Film Study Workbook
Mat Manual companion guide to "Watching to Learn: How to Study Footage of Your Own Art." Print it. The article teaches the method: one question, pause and predict, one page and one drill per viewing. This workbook print…
| Art | Cross-Art |
|---|---|
| Family | Cross-Art |
| Level | all-levels |
| Format | deep-dive |
| Topics | fundamentals, training-plans |
| Access | Free — full text and PDF |
Free in full
Read every section on this page, or take the printable PDF to training. This is one of Mat Manual's designated free sampler guides — the same data-packed standard as the paid shelf, offered free so you can judge the guides before buying one.
Mat Manual companion guide to "Watching to Learn: How to Study Footage of Your Own Art." Print it. The article teaches the method: one question, pause and predict, one page and one drill per viewing. This workbook prints the worksheets by art family, the session formats, the personal-footage protocol, and a four-week cycle that ends each week in one drilled change.
Name: ______________________________ Dojo/Gym: ______________________________ Art: ______________________________ Current focus: ______________________________
BEFORE ANYTHING: ☐ Film only with permission, and follow your school's rules on recording in class. Some schools allow filming freely, some only at set times, and some not at all. That variation is a school convention to respect. ☐ Get a partner's consent before filming, sharing, or keeping footage of them. A clip made for study is not a clip you may post. Posting needs its own, explicit consent. ☐ Study footage of techniques you are learning. New material from a screen goes to your instructor first, before any drilling. A clip does not set your base or your safety habits. ☐ Solo drilling that comes out of a viewing follows the solo rules of your art: movement and form work only, no chokes, locks, or throws without a trained partner and supervision. ☐ Partner drilling that comes out of a viewing starts slow, at agreed intensity, and stops on any tap, call, or signal. Control before any finish, at every stage. ☐ One page per viewing, one thing to drill, written down. A viewing with no page and no drill did not happen as study, and does not count in the cycle in Parts 19 to 23.
Part 1: How to Use This Workbook
Use one part at a time. A study sitting uses one worksheet, one format, and one page.
| Step | Do this | Standard |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Choose the source: own footage first, high-level footage second, instructional review third | Part 3 sets the order and the limits |
| 2 | Choose the worksheet for the footage type | Parts 4 to 10 print the sets separately |
| 3 | Write one question at the top of the page before pressing play | Narrow, visible, tied to current training |
| 4 | Run a pause-and-predict format | Parts 11 and 12 |
| 5 | Close the page: answer, one wrong prediction, one drill | Part 17 turns the drill into a session item |
| 6 | Drill it within the week, and log it | Parts 19 to 23 run the four-week cycle |
The Output Discipline, Printed Once and Used Everywhere
One page per viewing. One thing to drill. Written down, or the viewing did not happen. Every worksheet, format, and cycle week in this book ends at that same product, because recognition without a drilled change is the failure this workbook exists to prevent. "I've seen that" is not a result. A changed repetition in your next session is a result.
Part 2: Set-Up: Page, Screen, and Session Kit
Set up before you press play. Study done on a couch, mid-scroll, with no page open, produces the general impressions this workbook is built to replace.
| Item | Set-up standard |
|---|---|
| Page | One blank worksheet page from the relevant part, question written at the top, pen ready |
| Screen | Large enough to see feet and hands at once; brightness up; notifications off for the sitting |
| Controls | Pause and slow-motion controls found before the first clip, not during it |
| Timestamps | The clip's start point noted on the page, so any exchange can be found again in seconds |
| Timer | Sittings run 15 to 25 minutes. A study sitting that runs past that without a finished page has become viewing |
| Filing | Pages kept in order, by date, in one notebook or folder, with the drill outcome added after training |
Source Labels
Label every page with one source code, so the log in Part 24 can be read honestly later.
