Training lists

Anyone else like a list as much as I do?
As part of a lifestyle make-over I've started to write habit stacks and other lists of daily habits. Create some order and accountability.
And I've realised I've got lists of loads of stuff.
Things like good warm up activities, joint mobility moves, animal drills, a daily dozen, Jo exercises, condensed self defence technique toolbox, patterns/kata I know, a Yoga flow, etc.
Interested to see how others organise their training.

 

I mean....a syllabus or curriculum is essentially a list of requirements to meet.

 

*Virtual fist bump to my Sister with another Lister!

I've been doing quite a bit of teaching TKD (for "reasons") and so have gone from doing the odd one off session (and my sessions can be very odd!) to more structured weekly teaching.
Trying to get some structure and consistency to that has been really helpful though. Joint mobility warm ups for example...realising there were 10 joint/areas I wanted to tackle was very satisfying.

Neck
Shoulders
Elbows
Wrists
Fingers
Spine
Hips
Knees
Ankles
Toes

Nice and neat. Start at the top and work down the body so nothing is missed.
So I could do 10 x 1, 10 x 2, 10 x 3 depending on how much time I want to assign to that in a lesson.

 

Yep, I have plenty of lists, too!

Holiday and weekend packing one has saved me a lot of trouble since I made one. I actually have one for each type of seminar I go to regularly When the time for packing comes, I print the list on a tiny thermo printer and can just tick the bullets. Quick and easy (and pretty satisfying)
I have made a list of kettlebell exercises I learned in my crossfit days to not forget when I did my home routine occassionally.
Since I am now teaching in my karate and taiji schools, when I learn or see a nice exercise for mobility or stretching I might use in the future, etc., I'll note it down. Or an interesting exercise that could be used for a warm-up in karate. Divided by how many people are needed for it, etc. So when we make groups of three, I know right away what exercises can be applied ^^
I make a list of bunkai for kata I am learning. We don't practice the more advanced ones too often, so it is so that I don't forget.

I make birdwatching lists - year lists of birds, bird species by country I've been to, etc.
List of bird species I've seen in my backyard.
Lists of plants I've bought over the years and their description and needs from the etiquette they had.
Since my family has just gotten a new allotment, with fruit trees and other things I've never really cared for before, I am currently working on a deatailed list of garden work for each month of the year since each type of fruit tree or bush, or veggie needs slightly different care and slightly different timing. Which plants need watering, which plants need fertilizing, which need to be covered for winter, etc.
So, yeah, lists are awesome. I have lists for everything.

 

I'm kind of a simpleton, so my list is a mental one. I usually draw it up in the morning, rarely write it down, and often change it as the day goes by.

Long lists, I think, are anxiety producing. But a shorter one, maybe 2 or 3 things to accomplish, is like setting up an easy layup (that's a basketball term for all you Britons). Yesterday my list was buy hardware and wood to install a new stairway railing, hit the gym for some treadmill, elliptical, and swimming, and come home to fix a nice, healthy high protein steak and green bean meal for myself and my roommate.

Then spontaneously, I watched Ninja III: the Domination, ordered Dominos pizza and breadsticks at midnight. Some things, the list just cannot foresee. Like extra bread calories.

Woke today at 0630. First thing on the list for today: exercise.

 

This is a bit of a lame one but lockd9wn depression got me bad.
I already had mild agoraphobia but coupled with the covid depression, its hard.

So my list is short:
- get changed into day clothes
- Brush my teeth (this was hard during lockdown I didn't realise how deep the depression was)
- go out in daylight (I keep leaving this too late, I'm wfh so no excuse but lockdown habits due hard)
- track calories
- drink water

 

Not lame in the slightest. The first thing on my list is "get up" because I've had many a day where that was a major achievement.
I have GAD (general anxiety disorder) and SAD (winter blues) and at the start of lockdown a bout of depression and PTSD from bereavement. Anything that helps people deal with mental health issues I'm all for because Lord knows I've had my battles.
Instead of causing anxiety my list building helps me deal with it tbh.
One effect of GAD is that I have a pretty much constant feeling of "you've forgotten something really important". That I've missed something or failed to prepare properly.
A good list has it there in black and white. I may not do everything on it but at least I'm aware of that onecway or the other.
And taking care of things on a list means I can, for a time at least, keep the nagging doubts and anxiety at bay. It allows me to switch off knowing that I have actually ticked the boxes that needed ticking.

