Training Diary

[Rabbitthekitten]

Does anyone keep a training diary? If so what do you put in it and how do you refer back to it? Thinking of starting one.

 

[CB Jones]

Does anyone keep a training diary? If so what do you put in it and how do you refer back to it? Thinking of starting one.

It is required for all black belt testing at the org my son trains at.

He uses a Daily Planner. He is supposed to document any strength and conditioning training, stretching, karate training, competitions, teaching, judging, and any misc. physical activities.

He also sets monthly goals in it (so many minutes of stretching, so many pushups, so many reps of karate drills, etc...)

For Example:

Day 1
30 minutes of stretching
3 sets of 15 of pushups, situps, and burpees
Helped Sensei with beginners class...worked mainly on H Form 1
Attended Intermediate class...worked mainly on basic techniques and Bo form
Attended Advanced class....worked mainly on tournament forms and sparred

Day 2
Baseball Practice
Attended Advance class....worked mainly on weapons forms and sparring combinations (bag work and partners)

Day 3
_______ Tournament
Finished 1st in Weapons, Forms, and Sparring
Helped as scorekeeper for 5-6 year old division (Forms and Weapons)

 

[Gerry Seymour]

I never have. I've never gotten much benefit from daily journaling in any area - too much recurring work. I do like to refer back to old notes, though. I have notes about some of the training exercises I participated in, and use the notes to remind myself of things I've forgotten.

 

[Headhunter]

Nope I'd rather spend that extra time training than writing about it

 

[marques]

Does anyone keep a training diary? If so what do you put in it and how do you refer back to it? Thinking of starting one.

Never used it for long time... but I put there
- What was done (like: combo teep-jab-cross)
- What needs improvement (head kick defence...)
- Tactical hypothesis for some sparring issue...

Just that. Short and dry.

 

[_Simon_]

Yeah I have for many years, and it's quite helpful. I don't record everything, but after class if there was something particular I wanted to note down, something new I've learned, something I want/need to work on specifically that my instructor has told me, I quickly jot it down at the end of class.

I actually have a few different sections and I write according to where I think it fits (obviously there's a lot of crossover so I just guess): kihon, kata, kumite, and spiritual/philosophy/quotes. Also like writing down specific drills or combos that I can go back and train at home to develop, or just to have as a reference to build on.

But the thing is it's just recording as I need to, there are no subcategories in there so they're just all over the place haha.. I just have to flick through to find what I'm looking for.

I also have one to record weight training routines, planning out cycles, weights used etc. Have done that for ages, never really recorded that on my phone, I quite like the old paper and pen

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Yeah I have for many years, and it's quite helpful. I don't record everything, but after class if there was something particular I wanted to note down, something new I've learned, something I want/need to work on specifically that my instructor has told me, I quickly jot it down at the end of class.

I actually have a few different sections and I write according to where I think it fits (obviously there's a lot of crossover so I just guess): kihon, kata, kumite, and spiritual/philosophy/quotes. Also like writing down specific drills or combos that I can go back and train at home to develop, or just to have as a reference to build on.

But the thing is it's just recording as I need to, there are no subcategories in there so they're just all over the place haha.. I just have to flick through to find what I'm looking for.

I also have one to record weight training routines, planning out cycles, weights used etc. Have done that for ages, never really recorded that on my phone, I quite like the old paper and pen

This is something I've found useful, and still do, myself. I keep a raining notebook in the bag with my uniform when I go somewhere to train, and jot down anything I want to be able to dredge back up later. It might be the steps for a technique I want to work on, finer points of some principle, or just some wisdom I picked up from someone there.

 

[Danny T]

A training diary...no.
A training notebook to keep reminders, thoughts, illuminating discoveries, etc.

 

[pdg]

A training notebook to keep reminders, thoughts, illuminating discoveries, etc.

That's the sort of thing I have too.

I'd not keep up with completing a diary as such, but notes are sensible.

 

[Rabbitthekitten]

Once again the guys on martial talk are a brilliant help. Given me plenty to think about. Cheers guys!