| Code | Source | Default limit |
|---|---|---|
| OWN | Your own footage | No limit; this is the main source |
| HIGH | High-level footage in your art | One question per sitting; no wholesale copying |
| INST | Instructional footage of material you are learning | Review only; new material goes to your instructor |
| HIGHLIGHT | Compilations and highlight reels | Motivation only; does not count as a study sitting |
Part 3: What to Watch, in Order, and What Each Source Cannot Do
| Source | Watch it for | It cannot do | Workbook home |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your own rounds, forms, and drilling | Your actual habits, errors, and progress | Show you the highest standard | Parts 13 and 14 |
| High-level matches and performances in your art | Standards, timing, how techniques connect under resistance | Match your body, level, or training history | Parts 4 to 9 worksheets |
| Your instructor or senior students, filmed with permission | The version your school actually teaches | Replace being coached on it | Part 13, step 6 |
| Instructional review footage | Steps and order of material already taught to you | Introduce new techniques safely | Part 10 |
| Highlights | What the art can look like at its peak | Teach setups, failures, or recoveries | No worksheet; log it as viewing, not study |
Order rule. In any week, own footage is studied first. High-level footage is studied to answer a question your own footage raised. Studying high-level footage to avoid looking at your own is the most common ordering error in this book, and Part 24 names it as a fixable failure, not a preference.
Part 4: Worksheet A: Form Footage (Kata, Poomsae, Patterns)
Use for footage of forms, whether a championship performance, an instructor demonstration, or your own run. Copy this page per viewing.
Source code: ______ Performer: ______________________________ Form: ______________________________ Date viewed: ______________
My one question: ____________________________________________________________
The Form Question Set: Ask These, in This Order
| Order | Question | What I saw (bar, section, or timestamp) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Where does the head look in the half-second before each turn | ______________________________ |
| 2 | Does the chamber complete before the technique fires, on every rep | ______________________________ |
| 3 | Do stance length and depth survive the turns, or shrink through them | ______________________________ |
| 4 | Where does the breath land: which techniques carry the exhale or the kiai, where the school places them | ______________________________ |
| 5 | Which transitions are rushed, and which are given full weight | ______________________________ |
| 6 | Does the final technique finish with the same standard as the first | ______________________________ |
Answer to my question, in my own words: ____________________________________________________________
One wrong prediction (Part 11): ____________________________________________________________
One thing to drill: ____________________________________________________________ Dose and check: ______________________________
Part 5: Worksheet B: Striking Match and Sparring Footage
Use for karate, taekwondo, Muay Thai, and other striking exchanges, at match or sparring level. Copy per viewing.
Source code: ______ Players: ______________________________ Round or timestamp: ______________ Date viewed: ______________
My one question: ____________________________________________________________
The Striking Question Set
| Order | Question | What I saw |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Who closes the distance, and what is thrown on the step that closes it | ______________________________ |
| 2 | What does the non-striking hand do during each finish | ______________________________ |
| 3 | What is the first movement after a strike misses or is defended | ______________________________ |
| 4 | How are exits made: angle, step back on line, or clinch and turn, where your art uses them | ______________________________ |
| 5 | Which technique is the setup, and which is the one meant to score | ______________________________ |
| 6 | Where does the guard live between exchanges, and does it return there after every combination | ______________________________ |
Answer to my question: ____________________________________________________________
One wrong prediction: ____________________________________________________________
One thing to drill: ____________________________________________________________ Dose and check: ______________________________
Taekwondo note on this sheet. Add one line for electronic scoring where relevant: did the scoring contact register through the sensor, or only look like contact. Judge by the score changing, not by appearance, and note that thresholds vary by event.
Part 6: Worksheet C: Throwing Footage (Judo and Standing Grappling)
Use for contest, randori, and drilling footage built on throws and takedowns. Copy per viewing.
Source code: ______ Players: ______________________________ Exchange or timestamp: ______________ Date viewed: ______________
My one question: ____________________________________________________________
The Throwing Question Set
| Order | Question | What I saw |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Which grips are fought for first, and which grip is given up without a fight | ______________________________ |
| 2 | What movement creates the off-balance: a step, a pull, a feint, or the opponent's own entry | ______________________________ |
| 3 | Which hand moves first in the entry, and what does the other hand do while it moves | ______________________________ |
| 4 | Does the throw finish in control, in a pin position, or in a scramble, and was that chosen | ______________________________ |
| 5 | What does the thrown player do in the first two seconds after landing | ______________________________ |
| 6 | When an entry fails, is there a second attack, and how soon does it start | ______________________________ |
Answer to my question: ____________________________________________________________
One wrong prediction: ____________________________________________________________
One thing to drill: ____________________________________________________________ Dose and check: ______________________________
Reading note. Freeze at the grip fight as well as at the throw. Most throwing exchanges are decided before the entry a casual viewing remembers.
