"That's normal," he said, his voice gentler than usual. "We'll start slow."
From the back seat, Kiara leaned forward. "Will we be learning the same things Annie did?"
"Yes," Jude replied. "That’s why I’ve asked her and Dawn to come help out."
When they reached the rec center, Jude parked the UTV and led them inside. The gymnasium where Benji spent a lot of time practicing basketball was spacious with high ceilings and polished wooden floors. Mats had already been laid out in the center of the room.
"First things first," Jude said, setting down his duffle bag. "We're going to talk about awareness. The best defense is avoiding dangerous situations altogether."
He waited for Dawn and Annie to join them, then left Dawn explaining situational awareness while he went to get changed in the changing room. His plan was to let Dawn and Annie be the ones to physically work with Angela and Kiara as much as possible. However, he also wanted to show them that they were capable of taking down anyone, even someone of his stature.
Dawn and Annie had both set him onto his back more than once. Jude wanted Angela and Kiara to aspire to do the same.
When Jude returned to the gym floor in workout clothes, he found the women in a loose circle. For a brief moment, his gaze met Angela’s, but then she turned her attention back to Dawn.
"The goal isn't to make you paranoid," Dawn was saying. "It's to make awareness second nature."
Jude stepped onto the mat next to Dawn, and at her nod, he said, “Awareness is crucial, but sometimes a situation escalates despite your best efforts to avoid it. That's when you need physical skills."
He positioned himself in the center of the mat. "Annie and Dawn are going to demonstrate some basic techniques. I'll be playing the role of the attacker."
Annie stepped forward, a determined look on her face. She was slight compared to Jude, which made her the perfect person to show that size wasn't everything.
"The first thing to understand is that your attacker will almost always have a physical advantage," Jude explained. "But you have other advantages—surprise, leverage, and targeted strikes."
He lunged toward Annie, reaching for her arm. In a fluid motion that happened almost too quickly to follow, Annie sidestepped, grabbed his wrist, and used his momentum against him. Before Jude knew it, he was looking up at the ceiling, the impact of hitting the mat knocking the wind out of him.
“Are you okay?” Angela asked, coming to look down at him.
“He’s fine,” Annie said as she stood on his other side. “This isn’t the first time I’ve put him on his back.”
“Really?” Angela sounded incredulous.
“Really. He made me practice over and over again until I was capable of doing that.”
The women stepped back as Jude got back up to his feet. “Annie’s correct. She has done it many, many times. And now, her reaction to me approaching her is second nature. Instinct.”
"The most important thing about self-defense," Dawn added, "is believing you can protect yourself. Regardless of your opponent’s size. Many attackers count on your hesitation or fear."
Jude nodded. "That's right. One of the reasons I asked Annie and Dawn to be here today was to show you what’s possible."
He positioned himself in the center of the mat again. "Annie? Up for another demonstration?"
Annie stepped forward with the confidence of someone who'd been through the exercises many times before.
"An attacker will often grab you from behind," Jude explained. "I'm going to demonstrate, and then Annie will show you how to counter."
He placed his arms around Annie in a bear hug, pinning her arms to her sides. For a moment, he glanced at Angela. Her expression was a mixture of concern and intense focus.
"Ready?" he asked Annie.
She nodded, and in one fluid motion, she stomped her heel down on his instep, dropped her weight to create space, then twisted and drove her elbow back toward his solar plexus, stopping just short of contact.
Jude released her immediately. "Perfect. Again, we can see that despite her size, she has the ability to maneuver herself into a position where she has the opportunity to break free. The goal isn’t necessarily to win a fight. It’s to create enough space and time to escape." He looked directly at Angela as he spoke. "Run. Get to safety. Get help. That's always the primary objective."
Angela nodded, though her hands were still clasped tightly in front of her. The demonstration should have been reassuring for Angela and Kiara, but Jude could see the tension in Angela’s shoulders. The way she held herself was as if preparing to flee.
"Let's start with some basic stances," Dawn said, stepping forward. "Angela, would you like to go first?"
