques since the first day. I've also kept some rougher, less organized "scratchings" section since about 3 months into training that is just anything I thought of relatead to training.

I originally kept this entire catalog in paper form, but I've found I had better luck with an electronic copy (with paper backups, of course). Maybe it's just because I'm something of a computer-minded person anyway.

What's given me the most success is a program called ZuluPad. Think Wikipedia.org on a personal level. I can keep a list of techniques from each scroll, along with the rambling notes. As I go through and create notes pages for each technique we study, the program makes associations between names of pages of notes and anywhere else in my journal that the term appears, creating web-like links between them. So for example, if 10 months ago I wrote up my notes on "Technique Q", and then yesterday learned "Technique Y" (which starts out just like Q), I'm able to easily follow my train of thought back to the finer points of Q without having to spend a lot of time flipping pages.

 

[tsd]

I have been keeping a journel of techniques, classes and ideas since I was a green belt. Though every teacher has something to offer you as far as techniqe and practice, I find that most of my notes are on teaching techniques and styler. This has proved invaluble to me as a teacher.

 

[stickarts]

I don't have a diary but i have kept numeous papers, notes, and videos of what i have learned over the years.
It has been a good source of reference material as well as some sentimental value!

 

[qi-tah]

What's given me the most success is a program called ZuluPad. Think Wikipedia.org on a personal level. I can keep a list of techniques from each scroll, along with the rambling notes. As I go through and create notes pages for each technique we study, the program makes associations between names of pages of notes and anywhere else in my journal that the term appears, creating web-like links between them. So for example, if 10 months ago I wrote up my notes on "Technique Q", and then yesterday learned "Technique Y" (which starts out just like Q), I'm able to easily follow my train of thought back to the finer points of Q without having to spend a lot of time flipping pages.

Wow, that sounds great! I'm a bit old school myself with my lined exercise books, but you just may have converted me...

It would certainly save me buying a lot of sticky tabs!

 

[kosho]

I have been keeping a record or (journel) of my classes and what goes on and what i have learned. from Tec. to just talking about the class and what not. I then started to keep it on my computer and now have a large amount of info on there. maybe some day it will turn into a book...
LOL
Kosho

 

[stone_dragone]

I have kept notes from every phase, facet and type of training I have recieved. From my research in college and beyond I have a full filing cabinet and close to two dozen notebooks lying around the house for verious aspects of my training.

I have a lot of notes.

 

[mrhnau]

I have kept notes from every phase, facet and type of training I have recieved. From my research in college and beyond I have a full filing cabinet and close to two dozen notebooks lying around the house for verious aspects of my training.

I have a lot of notes.

I hear ya I don't keep a MA journal yet, but I keep all my school notes. I was back at my parents place a few weeks ago and ran across some high school notes. I used to draw when school got too boring, so it was fun reliving that a little bit. good stuff!

 

[qi-tah]

I have just discovered Upnorthkyosa's "reflective training journal" near the bottom of the list of forums.. made for interesting reading. Fascinating for me to get the perspective of a teacher on how they structure their training.

Does anyone else keep an online training journal or similar?

I was thinking about my journal and all the drawings it contained the other day... and how most ppl, if they record visual information of their progress, would prob. shoot video of themselves. I have done this too, but i always find the drawings more useful to me. Perhaps this is b/cause i am at a lower level of skill and thus still need the step-by-step breakdown of a sequence, but i also think that the mental effort of visualising how you look (or ought to look!) and then translating that onto the page is very valuable. Kind of like mentally rehersing for success, but also really "owning" a movement. (In art school i was taught that if you observe well and draw your observations, you truly "own", or understand your subjects)

Thoughts? Anyone else draw stick figures (or better!) of moves/apps/forms in their journals?

 

[ChingChuan]

Each week, I post on my blog what I've learned. I am not particularly worried about other people understanding it & misusing it because it's useless without a good instructor.

qi-tah, in the beginning I used to draw stick figures depeciting the stances etc. but now it's less confusing to use the actual name of the stance rather than trying to draw it .

I used to write it in my diary but blogging is easier .