 

[Buka]

I did for many years, I wish I had kept it up. But like Danny said, it was more of a notebook than a diary. And like Simon said....it was just all over the place.

But here's what made me realize how useful it could be. When I started the Arts I was hooked from day one. My living and working conditions allowed me to attend every class, so I did. Mon, Tue, Wed, Thurs nights and Sat morning. I didn't miss a class for over three years. So....when I was a green belt I tore my hamstring pretty badly. Couldn't train, but I still went every night and watched. And took notes. When the class sparred, I took notes of who fought who, and what they scored with.

As the weeks went on, I started noticing things. I started noticing habits and tells. I didn't know they were called habits and tells, but I started to pick up on them. Joey would take that little step with his front foot when he would throw a back leg whatever, Jack would hand fake when he was trying to set up a whatever, Louie would do that little head nod thing when he was going into countering mode, Frazier would just beat everybody, except for so and so who used to punch his head off, and on and on.

I used to read over my notes at home. Then again before going to the dojo on fighting nights - to add more to my notes. I was unable to train for a couple months, but still went everyday, and I had plenty notes. It was nice to eventually get back to training. It was even nicer to get back to sparring. Suddenly I could beat everyone in the dojo. Everyone. I had never experienced that before. I actually had an idea of what they were going to do when I did x, y or z, and I knew what they couldn't do very well even if they didn't know it themselves.

Notes can sometimes be a beautiful thing.

 

[Danny T]

Notes can be funny and confusing many years later as well.
Have many that when I look at them return many memories and others I read, mull, re-read, play with and for the life of me can't decode what I was attempting to convey. Others show the immaturity of my understanding concepts. Some are short hand with references to some other long ago forgotten technique. "Stepping rt, cross step like #5 con, arm action similar to #4 hit/open drill add wr/lock & finish." Whatever #5 con and #4 hit/open drill are???

 

[Gerry Seymour]

I did for many years, I wish I had kept it up. But like Danny said, it was more of a notebook than a diary. And like Simon said....it was just all over the place.

But here's what made me realize how useful it could be. When I started the Arts I was hooked from day one. My living and working conditions allowed me to attend every class, so I did. Mon, Tue, Wed, Thurs nights and Sat morning. I didn't miss a class for over three years. So....when I was a green belt I tore my hamstring pretty badly. Couldn't train, but I still went every night and watched. And took notes. When the class sparred, I took notes of who fought who, and what they scored with.

As the weeks went on, I started noticing things. I started noticing habits and tells. I didn't know they were called habits and tells, but I started to pick up on them. Joey would take that little step with his front foot when he would throw a back leg whatever, Jack would hand fake when he was trying to set up a whatever, Louie would do that little head nod thing when he was going into countering mode, Frazier would just beat everybody, except for so and so who used to punch his head off, and on and on.

I used to read over my notes at home. Then again before going to the dojo on fighting nights - to add more to my notes. I was unable to train for a couple months, but still went everyday, and I had plenty notes. It was nice to eventually get back to training. It was even nicer to get back to sparring. Suddenly I could beat everyone in the dojo. Everyone. I had never experienced that before. I actually had an idea of what they were going to do when I did x, y or z, and I knew what they couldn't do very well even if they didn't know it themselves.

Notes can sometimes be a beautiful thing.

That was what I did after my knee surgery. I think I made as much progress in those few weeks of observation and note-taking as in any other weeks of training.

For me, I took a lot of notes about what folks did “wrong” (similar to the tells you noted). I spent a lot of money time after that eliminating mistakes I’d watched others make.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Notes can be funny and confusing many years later as well.
Have many that when I look at them return many memories and others I read, mull, re-read, play with and for the life of me can't decode what I was attempting to convey. Others show the immaturity of my understanding concepts. Some are short hand with references to some other long ago forgotten technique. "Stepping rt, cross step like #5 con, arm action similar to #4 hit/open drill add wr/lock & finish." Whatever #5 con and #4 hit/open drill are???

My old notes are as likely to make me laugh at myself as to spark some useful memory. It also shows me how far I’ve come.