Part 7: Worksheet D: Groundwork and Grappling Match Footage
Use for BJJ, judo newaza, catch wrestling, and other ground exchanges. Copy per viewing.
Source code: ______ Players: ______________________________ Position or timestamp: ______________ Date viewed: ______________
My one question: ____________________________________________________________
The Groundwork Question Set
| Order | Question | What I saw |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | What is the first grip, frame, or hook each player takes, and in what order | ______________________________ |
| 2 | What does the bottom player do in the first two seconds after a position is lost | ______________________________ |
| 3 | Which escapes are attempted, and which one is chained after the first is stopped | ______________________________ |
| 4 | When a submission is threatened, what is defended first: the grip, the angle, or the position | ______________________________ |
| 5 | Does the top player settle and control before attacking, or attack on arrival | ______________________________ |
| 6 | How does each exchange end: a score, a reset, a submission, or a scramble, and who chose that ending | ______________________________ |
Answer to my question: ____________________________________________________________
One wrong prediction: ____________________________________________________________
One thing to drill: ____________________________________________________________ Dose and check: ______________________________
Safety note on this sheet. Studying a finish on screen does not teach you to apply it. Any submission you have not been taught in class stays a recognition item: name it on the page, and take it to your instructor.
Part 8: Worksheet E: Clinch, Ring, and Close-Range Footage
Use for Muay Thai clinch and ring footage, and for close-range work in any striking art. Copy per viewing.
Source code: ______ Players: ______________________________ Round or timestamp: ______________ Date viewed: ______________
My one question: ____________________________________________________________
The Close-Range Question Set
| Order | Question | What I saw |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Who controls the inside position with the arms, and how was it won | ______________________________ |
| 2 | What happens to balance and posture in the two seconds before a knee or elbow lands | ______________________________ |
| 3 | How are turns and off-balancing created: pull, push, step, or the opponent's own push answered | ______________________________ |
| 4 | Who decides when the clinch or close range ends, and how do they leave it | ______________________________ |
| 5 | What work is done while moving backward, if any, and what work only happens moving forward | ______________________________ |
| 6 | Where do the feet go during close work: planted, marching, or crossing | ______________________________ |
Answer to my question: ____________________________________________________________
One wrong prediction: ____________________________________________________________
One thing to drill: ____________________________________________________________ Dose and check: ______________________________
Part 9: Worksheet F: Defence and Counter Footage, Any Art
Use when your study question is defensive, whatever the art. This sheet cuts across the family sheets on purpose: defence is read the same way everywhere. Copy per viewing.
Source code: ______ Players: ______________________________ Exchange or timestamp: ______________ Date viewed: ______________
My one question: ____________________________________________________________
The Defence Question Set
| Order | Question | What I saw |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | What is the earliest visible sign of the incoming technique: chamber, grip, step, or hip | ______________________________ |
| 2 | What is the defender's first movement: hands, head, hips, or feet | ______________________________ |
| 3 | Does the defence block the technique, leave its line, or take the position it needed | ______________________________ |
| 4 | Is there an answer after the defence, and how many beats pass before it starts | ______________________________ |
| 5 | Where does the defender end the exchange: better position, same position, or worse | ______________________________ |
| 6 | What does the attacker do after being defended, and does the defender read it or reset blindly | ______________________________ |
Answer to my question: ____________________________________________________________
One wrong prediction: ____________________________________________________________
One thing to drill: ____________________________________________________________ Dose and check: ______________________________
Part 10: Worksheet G: Instructional and Demonstration Footage
Use only for material you are learning or have been taught. This sheet is a review tool, not a shopping list. Copy per viewing.
