Table of contents
Start with one short exchange. Write what is visible, what you expected and what remains unknown in separate columns. Record what follows afterward. If you find a second exchange with a similar apparent cue and a different outcome, compare the two before proposing an explanation.
Use the worksheet below to prepare a specific question for your coach. Treat it as a film-study exercise, not a test of your fighting ability or a promise to remove uncertainty.
Choose a question small enough to examine
Pick an exchange from your training footage and mark its start and end. Instead of explaining the whole round, choose one question: “What did I expect when my partner stepped closer?”
Write down whether this is your first viewing or a replay with a known ending. On a replay, label any reconstructed expectation retrospective. Do not present it as a prediction you recorded before seeing the outcome.
If the feet are outside the frame, leave foot position unknown. If the angle makes distance unclear, describe the visible movement rather than assigning an exact distance. Keep the worksheet attached to what this clip shows.
Use three columns before adding an explanation
| Seen | Expected | Unknown |
|---|---|---|
| The visible action and its timestamp. Describe feet, hips, hands, position or rhythm only where the recording supports it. | What you expected to happen next. Mark whether you recorded this before viewing the outcome or reconstructed it afterward. | Hidden details, unclear timing and unanswered questions. Include intention here unless you have a separate basis for it. |
Below the columns, add What followed: one description of the next visible action. Keep that result separate from your expectation, even when they match.
For this worksheet, use “stepped closer” as a movement description. Put “wanted to draw my counter” under an explanation to investigate, not under Seen. Do not replace a gap in the footage with a confident account of your partner’s intention.
One hypothetical comparison
These two exchanges are invented to show how to fill in the worksheet. They are not a fighter case study or evidence that the exercise works.
| Clip | Seen | Expected | Unknown | What followed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A, 00:12 | Partner’s lead foot moves forward; lead hand begins to extend. | A punch. Retrospective note: I already know this clip’s ending. | Partner’s intention; rear foot is outside the frame. | Partner extends a jab. |
| B, 00:31 | Partner’s lead foot moves forward; lead hand stays near the face. | A punch. Retrospective note: I already know this clip’s ending. | Whether the step was meant to invite a response. | Partner resets without throwing a punch during the marked exchange. |
In this invented pair, “the lead foot moved forward” appears in both rows. Lead-hand movement differs in the descriptions. Mark that difference as a question for review, not a discovery of a dependable attack signal.
Ask: “Is the hand difference visible before the action I am trying to explain?” If you cannot place it clearly in the sequence, write timing unclear. Do not turn an action already underway into an earlier cue in your notes.
Compare the clips without forcing a rule
Look for an exchange with a similar apparent movement but a different result. Similar here is your starting comparison, not a claim that distance, balance, hand position or context were identical.
If you cannot find a useful second clip, keep the first worksheet and leave the comparison open. Do not invent a matching case just to complete the exercise.
For a pair, work through three questions:
- Which visible detail appears in both exchanges?
- Which detail differs, and when does it become visible?
- What remains unresolved because of the camera view or missing context?
Do not use two selected clips to claim a reliable predictor, explain every exchange or score an improvement in your reactions. Keep any proposed explanation provisional.
Finish with a question someone can inspect
Bring the two timestamps, your worksheet and one question to your coach: “What, if anything, separates these moments before the attack begins?” If you have only one usable clip, ask which part of your description they would challenge.
Keep any explanation offered in a separate note. Preserve your original Seen and Unknown entries so you can identify what the explanation adds. End the review with a specific question or an unresolved point; you do not have to manufacture a lesson.
Explore the related sample drill
The Six Levels of Seeing overview includes Load or Noise, a sample drill using actions and mechanically similar non-actions. The worksheet above is a proposed film-review exercise, not a reproduction of that drill.