 

[qi-tah]

Each week, I post on my blog what I've learned. I am not particularly worried about other people understanding it & misusing it because it's useless without a good instructor.

What, no link?

qi-tah, in the beginning I used to draw stick figures depeciting the stances etc. but now it's less confusing to use the actual name of the stance rather than trying to draw it .

Yeah, my journals have the most confusing assortment of arrows going from step 8 to step 4 etc, indicating repeated steps and the like. I'll also write notes on stances i don't think i've got quite right, or on how to activate transitions etc. Makes it a little hard sometimes to go back and understand what i was meaning in the first place, even from week to week! :erg:

I used to write it in my diary but blogging is easier .

How long have you been keeping yr blog going? Do you find it useful to go back and read it?

 

[tshadowchaser]

I kept a note book for many years but it was destroyed in a fire, I would keep notes on techniques, forms, sometimes on things said in class, and sometimes on those i met. I also had small notes on different compeditors and would sometimes place notes along withpictures so I could remember how someone set up a technique or justsay his Fav. tech.
I encourage my students to kep a note book of what they do in class and tell them to bring it to every class. If it is not up to date when they test they fail.

 

[ChingChuan]

What, no link?

Well, it's in dutch. So, unless someone can read Dutch... http://www.chingchu.swifthost.net/blog/?cat=4

How long have you been keeping yr blog going? Do you find it useful to go back and read it?

A little over a year now... I started the 25th of april last year ( the day I had my first training ) and I still keep it up to date.

It's quite interesting to re-read it, yes. At the moment, however, I don't really use it, because I know how to do most of the things I wrote there. So I mostly re-read it for fun.

I was wondering, actually, about how everyone uses their journal... Usually I try to remember the technique or the form myself, writing them down is only something that helps me getting it into my long-term memory... Are there people who really uhm, need their diary/blog for being able to remember everything?

 

[Em MacIntosh]

I will now.

 

[tshadowchaser]

I would reread mine about once a year (when I had it) looking back over a years notes was somtimes funny to see how many times I wrote the same thing down, I also would go back every year or two and reread the whole thing, wow, what memories that would bring back

 

[qi-tah]

Well, it's in dutch. So, unless someone can read Dutch... http://www.chingchu.swifthost.net/blog/?cat=4

Ha! Awesome... i'm off to learn Dutch as we speak...

It's quite interesting to re-read it, yes. At the moment, however, I don't really use it, because I know how to do most of the things I wrote there. So I mostly re-read it for fun.

I was wondering, actually, about how everyone uses their journal... Usually I try to remember the technique or the form myself, writing them down is only something that helps me getting it into my long-term memory... Are there people who really uhm, need their diary/blog for being able to remember everything?

I like to be able to look back at what i was learning at different schools, and whether certain exercises i learnt then can complement or further my understanding of what i am doing now. For example, i couldn't remember off the top of my head the 100 circles Ba gua qigong that i learnt from my 2nd teacher, but after a perusal of some old diaries i resurrected it and found it an interesting couterpoint to my current 24 palms ba gua qigong. I often find little things like that useful. And it's also fun to look back at my evoloution in MA, what i was thinking at certain points, how my training priorities have changed etc.

 

[Lynne]

I'm a newbie and am keeping a diary. It's been so helpful. I know, too, that as I['m writing down how to do a technique that I'm ingraining the technique into my mind. I write everything down - all the Korean terminology, counting backwards in Korean, even the student creed.

I review the diary daily and mentally visualize my forms, wrist grips, etc.

I write down questions I have so I'll remember to ask them.

 

[Ceicei]

Well, my "record" is mostly as journey letters I write to a former instructor. I've had several instructors along my journey. The one who gets these letters is the instructor I trained under the longest at four years. What I write in these journey letters are about my martial arts experiences, what I learned, my excitement and frustrations, and goals (both short-term and long-term regarding martial arts). I keep a copy of all these letters for myself.

It just is easier for me to write to a living person (and sometimes getting feedback). Doing it this way allows me to remain motivated by knowing that someone else is aware of my thoughts and progress.

- Ceicei

 

[Christina05]

I have kept one for quite a while I write almost everything in it, How long I train. What areas I need improvement on. Its a good thing to have.