When he fell, he twisted as best he could without taking Cole out with him and landed on his hands. Grinning, he leaped up. "Awesome. You're a natural, kid," he said. So that might not be entirely true. But at least the kid wasn't a complete waste of space either. He was working, and if there was one thing John admired, it was work ethic.
"That was a great shot to my side, but try to aim a bit lower. You'll smash a body in the stomach, and no one likes that. Can't breathe for a bit. Makes tossing them even easier because they're just sitting there like 'What's goin' on'," he said, still grinning.
Dusting his hands on his pants, he came around Cole's front. "Okay, here's one for if someone comes at you head on. If you're walking toward me-" He gestured Cole a step forward. "-then I'm going to reach forward, and grab your shoulders, like so." He reached forward with both hands, taking Cole's shoulders and gently pushed down. "Now, I'm going to bring up my knee and get you in the stomach. No one likes bein' smashed in the stomach, remember. Once that's done, I can drop my leg inside yours and push you down." John mimed kneeing Cole and then slid his leg inside Cole's stance. He turned at the waist and guided Cole's body forward a bit before catching him. "So let's try that one."