Keeping your Notebook

Most sifus I've had have encouraged students to keep a notebook of their kung fu progress. Anything from your inner thoughts on stuff, to notes of what sifu preached about during class, to even diagrams of your forms to help you memorize the details.

I never kept one actively, except for saving all my old paperwork / certificates / etc. I have been digging through mine recently and it's brought back a lot of old knowledge, dug out of my muscle memory..

So I've started on the process of making myself a real diagrams notebook of all the forms I can remember. I have Sifu Jordan working on diagrams of the forms that I should know from his school, and I've already transcribed all the Wushu sets I've learned recently, the one Hung Gar form that I know, and the two Northern Mantis forms I can remember. I found a cool crane form instructional video on some random chinese website, I don't know it's origin but I've transcribed it into my book, and am studying the video, it's a short form but cool to add to my reportiore. I've already made a few videos and have them embedded in the file, and will be adding detailed pictures as I go along too.

I've even emailed my old Sigung of the Northern Shaolin Praying Mantis school I started at, to see if he has any videos or diagrams available of my old forms so I can try to remember them. I've wanted to do this for a LONG time, and it really pains me that I didn't take the time to diagram my forms when I learned them... so I would never have forgotten them.

So... my question after this huge post: Do / did / are you going to keep a notebook What do you put in it

....

Would you be willilng to share

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I think it was two ninjas taped together, to make ONE GIANT NINJA!!!

I wish I had kept a notebook from my Karate days. Things is though...after about 10 years I still remember most all the katas/forms. That is the good thing. Bad thing is I was never motivated to make a notebook. My Sensei did ask me at one point to illustrate our self-defense for the group, but that project never saw its way to completion.

My Judo teacher was nice enough to basically give me a Judo handbook. Over a hundred pages of techniques and training drills. Bad thing is that I have to this day never fully looked through it in depth.

When I first started studying Kung Fu I was learning from videos I purchased. So essentially I was teaching myself 7-Star Praying Mantis. Writing the movements and theories down was crucial to me remembering and understanding what was going on. When I found a real teacher I was also recommended to keep a notebook. So I do.

I have lots of sections and am running out of paper. Every movement of forms are written down (with adequate space so I can add principles in as I learn about them), stretching exercises, drills, 2-man sets, and all the extra "goodies" that aren't in the curriculum that my teacher(s) happen to show me.

So to answer your question...yes, and everything.

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"You must eat bitter before you can taste sweet"- Iron & Silk
"I see no virtue where I smell no sweat"
"Arm yourself because no one else here will save you" - Chris Cornell

When I acept a student I give them a notebook. From time to time I give them written lessons, art work, drawings, etc.
They add their own notes from sessions and this becomes their book.
We put a lot of value in this book as it not only has the lessons to review but it also becomes a personal chronicle of their development.
I think it is a critical tool and something that should be kept perhaps always.

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You are not where you have been and you are not where you are going you are only here.

having recently started myself I Decided to keep such a journal/note it mostly consists of little stickmen doing most of the moves etc but it works wonder for people like me with terrible memories

“	Originally Posted By: miack having recently started myself I Decided to keep such a journal/note it mostly consists of little stickmen doing most of the moves etc but it works wonder for people like me with terrible memories	”

Whatever works for you man! I just recently discovered that I have the ability to read diagrams pretty well, and am trying to practice writing them too.

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I think it was two ninjas taped together, to make ONE GIANT NINJA!!!

i keep a journal, i'll write about sensations i feel and thoughts going through my head that relate to practice. unfortunately, since i have no real teacher, i don't copy down any forms or anything like that. those are all in the books i own.

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"The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious,
It is the source of all true art and science.
He to whom this emotion is a stranger,
who can no longer pause to wonder and stand in rapt awe,
is as good as dead: his eyes are closed."
--Albert Einstein

I encourage my students to take notes as well. When I first started teaching them, I actually gave them notebooks and started them out with giving them stance names, names of techniques, etc.

I've never been one to actually draw out forms. I use my own notebook to detail concepts and such. It's my opinion that forms can come and go, but if you remember the faht, then this is more important. I started my notebook when I first started doing martial arts, but it was always more from a conceptual/ philosophical base more than anything.

However, I do have a student that is an excellent artist and there have been several instances where he'll actually draw out his forms and detail body postures, etc. He's also done this with drills and techniques as well.

Peace

I think the whole notebook thing is a great idea, though I never draw my forms (my drawings are modern art masterpieces, which makes it impossible to make sense of them, and my memory also isn't all that bad).
Oh, and try the "Training Journal" thread started by me (workout discussion section) for more to write in your notebook.

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You only die once. But it lasts such a long time.-French proverb