The moves that Matt taught him were quick and brutal, designed to break holds and facilitate escapes. "Once you're free," Matt reminded him, "go. These are defensive moves. Don't stick around to finish the fight."
Foggy nodded. He wasn't usually squeamish, but... "Do I really have to shatter someone's knee?"
"It's a good way to stop them from chasing after you," Matt pointed out. "But, no. Kicking the side of your opponent's knee will make it buckle, rather than shatter. He'll recover faster, though. Or she will," he added as an afterthought. When Foggy was silent, Matt gave him a reassuring smile. "You don't have to do this, you know."
"What's the matter?" Foggy grinned back. "Afraid of a little competition?"
They shared a laugh.
"Look," Foggy said seriously, "less than a week ago, you were ready to leave, because you thought it was the best way to protect me. I think what we're doing now is better."
"Possibly," Matt allowed. "Okay. Now, if someone has you in a hammerlock, what you need to do first is turn into it... here. Try it on me." He smiled. "Again, turn into it," he demonstrated, "and then follow up with a kick to the knee. Want to try?"
Foggy paused. "What if it works? I don't want to break your knee for real."
Matt grinned. "You're going to go at half speed. I'll talk you through it."
"Okay..."
Matt took hold of Foggy's arm and twisted it behind his back. "What's your first move?"
"Turn into it," Foggy said, moving hesitantly.
"'Slow' doesn't mean 'awkward,'" Matt said. "Try it again. Better. Okay. What next?"
"I'm going to kick the side of your knee," Foggy replied. "If I mess up and kick too hard, I don't want to put you out of commission, for real."
"I can counter," Matt pointed out, "but all right. Give it a shot. Half speed... Hold it. You feel that?"
Foggy's heart rate sped up slightly. "Yeah, I feel... something. What..."
"You're just on the verge of doing real damage," Matt smiled. "The knee can only take so much pressure in that spot. A little more force, a little bit faster, and you'll have it."
"Wow."
"Again," Matt reminded him, "this is just enough to break the hold, but your opponent will recover quickly. When he does, he's going to come after you and he's going to be angry."
Foggy swallowed. "You really want me to try to break someone's kneecap."
"I want you to go through the motion at half speed, yes." He twisted Foggy's arm in another hammerlock. "Go. OWW!"
"MATT!" As Foggy's arm came free he turned and knelt down next to his best friend, who was groaning and holding his leg. "Matt, I'm sorry. I didn't mean..."
Matt smiled. "If I'd been a real opponent, your next objective would be to increase the distance between us, not—OW!" His hand flew to his arm. "Okay, I deserved that," he admitted.
"Damned right. I thought I'd..."
"I know. But if you ever do end up having to use these moves in a real situation, you can expect that reaction. When you get it, don't stop to admire your handiwork or check if you really hurt the guy. Get out of there, fast." He clapped a hand to Foggy's shoulder. "Enough for tonight. Tomorrow, we'll tackle escaping from multiple opponents."