Martial Arts Notebook #
Notebook Being Revised - Expected Completion November, 2024 #
My name is Tom Lamphier. I’m a first degree black belt in Hapkido and a Brown belt in Kumite Ryu Jujitsu. My two teachers are Sabunim David Herbert of the World Martial Arts Center in Brooklyn, NY and Professor Dominick Briochê of the Kunite Ryu School of Survival, also in Brooklyn. I began my martial arts journey in 2005.
With Professor Dominick Brioché, after receiving my black belt
Taking up martial arts was one of my best decisions. It has certainly helped me stay in good physical condition through the years, but that’s only part of it. To me, martial arts involves the mind, the body, and the spirit. And as you study it, you develop qualities that spill over into your life outside of martial arts.
It’s almost a cliché to say that martial arts is a journey. Yet that description resonates with me at this point, years after I started. I’ve done things I never thought I could; I felt the highs and lows of being a student; I’ve met facinating and talented people; I had the exceptional good fortune to have had two great teachers. If it’s been a journey, it’s been a wonderful one. Best of all, I’m still on that road.
Keeping a martial arts notebook is important. If you write down forms and techniques as you learn them, you can refresh your memory later on when you want to practice them. So a notebook is first of all a memory helper.
Another reason for writing notes is that it helps clarify what you are learning. The effort of putting things down in words engages your mind, enabling you to make connections that help you understand the deeper aspects of what you are doing.
A well-maintained notebook can be a source of encouragement. By neatly collecting and organizing material about martial arts, you develop a sense of mastery. The orderliness of a good notebook is like maintaining a living space–just having a sense of order centers you and makes you stronger and more focused.
When you meet a martial arts master at a seminar or another event, one of the first things they are likely to ask you is: “Where is your notebook?" Hopefully you have been keeping yours up to date and can reply, “I have it here!"