It's time to work takedowns, and you and your partner get ready to begin.
You realize your partner looks like someone who just competed in the Miss America contest. Full makeup, lots of hair product, perfectly manicured and painted nails. There's also a lot of jewelry - rings, earrings, necklace(s), ring(s), and maybe even an anklet.
So you get to work on the technique, but you get makeup smeared on your uniform, you get a cut from a nail, and you get annoyed looks whenever the hair gets messed up. Oh, and your partner is also wearing enough perfume/body spray to supply the entire state of New Jersey with scents for a year, and you look forward to getting a nice lungful of fresh, perfume-free air.
You've been paired with THAT GUY: the Dandy.
Note that I was careful not to assign gender in the example above, because the Dandy can be any gender, just like all of the other THAT GUYs featured here. I would add, outside of class, I think it's fine to be the Dandy, even if it's not my personal cup of tea. Hey, whatever makes you happy is good by me.
But on the mat... yeah, the Dandy is NO FUN to work with.
The Dandy gets annoyed when they get too sweaty. The Dandy gets distracted checking themselves out in the mirror in class (partly to admire themselves, partly to check the state of their hair/makeup/jewelry). If it isn't makeup, the Dandy will ruin your gi with bronzer smears.
The Dandy practically jangles as they move around because of all the jewelry. Which is really bad if the Dandy is studying ninjutsu. Just sayin'.
Looking good while training is more important to The Dandy than being good AT training.
Let me admit that I, personally, am a jewelry nut. I LOVE jewelry, and off the mat I wear lots of jewelry most of the time (especially rings). But ON the mat, I take off anything that might hurt my partner or get me in trouble, like rings and earrings.
I learned that lesson the hard way when I got hit in the hand with a stick, and had to cut off my wedding ring as my fingers swelled. Now I wear a silicone wedding ring.
The Dandy's nails in particular can be a huge problem. Nail cuts are always a risk even when we keep them trimmed but MAN, it's like working with someone with 20 little knives on their hands and feet. You're lucky if you don't get cut at least once or twice every time you work with the Dandy.
The Dandy leaves a scent cloud as they move around the room, so you can trace their path through the dojo. You feel like you need a gas mask when you work closely with them and your eyes water from the cloud of chemicals.
If you spend any time the gym, you know exactly who I'm talking about, because yes, the Dandy will be the one admiring themselves as they work out.
Do you have any stories of training with the Dandy? Are YOU the Dandy or have Dandy-like tendencies? Let us know in the comments!
Use the "THAT GUY" category to find all of the THAT GUY posts on TSC!