Source: ______________________________ Technique or section: ______________________________ Taught to me in class on: ______________
My one question: ____________________________________________________________
| Check | Matches what I was taught | Differs, and how |
|---|---|---|
| Order of steps | ☐ | ______________________________ |
| Starting position, grips, or chamber | ☐ | ______________________________ |
| The detail my instructor emphasises | ☐ | ______________________________ |
| The finish, exit, or follow-through | ☐ | ______________________________ |
| Safety points: tap, control, space, or fall | ☐ | ______________________________ |
Difference rule. A difference between a demonstration and your class teaching is variation to note, not an error to correct in either direction. Schools and lineages teach the same technique with different emphases. Write the difference down, keep training your school's version, and ask your instructor about the difference if it matters to your question. Never drill the screen version over the class version on the strength of a video.
One thing to drill, from the class version: ____________________________________________________________ Dose and check: ______________________________
Part 11: Pause-and-Predict Format A: Solo, Three Pauses
The core format. Run it alone, on any footage, in 15 to 20 minutes.
| Step | Action | Standard |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Choose a short section and write your question | Section is a few minutes of action at most |
| 2 | Play until a setup is complete: grips set, chamber loaded, distance closed, position settled | Pause before the technique fires, not during it |
| 3 | Say the prediction aloud or write it, in specific words | Names a technique, a side, or a direction, not "something happens" |
| 4 | Play a few seconds. Score the prediction: right, partly right, wrong | If wrong, write what happened instead, and the beat where your reading failed |
| 5 | Repeat for three pauses in total | Three scored predictions fill the format |
| 6 | Close the page | Answer, best wrong prediction, one drill |
Scoring Honesty
A sitting with three right predictions taught you less than a sitting with one good wrong one. If every prediction is right, the footage is too easy for study: move up a level, choose a faster exchange, or predict an earlier beat, such as the setup instead of the technique.
Part 12: Pause-and-Predict Format B: Partner and Early-Pause Variants
Format B1: With a Viewing Partner
Both viewers write a prediction at the same pause, before either speaks. Compare after playback. Where predictions differ, rewind once and name the cue each viewer used. The learning is in the cue, not in who was right. Dose: four pauses, 20 minutes, one page each. Agreements: no coaching during the pause, no scorekeeping beyond the sitting, and either viewer can end a clip without debate.
Format B2: The Early Pause
Pause one beat earlier than Format A: at the first grip, the first step, or the chamber, before the setup is complete. Predict the setup, not the technique. This variant is harder and produces more wrong predictions, which is its value. Use it in weeks 3 and 4 of the cycle, or with footage you have already studied once under Format A.
Format B3: The Silent Pass
Watch a full exchange with no pauses and write your prediction for its ending from memory of its first seconds, before replaying. Then replay with pauses and compare. This variant tests whether your reading survives at full speed, which is the only speed at which it will ever be used in training.
| Format | Pauses | Best for | Cycle week |
|---|---|---|---|
| A: Solo, three pauses | 3, at completed setups | Every student, every art | All weeks |
| B1: Partner | 4, written independently | Students who study with a regular partner | Weeks 2 to 4 |
| B2: Early pause | 3, at first contact or step | Reading setups, not finishes | Weeks 3 to 4 |
| B3: Silent pass | 0, then replay | Testing reading at full speed | Week 4 |
Part 13: The Personal-Footage Review Protocol
Review your own footage with this protocol, step by step, in order. Do not skip step 2, and do not merge steps 4 and 5.
| Step | Action | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Choose one clip: one round, one form run, or one drilling set, filmed recently | One clip only per protocol sitting |
| 2 | Watch once, all the way through, with no pauses and no notes | This pass exists to get past the shock of how it looks |
| 3 | Write one question tied to your current class focus | Same narrow standard as every worksheet |
| 4 | Watch again, pausing only for your question. Note timestamps | Stop when the question is answered |
| 5 | Find one fault that matches instructor feedback, and one strength that is genuinely there | Both are required. A page with only faults is incomplete |
| 6 | Compare with class teaching or instructor footage if you have it, with permission | Note variation as variation, under the Part 10 rule |
| 7 | Write one drill, with dose and check, small enough for your next session | Part 17 format |
| 8 | File the page with the date of the filmed session and the date of the review | Reviews lose value as the gap grows; review within days |
The Filming Set-Up That Makes Review Possible
| Check | Standard |
|---|---|
| Whole body in frame, feet visible | A clip that crops the feet hides the most common errors |
| Fixed position, no following by hand where avoidable | Movement of the camera creates movement that was never there |
| One round or run per clip | Short clips get reviewed. Long recordings get postponed |
| Sound on, where your school allows | Breathing, calls, and counts are information |
| Consent and school rules confirmed before recording starts | Part 27 agreements cover regular partners |
Part 14: The Personal-Footage Scoring Sheet
Use after Part 13, to turn a review into numbers you can compare next month. Score honestly. A score you inflate is a comparison you destroy.
