Notebooks and Journals?

How many of you keep a journal or notebook about your art(s)?

I've been keeping a journal with diagrams showing various forms, especial fine details, notes from seminars, thoughts about sparing matches, and so on.

I've found that being able to review all of this information away from the school floor is really helpful not only in improving but in understanding the purpose of various aspects of my art.

Is this unusual?

My notebook(s) tend to sit in my equipment bags, and I've been seen perusing them or writing in them during breaks between classes and I've been getting some crap for it as of late. Not that this bothers me so much - I have these folks respect on the floor -- it is just good natured ribbing. But it has caused me to wonder how unusual this habit might be.

 

Sounds like a good idea to me, don't worry about the ribbing (or better yet, hit the ribbers! :evil.

 

I write my thoughts about the training of any given day into a log before i go to bed.

 

If it feels comfortable why stop ,more importantly if it helps with your MA development keep it up.

 

If it's something new or something I am having trouble with I will note it and go over it at a later time.

 

Oh, I have no intention of stopping!

I was just wondering if I'm particularly unusual in this habit.

 

I used to do that, when I was younger and had the time. I even did detailed drawings, ala Bruce Lee. But I wouldn't do it again now, even if I had the time. I feel like it crosses a line that happens in a lot of hobbies. That line between doing the hobby and doing things about the hobby. I can see the utility in a journal. But it felt, to me, kinda like collecting training gear or... irony alert... posting on internet forums. More and more of my time was going to organizing and recording information. Time that would've been better spent either actually training or doing something else that gives me a bit of balance in my life.

But at the end of the day, a journal is a tool. If it's helping you, use it. If it's becoming an albatross, ditch it.


Stuart

 

You don't wanna be a "kata-collector".. you know what I mean?

Having said that, Ive always used notebooks after class or during breaks, I find them helpful for reference when I cant remember certain things.

I'll even jot down some nice sayings or quotes that I hear my instructors say.

::reaches into old MA bag to find his old notebook::

"The most important aspect of training is footwork"
"Distance = time; sabaki controls time"
"The best way to not get hit is to not be there"
"Empty space is that which you create"

Hehe... makes me smile reading these.

 

I type training notes for my jujutsu but not for my TKD. The reason is down to the differences in class structure, In jujutsu I will get introduced to a new technique but then never see it again for ages! So what I tend to do is keep a copy of my syllabus in my bag and make a note of when I am introduced to a technique that is relevant to my grade and after class go home, break it down into stages and type it up. I find this very useful for reference when we get our 15 minute syllabus time at the end of the session.

I don't do the same for my TKD as it does not seem to be needed. We pretty much drill everything I need to know so much that I don't need a notebook! Both approaches work for me.

I say if you find it helpful carry on with it and laugh off the banter!

 

I don't use one for class (or not yet, anyway) but I've been keeping one of my workouts for a while now. It helps show how far I've come, when I miss a day, so on and so forth. Pretty useful tool.

 

i dont keep one as everything i need is in my book or on the internet.if it works for u do ,if not dont.simple as

 

I keep journals from my Taijiquan practice, as well as making notes on any interesting material I have read on the subject, any experiences I've had etc. I have several full volumes that I look back on every now and again. I find it quite useful.

 

Like others it's something I used to do (in particular after a seminar) but do much less these days.
What I found was that in terms of techniques, over the years, I've paired them right down to a select few. So I no longer really "collect" techniques in the same way I did when I was a young and inquisitive beginner. Grappling in particular seemed incredibly complex when I first started and taking notes really helped cement it in my mind as a structure and approach.

 

What he said. A lot.

 

Famous folk who kept training journals:

- Bruce Lee
- Chuck Norris
- Joe Lewis
- Gene LeBell
- Bill Wallace
- Skipper Mullins
- Benny Urquidez

Not bad company to be in, eh?

 

I guess it would help to define a training journal. If we're talking about notebooks of techniques, drills, etc., then I don't really subscribe to that anymore. If we're talking about a journal tracking progress, making notes of areas for improvement, setting goals, etc., that's a very different thing. That I'd heartily endorse. And I suspect that many of the people above were doing the latter rather than the former.


Stuart

 

I began keeping notes on my Hapkido practice almost from the first days I attended classes. My format was not particularly organized in one way or another. Some entries were very much like a journal with a lot of personal insights and judgements. Some entries were very technical. All were geared towards providing a springboard towards asking more productive questions, or developing a particular direction towards researching Korean traditions. Later I became a student of MYUNG Kwang Sik and joined the World Hapkido Federation which added a certain level of organization to what I was recording. When the time came to write the first volumes of the DOJANG JOURNAL project, my notes were a big help in reorganizing the Hapkido material from the Confucian approach to the more Western "academic" approach. FWIW.

Best Wishes,

Bruce

 

Perhaps contradictory to my own statements, that's kinda awesome.

 

I do and I have my kids and adults have Journals. I feel you should keep this to give to the Black Belt board everytime you test. I think it should have the goals and such. I Feel they can write down moves and such I like them to write down what they learn, how long they trained that day so you get a really good idea of the amount of work they are doing. I also hand out papers and Quotes things like that to push them on. I feel when they earn a Black Belts they have even more of a satifying feeling.

 

For my community classes I expect my students to keep journals or folders. To encourage this I hand out curriculum, technique sheets and routinely ask them about what they are taking home from each class.

For my college classes I used to require a notebook and collected them at the end of the semester for a grade. Reflecting on the fact that the Hapkido class is only a one hour course, though, I quit the policy. Some of the more serious folks still follow my encouragement and I have been known to give extra-credit for the effort.

As a training device, I think a notebook is part and parcel of the effort. One of my community classes is in a local gym and I regularly see people coming in with notebooks in which they track their progress with their respective trainers. Some of them can get to be pretty obssesive, especially if the person is serious about body sculpting or competition. I see the same thing with my son and his Golf game and people who participate in weight programs like WEIGHT WATCHERS or JAZZERCIZE. FWIW.

Best Wishes,

Bruce