Steve
Mostly Harmless
i think thatās generally what one can expect, but hopefully within reason. What I mean is, lack of political savvy and an inability to read a room will surely put a bit of a marker on a guy. If you are drawing attention to yourself, you canāt be surprised at the attention. But i would hope the goal isnāt to make him feel so unwelcome that he quits after a failed test.Wouldnāt being flamboyant get you in ātroubleā on the mat?
When I practised Kendo, if somebody turned up with a gold-flecked lacquered chest protector (āDoā) or something flashier than the usual black, everyone made it their number one objective to strike āDoā to scratch it up a bit or hit the wearer slightly above itās upper rim, and under your armpitā¦that is painful!
When someone turned up with a white sword sheath (āsayaā) at an Iaido seminar, he was approached by a senior grade with the comment, āYouāre brave, arenāt you?ā The studentās inability to read people and situations meant he retorted with, āIāve ordered a pink one, too.ā We never saw him after that seminar as he failed his shodan grading.
All Iām saying is that itās healthy to keep things in perspective. This is supposed to be fun. Itās okay to take the activity seriously, but (IMO) healthy not to take ourselves too seriously. Particularly in a traditional art where there is a fairly thin line between martial arts and historical reenactment.