Clip: ______________________________ Filmed: ______________ Reviewed: ______________ My question: ______________________________
| Line | Score: Yes / Partly / No | Timestamp or note |
|---|---|---|
| My stated focus for that session appears in the clip | ______ | ______________________________ |
| Guard, base, or posture holds in the final third as well as the first | ______ | ______________________________ |
| My first movement under pressure is my trained one, not a flinch or a grab | ______ | ______________________________ |
| I recover or reset after errors instead of stopping | ______ | ______________________________ |
| The error my instructor last named is smaller, the same, or larger | ______ | ______________________________ |
| One strength is visible that was not there in my last scored clip | ______ | ______________________________ |
Fault to drill: ____________________________________________________________
Strength to keep: ____________________________________________________________
Comparison rule. Score the same lines on a clip each month, from the same kind of session where possible. Four monthly sheets show change that no single viewing, however honest, can show.
Part 15: Slow Motion: The Protocol and Its Limits
Slow motion is a checking tool with a narrow job. Use it by protocol, or it will mislead you politely and at length.
| Use slow motion for | Do not use it for |
|---|---|
| Order of events: which foot, hand, or hip moved first | Timing: gaps at quarter speed are not gaps at full speed |
| Whether a chamber, grip, or frame completed before a technique fired | Distance: slow motion flattens how far and how fast a gap closed |
| Whether the head turned before the body in a form or a throw entry | Intent or lateness: a technique can look late in slow motion and be on time in play |
| One disputed beat in a pause-and-predict sitting, after scoring at full speed | First impressions: always form the first impression at full speed |
The Two-Speed Rule
Every clip studied in slow motion is watched again at full speed before the page is closed, and the answer on the page is written from the full-speed pass. If the two speeds disagree about whether something worked, full speed is right about the exchange and slow motion is right only about the order of its parts.
Part 16: The One-Page Viewing Note: The Master Template
Copy this template for any viewing that does not fit a family worksheet, and as the summary page behind every worksheet you complete.
Date: ______________ Source code: ______ Footage: ______________________________ Worksheet used: ______________
My one question: ____________________________________________________________
Answer, in my own words, with a timestamp: ____________________________________________________________
Predictions made: ______ Right: ______ Partly: ______ Wrong: ______
Best wrong prediction, and the beat where my reading failed: ____________________________________________________________
What surprised me: ____________________________________________________________
One thing to drill: ____________________________________________________________
Dose: ______________________________ Check I will judge it by: ______________________________
Where and when I will drill it: ______________________________ Drilled on: ______________ Result: ______________________________
Page rule. The last line is completed after training, not after viewing. A book of pages with the last line blank is a book of viewings that never became drills, and Part 24 treats it that way.
Part 17: From Observation to Drill: The Conversion Card
A drill that comes from footage must name five things, or it is a wish. Complete one card per viewing.
| Slot | Write | Example shape, not content to copy |
|---|---|---|
| Position or start | Where the drill begins | A named guard, stance, grip set, or form section |
| First step | The one movement the viewing showed you getting wrong or missing | The hand, foot, or hip action that starts the technique |
| Dose | Reps, rounds, or minutes, at a level you can hold with form | Slow sets both sides, or short rounds with rests |
| Check | How you will judge whether the step happened | A visible standard: a mark, a count, a partner's call, or a filmed set |
| Setting | Solo, partner drilling, or class with instructor eye | Partner and instructor settings are named, with the person if known |
My card: Start: ______________________________ First step: ______________________________ Dose: ______________________________ Check: ______________________________ Setting: ______________________________
Size rule. If the drill cannot be run inside one normal session, it is too big. Cut it to its first step and drill that. Next week's viewing can earn the next step.
