Importance of note-taking
- OGKK Australia
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
Karateka seem to often pride themselves on muscle memory, repetition, and discipline. But if there’s one lesson that keeps kicking me in the Jatz crackers, it’s that you think you remember exactly what you're doing… until you realise you don’t - which is exactly what occurred at our little black belts get-together last weekend.
Over the years, I’ve found that keeping handwritten notes, plus dodgy stick-figure sketches of what I’ve learned from my sensei has been invaluable. Whether it’s a subtle detail in a kata, a correction in form, or a philosophical gem that flips your perspective upside-down, it’s pretty easy to lose those nuances over time. Each trip to Okinawa ends with me scribbling furiously after each training session, even after all this time. Why? Because writing things down locks it in, and more importantly, gives me something to revisit months, or even years later when I'm trying to remember the who, what, why of something worth remembering.
But the real reason to take good notes is to settle friendly training disputes with cold, hard evidence. There’s nothing more satisfying than flipping open your notebook and going, “Yeah, nah, Sensei said this on the 14th of June, 2015, and again on the 6th of May 2023 at exactly 7:43 p.m… so get that shit up ya.” It’s all in good fun of course but that kind of record not only helps end debates, but it also proves you weren’t off in la-la land thinking about what ramen to destroy later.
This kind of note-keeping becomes even more important when the three of us don’t train with each other as often as we use to. We do try to when we can, but life, work, and geography often have other plans. So, when finally meeting up, there’s always the anticipation of are we still on the same page? Or has one of us gone full osssu-power-baby style on a kata?
Sometimes, we’ve all veered slightly off course each with our own interpretation. Other times, it’s a beautiful thing to see that we’re still aligned with what we were originally taught. Either way, it leads to those ah-yeah-you’re-right moments, helpful corrections, and deeper insights we might never have had alone. And that’s why these group sessions matter. The need for recalibration, reconnection, and just a good ole karate tune-up. Just like the monthly OGKK masters’ training in Okinawa which isn’t simply about hitting the turps, but about swapping notes and ideas - it’s safe to say that the art is being passed on with integrity. No matter how experienced you are, you still benefit from going back to the source.
In the end, karate isn’t just about physical movement - not my karate, anyway. More about connection, reflection, and the humility to keep learning. So take notes and even film yourself every now and then. Don’t worry about that chunky ass of yours for a moment, as self-correction and analysis are way more important than how you think you look.
As for jotting down notes, you never know when they might come in handy, not just for your own progress but for that glorious “Ya dumb #$@%! - I told you so” moment.

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