 

Be really interested to hear what that entails good sir! Might inform some of my lists/rourtines.
As I'm now teaching regularly I've had to up my game in terms of lesson content. I've gone from doing the occasional lesson (where I could just do cool and fun stuff) to weekly lessons (where I want more consistent skill development and progress).
So now I have lists for a TKD "Daily Dozen", Animal mobility drills (for the kids), a 24 step/posture yoga flow cool down/stretch off, my essential 8 self defence moves/concepts and a 10 step joint mobility warm up.
I also have a 20 step Jo exercise routine (inspired by Ronda Rousey and teaching myself Aikido's 31 jo kata over lockdown) I do some mornings but that's purely for personal use. I'd never teach it.

 

Yeah. I make sure that my long list of "to-dos" doesn't get too long or gets "decanted" into a shorter, more do-able, daily or weekly list.
One part of my morning routine is to look at the day coming up and see what I can get done that day while I have a coffee and let the dogs out.
To try and get ahead of the day early.
If I leave things I end up being "reactive" to problems and issues rather than "proactive".

 

@Mitch - I actually have a list of things I warm up with before class and they are mostly the jiu jitsu equivalent of forms.

People often neglect practicing physically and mentally through sequences in jiu jitsu because we've rejected forms and old school thinking but forms/sequences are perfect for getting your body used to moving without decision making e.g. in competition you dont normally have time to make a decision but having a prepracticed sequence let's you move quickly and efficiently without the mental delay.

Of course all sequences need to reevaluated and personalised on a regular basis. My sequences might be different from someone else's and we need to include new developments, strategy and tactics but its defo something worth practicing in all styles.

Also holy moly I never would have said this when I first joined MAP

 

I don't think sports guys neglect practicing physically and mentally through sequences I just think they do it so differently than a lot of traditional arts that it's not very comparable or do not recognise it.

Long complicated fixed sequences are not found or used but short sharp sequences which change with the owners intent and which are short enough to keep you mentally engaged are used a fair bit in boxing (shadow boxing) wrestling (shadow drilling shots for example) and so on.

And ironically if you look at some of the older Chinese styles, or styles that were known to fight this is how a lot of their training looked, short small forms where intent and mental focus was the key and which quite often differed from one student to the next

 

I 100% agree.
I think not seeing the original intent of forms is a problem on both sides of this.

I hated doing long as hell 60 step single person karate kata, it was so abstract.

But miming downblocking, shooting back a low single, switching to catch the other foot is fun and less abstract as I can solo practice the gross motor patterns and can practice the finer motor patterns on a partner.

Theres plenty of hobbyist people within jiu jitsu that refuse to practice the general movements and "shadow roll" before working them in non-positional/all-out rolling

 

which is one of the few reasons lineage really matters in traditional arts if combat efficiency is your goal
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The below speaks to bad coaching as much as people not wanting to do the training that way though

 

Bad coaching in bjj? No! Never! /s

Bjj coaching is such a minefield of terrible coaching.
The more I've trained with folks in Olympic recognised sports (judo, weightlifting, wrestling), the more I've realised how bad bjj pedagogy and transmission of the "art" is in most clubs.

I actually love how well put together the initial Gracie combatives course is or a club that has a specific strategy explanation and focus.

 

Yes I have all the lists and spreadsheets and calendars!

I don't think I'd get half as much done without them.
To a certain degree, regular things become habit and I can cross reference lists, I mostly need them for ad hoc tasks.
i.e. weekly workout schedule is pretty much ingrained into my habit
But if there is some DIY tasks to do or getting ready for holiday then it's list time.

I like the idea of putting workflow from head to toe to make sure the whole body gets attention regularly.

I do find it a bit much when there is a lot to do over a few weeks, when this happens I'll ease up on the details, so I used to follow a few spreadsheets for lifting with increase in volume/intensity over time, but I'll just change it to upper body push, pull, legs and accessory and just do a few sets of the same weight as last week.

 

Added another list to my routine. I've reserved 7-7:30 every morning for some gentle activity time. A bit of stretching, Yoga, a pattern or kata, etc. Some sort of morning routine is very popular on Youtube and often associated with "successful" people.
But sometimes I get up late, have other stuff to do or don't feel like doing much. So I've made what I call my "10 Minute Minimal Morning". 10 things for a minute each. Something I can do even with minimal time or energy. With transitions to the different positions it take about 12-13 minutes in all. I've set up a round timer on my phone for minute intervals with 10 seconds between.

1 - Cat/Cow stretch (on hands and knees)
2 - Kneeling dogs (like Upward and Downward dog poses but done from the knees)
3 - The World's greatest stretch left (google it!)
4 - Front split left
5 - The World's greatest stretch right
6 - Front split right
7 - Asian squat
8 -Prone Torso rotations left (lay on side, knees and legs bent, rotate upper-most arm to the opposite side and try to touch shoulders to the floor)
9- Prone Torso rotations right
10 - Sitting in middle split