Part 18: Choosing Next Week's Question From This Week's Page
Questions should form a chain, not a pile. Choose next week's question from this week's evidence, using this table before you open any new footage.
| This week's page shows... | Next week's question starts from... |
|---|---|
| A wrong prediction at the same beat twice | That beat, in slower or clearer footage of the same exchange type |
| A fault in your own footage that matches instructor feedback | Your own footage again, after drilling, to check whether the drill moved it |
| An answer you could describe but could not drill small enough | The first step of that answer only, in instructional review under Part 10 |
| Three right predictions in a row | An earlier pause (Format B2) or a higher level of the same art |
| A strength growing across clips | The position or exchange that strength creates, the next link in the chain |
| No clear pattern | Your instructor's current class focus, which outranks your curiosity for one week |
Part 19: The Four-Week Study Cycle: Overview
The cycle runs four weeks. Each week has two study sittings at most, one drilled change, and a test of that change in training. The drilled change is the week's product. Sittings are only its supply line.
| Week | Study focus | Sittings | Drilled change, tested by |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Baseline: your own footage | Two, both OWN source, Format A | One fault from Part 14, drilled and re-filmed |
| 2 | Answer: high-level footage on the week 1 question | Two: one HIGH, one OWN | The high-level answer, reduced to one first step, drilled with a partner or solo as Part 17 allows |
| 3 | Reading: earlier pauses, harder footage | Two, Format B2 or B1 | A defence or entry read that you predicted wrong in week 1, drilled at rising speed |
| 4 | Test: full-speed reading and a fresh personal clip | Two: Format B3, then a new OWN clip through Part 13 | The month's one named change, scored on the Part 14 sheet against week 1 |
Cycle Rules
Two sittings a week is a ceiling, not a quota to exceed in a keen week. A week with two finished pages and one drilled change beats a week with six viewings. If a week fails, repeat that week rather than compressing two weeks into one. The cycle can be run again with a new focus; run it at least twice before judging whether film study works for you.
Part 20: Week 1: Baseline From Your Own Footage
Sitting 1. Film or select a recent clip of your own training. Run Part 13 in full. Complete Part 14. The fault line on that sheet is the week's drill.
Sitting 2. Study a second clip of yourself, ideally the same kind of session, with a question drawn from sitting 1. If the same fault appears, it is confirmed as the baseline fault, not an accident of one bad round.
| Week 1 item | Done |
|---|---|
| Part 13 protocol completed on clip one | ☐ |
| Part 14 sheet scored | ☐ |
| Baseline fault named in one sentence | ☐ |
| Drill card completed (Part 17) and drilled in a real session | ☐ |
| Short re-film of the drilled item, even one set | ☐ |
Baseline fault: ____________________________________________________________
Drill outcome, from the re-film, not from feel: ____________________________________________________________
Part 21: Week 2: The High-Level Answer, Reduced to One Step
Sitting 1. Choose high-level footage in your art that shows your baseline fault handled well. Use the family worksheet for that footage type. Pause and predict under Format A. Write the answer the high-level player uses, in full, then underline only its first step.
Sitting 2. Return to your own footage. Look for the moment that first step was available to you and not taken, or taken late. That moment, with its timestamp, is the week's teaching picture.
| Week 2 item | Done |
|---|---|
| High-level answer written in full, first step underlined | ☐ |
| First step converted on a Part 17 card, at my level, not the champion's | ☐ |
| Drill run in training, with the setting the card named | ☐ |
| Own-footage moment found where the step was available | ☐ |
| Page closed with drilled result, not intention | ☐ |
Reduction rule. A high-level answer with five parts becomes a drill of one part. The other four parts go on the page as future questions, in order. They are not drilled this week, however well you recognised them.
