15 Skills on the Matt

                                    

                                          
**** Kyle Blanton sat on a weight bench, stroking Hope's thick fur, and watched his father train with Rowdy on the mat. After this, he would have his first lesson in self defence and was so excited. Both men were wearing army green T-shirts that hugged their muscular frames, and their old army fatigues. 
                          
To protect the mat, both men had removed their boots and socks. With all the things that had been happening over the last few years, they all felt it necessary to keep up on their training and make sure the women and children knew self defense. 
                          
The preteen marked down another point as his father took Rowdy down to the matt. The redhead slapped the blue matt three times in the usual concede signal. Beau released him and rolled to his feet. 
                          
"Pa, why did you both bring your fire arms?"
                          
Rowdy chuckled and spread his arms to Beau, "Is there anythin' that kid doesn't notice?"
                          
The former-bull rider winked and grinned at his son and slung one of the weapons around his shoulders to demonstrate. 
                          
"Well, son....in hand to hand combat, a Ranger's goal is to do as much damage as possible as fast as possible." 
                          
Kyle nodded as he listened closely to his adopted father's every word. 
                          
Rowdy took it from there. "That allows us to take our enemy down fast, so to give ourselves space and return to the use of our tools." 
                          
Kyle gave him a confused look.
                          
"Our weapons," Rowdy explained, "that's what will win the fight. I don't know a single Ranger that won't defeat his enemy in a frontal hand to hand. The real danger is when someone attacks from behind, but we have moves for that also."
                          
Kyle looked confused. "I don't understand, how can you fight somebody you can't see?"
                          
Rowdy gave a dry chuckle and was about to answer when Bobbi walked in and sat next to her nephew. He cleared his throat, "Maybe we should show the kid what we mean."
                          
His best friend nodded, "All right. Watch closely, Kyle. First we won't slow our movements, so try and keep up."
                          
Without any warning Rowdy lunged and grabbed Beau's weapon. Beau moved so fast his body was a blur. He elbowed Rowdy in the face, slammed the same elbow into his torso, threw him down with a hip throw, planted his knee onto Rowdy's chest, and fained two knuckle punches to his throat. Then he moved back and lifted his firearm, aiming it directly at Rowdy.
                          

                            

                                
                            
                              
                                  
                              
                              
                                
                                  
                                  
                                
                              
                             
                            
                            
                          
                          
                          
The whole thing took less than ten seconds. But the entire time Beau chanted, "Do damage, make space, and return to your tools."
                          
Both Bobbi and Kyle sat there in utter shock. Neither was able to move or speak. Rowdy rolled and bounced up on his bare feet with such grace that Bobbi's head spun.
                          
"Would you teach me to do that?" The boy asked.
                          
Beau grinned as he lowered his weapon. "We'll teach ya how to protect yourself and get away. With everythin' that has been happenin', Rowdy, Yancy and I believe that all you kids should know how to take care of yourself and get away."
                          
Rowdy nodded, "With one difference. Where we're trained to make space so we can get back to our weapons....your objective is to maim your attacker long enough to get away, and go for help."
                          
Kyle grinned, "Like martial arts!"
                          
Rowdy grinned back. "A lot like that, but this technique has been refined over two hundred years of combat. It's called SFCP or Special Forces Combative Program."
                          
Bobbi studied the men for a second, "What if you're grabbed from behind, and you can't get a hold of his arm or elbow him?"
                          
Brett had been watching from the door way. The former-SEAL grinned. "You use your head and drop."
                          
"You what?! Drop what?" Bobbi and her nephew both asked.
                          
Brett nodded to Rowdy and grinned. "May I play too?" His brother and friend both grinned.
                          
Rowdy studied him for a long moment. "What about...."
                          
Brett pretended to knock on his hard head with his knuckles. "I have completely recovered, I assure you." 
                          
Rowdy turned to Beau who just grinned.
                          
"Come on into the sandbox." He motioned to his older brother. Beau left the pad, picked up a towel and straddled the bench next to his son, ruffling the boy's hair.
                          
Brett took his shoes and socks off and winked at his nephew, "Let Uncle Brett show ya how it's done." He looked at Rowdy. "Think you can hold your own long enough to help me out?" 
                          
Rowdy raised an eyebrow, pursed his lips, held one arm out toward his friend and moved his fingers in a 'come and get it' motion. 
                          
Kyle grinned, thinking that was one of the coolest things he had ever seen in his life. Brett was a little taller and broader in the shoulders than Beau, and a good fifty pounds heavier than Rowdy. Kyle was more than positive that Brett would win.
                          
Beau worked at keeping a straight face. "He needs to warm up a little first, Rowdy. Don't hurt him too much. Ju-u-ust show this future Ranger how to handle a SEAL without a lot of bloodshed, before we put him through his paces."
                          
"Like he actually could handle me." Brett scoffed as he went through a few warm up exercises. "Neither of you ever could when we were kids, but then again I paid attention in my self defense classes."
                          
Bobbi rolled her eyes and Kyle laughed when Brett switched from warm up exercises to some robot dance movements and then space walked to the edge of the matt. He shadow boxed with fancy footwork and made his way back across to Rowdy. Kyle doubled over laughing as his uncle danced around Rowdy boxing the air around his face while occasionally popping the other man's cheek and sang, "Fly like a buttafly, sting like a bee, do wacka do wacka do wacka dee."
                          
Rowdy rubbed his face and turned to Beau with an annoyed look, "Seriously?" He asked Beau, who was still working hard to control his face. 
                          
"What's the matter, pretty boy?" Brett asked, as he continued to prance around the ex-ranger. "Don't ya got the mo-o-oves?"
                          
Rowdy slowly turned to look at Brett with a gleam in his eyes. The SEAL gave the Ranger a sly grin, thinking he had Rowdy right where he wanted him.
                          
Rowdy turned to Kyle with a wink, "Excuse me a minute while I teach Princess Tippitoes a thing or two." 
                          
Kyle grinned and giggled.
                          
Rowdy studied his opponent for a long minute, and grinned as he curtsied to Brett, causing their surprised audience to laugh out right. "Come on Princess, let's dance!"