 

[oftheherd1]

In the Hapkido I studied, some American before me had written down all the moves with terse notes to explain the techniques. Not detailed explanations as much as memory triggers. He had done that for all techniques from white to black belt and students were given zerox copies of each belt's curriculum. I found a few differences from what I was being taught and so redid all in Word, cleaning up where needed, so new copies could be printed as needed. There was none for 1st Dan to 2nd Dan, so I did those, and video recorded the 2nd Dan to 3rd Dan. Never did write them down though. That was not a diary.

As described by a couple of posters above a diary sounds like a good idea, very useful. I just would never have had the patience to do so.

 

[Buka]

Notes can be funny and confusing many years later as well.
Have many that when I look at them return many memories and others I read, mull, re-read, play with and for the life of me can't decode what I was attempting to convey. Others show the immaturity of my understanding concepts. Some are short hand with references to some other long ago forgotten technique. "Stepping rt, cross step like #5 con, arm action similar to #4 hit/open drill add wr/lock & finish." Whatever #5 con and #4 hit/open drill are???

My old notes are as likely to make me laugh at myself as to spark some useful memory. It also shows me how far I’ve come.

Ain't it something? I read some of the old notes I find in the odd box of stuff and I think "What the hell was I talking about?"

Thinking about it.....probably the same short hand nonsense that any kid training thinks.

 

[_Simon_]

Ahhh I didn't realise the OP meant something different. No I don't keep a training diary, but yes to training notes .

I'm actually keeping a little diary of everything we've done in the classes of new styles I'm trialling out. Just to give a reference point and to remember what we did, to help aid in the decision, which I'm sure will be more on a 'feel' basis rather than the notes haha..

 

[_Simon_]

I did for many years, I wish I had kept it up. But like Danny said, it was more of a notebook than a diary. And like Simon said....it was just all over the place.

But here's what made me realize how useful it could be. When I started the Arts I was hooked from day one. My living and working conditions allowed me to attend every class, so I did. Mon, Tue, Wed, Thurs nights and Sat morning. I didn't miss a class for over three years. So....when I was a green belt I tore my hamstring pretty badly. Couldn't train, but I still went every night and watched. And took notes. When the class sparred, I took notes of who fought who, and what they scored with.

As the weeks went on, I started noticing things. I started noticing habits and tells. I didn't know they were called habits and tells, but I started to pick up on them. Joey would take that little step with his front foot when he would throw a back leg whatever, Jack would hand fake when he was trying to set up a whatever, Louie would do that little head nod thing when he was going into countering mode, Frazier would just beat everybody, except for so and so who used to punch his head off, and on and on.

I used to read over my notes at home. Then again before going to the dojo on fighting nights - to add more to my notes. I was unable to train for a couple months, but still went everyday, and I had plenty notes. It was nice to eventually get back to training. It was even nicer to get back to sparring. Suddenly I could beat everyone in the dojo. Everyone. I had never experienced that before. I actually had an idea of what they were going to do when I did x, y or z, and I knew what they couldn't do very well even if they didn't know it themselves.

Notes can sometimes be a beautiful thing.

That is AWESOME Buka... Very insightful!

 

[_Simon_]

Notes can be funny and confusing many years later as well.
Have many that when I look at them return many memories and others I read, mull, re-read, play with and for the life of me can't decode what I was attempting to convey. Others show the immaturity of my understanding concepts. Some are short hand with references to some other long ago forgotten technique. "Stepping rt, cross step like #5 con, arm action similar to #4 hit/open drill add wr/lock & finish." Whatever #5 con and #4 hit/open drill are???

Hahahaha ah I laughed at this... has happened to me too! Looking at old notes thinking... "What the hell did I mean by that??" XD

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Ahhh I didn't realise the OP meant something different. No I don't keep a training diary, but yes to training notes .

I'm actually keeping a little diary of everything we've done in the classes of new styles I'm trialling out. Just to give a reference point and to remember what we did, to help aid in the decision, which I'm sure will be more on a 'feel' basis rather than the notes haha..

All decisions are "feel" (technically - the emotional center makes decisions), but there's some evidence that journaling like that helps you bring some objectivity into the decision.