One of my best and favorite memories was shortly after I was promoted to BB. In mainline NGA, the hakama (that black skirt you see a lot in Aikido) is only worn (optionally) after BB. Well, I opted in. My second class, I think, after getting it, I stood up from bowing, had my foot firmly on the hem, and just tumbled over backwards. Not gracefully. No nice roll out of it. Just ***-over-elbows. My reaction? I wore it for every training session I attended for about 5 years, because I realized how much harder it made everything. I had to start paying attention to stuff that had become routine (like standing up). For about a year, I had to deal with the stumbles, trips, failed entries, and so forth. One instructor told me if we were sparring, it would get in my way - like that was a negative thing for me. That's actually why I like it.