“In life, we follow the principles to not commit mistakes…… In fighting it’s the same.” – Lyoto Machida
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One of my golden rules has always been; once learned never forgotten. Out of respect to my teachers and my instructors. They never had to teach me the same thing twice.
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It amazes me how people can be so bold as to say; “Ive forgotten what you taught me”!……. Basically this is because you do not have the discipline to practice diligently and regularly.
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Whenever I was taught anything by my instructors I would write it down, go through it in my head in the car on the way home, and practice it again as soon as I got home. I would practice it from my notes and then visualize it in my mind, and physically thereafter, out of respect to my teacher as much as myself.
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It’s important to capture the information while it’s still fresh in your mind. It’s even more important to actually use those notes.
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The more senses engaged during learning the better, you’ll tend to retain that information easier and for much longer.
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Write down notes as soon after class as possible, if you didn’t take any during class. Then later visualize what you did in class, expand the notes, and re-write them into a martial arts journal.
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You may find that the process of writing the notes, is more productive than the process of reviewing the notes, and may help you retain the information longer.
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Taking notes after class forces you to mentally review the training session, which can offer another perspective on the material. You may not remember everything you intend to write down, but it’s almost like you get a little extra training in.
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It can also be entertaining to read your old notes. It can be fun to review your progress when looking back at notes from years ago and seeing what you used to struggle with. 
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“Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.” – Benjamin Franklin
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 Photo credit: Lyoto Machida
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