“Okay.”
“Number one, you’re in charge. We’ll use the color traffic-light system to signal status. Green all is good in the neighborhood, yellow if you’re unsure or need a slower pace, red we stop immediately. You can switch colors at any point. No explanations required. Sound good?”
“Yep, I’m good with that.”
“Number two, I don’t grab you out of nowhere. I’ll explain everything before I do it so nothing comes at you that you aren’t prepared for.”
“Shame, here I was counting on jump scares.”
“We can pop on a horror movie later if jump scares are what you’re after. For now, you’re gonna have to settle for my riveting commentary. No leaping out of our skin for this exercise,” I said.
“I suppose that’s reasonable.”
“Great, let’s start with a common frontal attack where I come at you and grab your arm.” I extended my hand, ensuring he saw every inch of my movement before it happened. My fingers wrapped around his wrist, with enough pressure to simulate a real grip. “How are you going to escape my hold?”
In an attempt to free himself, he gave a few sharp tugs, his muscles engaging with effort. I held firm. He tried again, with more force this time, swinging my arm to try and break free from my grip, brows knitting together in a frown of concentration.
When it didn’t work, he glanced up at me. “I thought I was supposed to pull away.”
“It makes sense.” I released his wrist and took a step back. “Seems like the right thing, doesn’t it? Your brain screams ‘get away,’ so your body follows. But when someone’s bigger and banking on your panic to keep you predictable? That instinct won’t get you far.”
“So basically, my instincts are trash. Good to know. Tell me, master Walker, do you start all your classes insulting your pupils or am I just special?”
“You’re definitely special, though there were no insults here. Just facts. That’s okay. It’s not as intuitive as you’d think. For a species gifted with ‘fight or flight,’ you’d think we’d come pre-installed with some kind of combat tutorial. Maybe a pop-up window.You’ve selected FIGHT. Please enjoy these basic instructions for not immediately dying.But nope. Vibes and panic instinct are what our lizard brains give us.”
“So, if panic doesn’t work, and brute force doesn’t work, what’s left? Polite negotiation? ‘Excuse me, sir, could you please not assault me today?’”
“Ha! Close, but no. If someone grabs you like this...” I reached out and took his wrist. “Your first move might be to yank away, but what you’re actually gonna do is step toward them.”
He gave me a look. “You’re telling me I’m supposed to step into the threat? Sure. Because that sounds safe and sane. I thought you said we were saving the horror movies for later? I mean, that’s some scary movie logic right there. ‘Oh no, the killer’s in the basement, better go investigate all alone.’”
“I know it sounds counterintuitive, but it’ll make sense in a sec. Stepping in gets you leverage to disengage from the contact. Here, I’ll walk you through it.”
He folded his arms muttering under his breath, “Step into a brick wall and trust the process. Next you’ll tell me to lick an electrical socket for power.”
“You know, despite my name, you sound suspiciously like Luke in episode five on Dagobah. I’m about to Yoda your skepticism into silence. You want to tell me you can’t do it. Bah! I’ll prove to you you can. Humor me. Step in.”
Oliver sighed like a man about to face the gallows but did as instructed.
“Now, pull my arm in toward you—yeah, just like that—and put your other hand over my knuckles. Now swing my arm while doing that and wrap your hand around my wrist.
I adjusted my stance to show the effect, bowing slightly under the torque of his grip. “See how my arm’s twisted? My balance is shot, my center’s compromised. From here, all you need to do is push down at the joint. The pressure makes me drop.”
“I’m starting to question your so-called credentials. Taking a man of your size down with a single wrist push sounds fake.”
“Mm, matters little, size does,” I said going full Yoda on him. My impression was spot on, if I did say so myself. “Come on, try it.”
He applied pressure, and I went down onto one knee with a soft grunt.
Oliver’s eyes widened. “Holy shit! That actually worked.”
“Told you.”
“Are you sure that wasn’t a fluke?”
“I promise, no flukes here, just physics. But for your peace of mind and to build muscle memory we’ll run it again. The more you repeat it, the more the movements will become automatic so your body remembers what to do when your brain might not in a high-stress moment.”
“I’m well aware of the benefits of muscle memory and repetition. My ass has plenty of experience with repeated motion and how muscle memory can make things a lot smoother,” he quipped, but the confidence that launched the joke burned out midair, leaving him standing there, face going through ever shade of pink.
