Have you ever been stalled in your martial-arts improvement? Do think about improving your skills, and do you wish the process were faster? Transfer your thoughts to paper "the right way," and you'll get better faster.
Thinking about fighting more effectively is definitely part of the process, but it's not the only component.
Martial-Arts Goals in Writing and Pictures Writing martial-arts thoughts in a journal can help you in both analysis and planning.
In other words, you can look at what you are already doing, and you can plan for what you want to do.
Analyzing a workout seems like a good place to start, but I prefer to do a little "creative dreaming" first.
I "wish," before I "look.
" If you could do anything with supreme skill in fighting, what would you imagine? Take a few minutes to jot down these creative thoughts on paper, in a notebook.
It has long been known that true martial-arts masters have minds that use both right and left brain thought patterns equally.
They employ both sides.
To incorporate both hemispheres of the brain, make lists, draw pictures and diagrams, and write creative little vignettes.
Start with an idea in the form of a page title, and then fill the rest of page from there.

Sometimes my brainstorming is grounded in reality, with a solid principle like, "Never turn your back on your opponent.
" (So, no spin kicks allowed.
) And other times, I let loose the reigns on my brain with mini-daydreams; "If I could walk through walls like some of the superheroes in comics, then when someone punched at me, I could fade backwards, and they'd crunch their fists into hard panelling.
" (Of course, I translate the above into practical application by learning to use the wall behind me to my benefit.
The wall-phasing just sparked the idea.
)

Technique Observations After-the-Fact From time to time, do a little writing in your martial-arts journal after a practice session.
Record your observations, both after a good training session, and also after a frustrating one.
In one case, you want to remember what you did right; in the other, you want to correct what you bungled.

I have to admit that I do less drawing or sketching in this process, unless I am making stick figures.
I sometimes show sequences and responses with my crude-but-quick pen drawings.
Then I make notes with arrows around those stick figures.

Martial-Arts Notebook--Small, Lined, Electronic, Or...
Your notebook can take any format, as long as it's something that you use.
You have to pick it up and review what you recorded, IF you want to improve.
Now that I am using an iPod Touch®, I do a little instant recording while on the go.
Still, I like to transfer those notes to a spiral notebook.
And this might seem a little weird, but I much prefer unlined paper; it's almost a "must" for me.
Do you have a cell phone or electronic devise that you use for jotting down notes? You might want to go the electronic route; it's the popular trend in our society.
Some people insist on carrying a very small notebook (5" x 7").
The idea is that its portability will encourage use.
For me, 8.
5" x 11" is still very portable.
(It fits in a car.
) Use any notebook that "you will actually use.
" Decorate it, if you'd like.
Last tip: Have one place that you always keep your notebook in your home.
You want to be able to grab it easily, whenever you have a martial-arts related thought.
Hunting through the mess for your trusty binder is not allowed.