Part 22: Week 3: Reading Earlier
Sitting 1. Run Format B2, the early pause, on footage of the exchange type that contains your baseline fault. Three pauses, predictions scored, wrong beats written. The drill for the week comes from the wrong beat you can train: a first step, a defence, or an entry read.
Sitting 2. Run Format B1 with a viewing partner if you have one, or repeat B2 on fresh footage. Compare predictions before discussing cues, under the Part 12 agreements.
| Week 3 item | Done |
|---|---|
| Early-pause sitting completed, three predictions scored | ☐ |
| Wrong beat named, with the cue I missed | ______________________________ |
| Drill from that beat completed and run at two speeds | ☐ |
| Cue written as a rule I can use live, in my own words | ______________________________ |
| Instructor shown the page, if the beat involves material I have not been taught | ☐ |
Speed rule for week 3 drills. Start the drill at the speed where the read succeeds, then rise by one step at a time. A read that only works slowly is still progress. A read practised only at full speed, and missed every time, trains missing.
Part 23: Week 4: Test the Change at Full Speed
Sitting 1. Run Format B3, the silent pass, on fresh footage in your art. Score your full-speed reading against the paused replay. Compare the wrong beats with week 1: are they the same beats, later beats, or new ones.
Sitting 2. Film a fresh clip of your own training, the same kind of session as week 1 where possible. Run Part 13, then score Part 14 on the same lines as week 1. The comparison is the month's verdict.
| Month-end line | Week 1 | Week 4 |
|---|---|---|
| Baseline fault: present, smaller, or gone in this clip type | __________ | __________ |
| Part 14 lines scored Yes | ______ of 6 | ______ of 6 |
| Predictions right or partly right, Format A or B3 | ______ of 3 | ______ of 3 |
| Drill pages with the final line completed | ______ | ______ |
The month's one change. Name it in one sentence, from evidence, not hope: ____________________________________________________________
If the change is not there, the honest options are to run the cycle again on the same fault with a smaller drill, or to take the full book of pages to your instructor and ask for help reading them. Both are normal outcomes. A month of study that proves a drill was too big has still produced knowledge a month of viewing would not have.
Part 24: The Study Log and Failure Fixes
The Study Log
One row per sitting. A row with no page number is a viewing, logged honestly as such.
| Date | Source | Worksheet / format | Question, short form | Page done | Drill written | Drill run, date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ______ | ______ | __________ | __________________ | ☐ | __________________ | ______ |
| ______ | ______ | __________ | __________________ | ☐ | __________________ | ______ |
| ______ | ______ | __________ | __________________ | ☐ | __________________ | ______ |
| ______ | ______ | __________ | __________________ | ☐ | __________________ | ______ |
| ______ | ______ | __________ | __________________ | ☐ | __________________ | ______ |
| ______ | ______ | __________ | __________________ | ☐ | __________________ | ______ |
| ______ | ______ | __________ | __________________ | ☐ | __________________ | ______ |
| ______ | ______ | __________ | __________________ | ☐ | __________________ | ______ |
Failure Fixes
| Failure | Fix, in order |
|---|---|
| Pages done, drills never run | Halve the drill on the Part 17 card. If it still does not run, its setting was wrong: move it into a class session and tell your instructor |
| Only high-level footage studied, own footage avoided | Next two sittings are OWN source only, Part 13 protocol, however short the clips |
| Every prediction right | Earlier pauses (Format B2), faster footage, or predict the setup instead of the technique |
| Every prediction wrong, morale dropping | Easier footage, Format A only, predict one exchange type for a full week until one pattern is readable |
| Notes read as lists of faults | Re-run Part 13 step 5. No page closes without a strength and a drill |
| Saved clips growing, pages not growing | Stop saving new clips until the saved set has pages. Collection is not study |
Part 25: Terms Used in This Workbook
| Term | What it means here |
|---|---|
| Footage | Any recorded moving image of training, forms, or matches, on any device |
| Viewing | Watching footage with no question, no page, and no drill. Entertainment or motivation, honestly labelled |
| Study sitting | A bounded viewing run under a worksheet, ending in a completed page and one drill |
| Question | The single narrow, visible thing a sitting is trying to answer, written before playback |
| Pause and predict | Pausing before a technique, stating what will happen next in specific words, then playing and scoring the prediction |
| Wrong beat | The exact moment where a prediction or a reading failed: a grip, step, chamber, or hip that was not seen in time |
| First step | The earliest movement of a technique or answer, and the only part of it drilled in its first week |
| Recognition | Identifying and naming a movement on screen. Knowledge about it, not ability to do it |
| Drilled change | A difference in your own training, produced by a drill from a page and checked in a session or a re-film |
| Variation | A genuine difference between schools, lineages, or events in how the same thing is taught or judged. Noted, not corrected from a screen |
Part 26: Instructor's Class Plan: A Film Session in Class
Instructors: one class film session a month teaches students how to study for a whole term. Run it inside a normal class, not as a lecture evening.
| Block | Time share | Content and standard |
|---|---|---|
| Set the question | Short opening | One class question, tied to the current teaching block, written where everyone can see it |
| Own footage first | First viewing block | A volunteer's clip or a class clip filmed with consent, run through Part 13 steps 2 to 5 as a group |
| Pause and predict, as a room | Middle block | Three pauses, Format A. Predictions called or written before playback. Wrong predictions praised for their information, by name where the student is willing |
| High-level comparison | Short block | The same exchange at high level, one question only, first step underlined as in Part 21 |
| Drill the change | Main physical block | The class drills the one first step that the viewing produced, at class standards, with coaching |
| Close on paper | Final minutes | Every student writes their own one page: question, answer, one drill for their own training. Collected sight of the pages, not the details, confirms the habit |
Consent and care in class screening. Screen a student's footage in class only with their clear agreement, given before the session, and stop the clip at their signal without discussion. The student whose clip is studied should leave with the same page as everyone else, one fault and one strength, not with a room's worth of extra faults.
Part 27: Filming and Viewing Partner Agreements
Sign with a regular training or viewing partner. These agreements cover filming, studying together, and drilling what a viewing produces.
| Agreement | Student | Partner |
|---|---|---|
| I will ask before filming this partner, and stop filming on their signal at any time | ☐ Initial: ______ | ☐ Initial: ______ |
| Footage of us is for study only. Neither of us posts, shares, or keeps it beyond the study use without the other's explicit consent for that use | ☐ Initial: ______ | ☐ Initial: ______ |
| In pause-and-predict work, we write predictions independently before speaking, and we compare cues, not scores, after playback | ☐ Initial: ______ | ☐ Initial: ______ |
| Feedback from a viewing follows the protocol: one fault, one strength, one drill. Neither of us adds a list beyond the page | ☐ Initial: ______ | ☐ Initial: ______ |
| Drills from a viewing start slow, at agreed intensity, and any tap, call, or signal stops the technique instantly. Control before any finish | ☐ Initial: ______ | ☐ Initial: ______ |
| Material neither of us has been taught goes to our instructor before either of us drills it | ☐ Initial: ______ | ☐ Initial: ______ |
Partner name: ______________________________ Date: ______________
School filming rule, written in our own school's words: ____________________________________________________________
Part 28: Cycle Review and Sign-Off
Complete at the end of each four-week cycle. Keep the signed page at the front of the cycle's viewing pages.
| Review line | This cycle |
|---|---|
| Sittings completed / planned | ______ / ______ |
| Pages completed, one per sitting | ______ |
| Drills written / drills run | ______ / ______ |
| Baseline fault at cycle start | ______________________________ |
| The cycle's one drilled change, named from evidence | ______________________________ |
| Best wrong prediction, and what it taught | ______________________________ |
| Next cycle's focus, chosen under Part 18 | ______________________________ |
| One page I will show my instructor, and why | ______________________________ |
Student signature: ______________________________ Date: ______________
Instructor signature, where the cycle was reviewed in class: ______________________________ Date: ______________
Final line of the workbook. Footage is the cheapest coach you will ever ignore and the most honest one you will ever use, and the difference between those two is a page. One question, one prediction, one drill, written down. That is the whole method, and it fits on the page you just signed.
Free companion article: Watching to Learn: How to Study Footage of Your Own Art — the full article, free in full.
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