Cole didn't think he was that good, but he was trying and he appreciated the encouragement. He didn't need to become as good as this guy - all he wanted was to be able to take care of himself and the ones he cared about, instead of being the one who needed to be saved. "Lower. Got it."
His instinct was to resist, but he managed to force himself to relax and let John guide him through the motions. It was unconventional, his methods, but they were more useful than the sort he would have gotten in a gym or the like. Once it was his turn, he only paused to position himself properly before grabbing the other man's shoulders and pushing down. It still seemed odd, but Cole brought his knee up with a decent amount of force to connect with his stomach. It felt like it would have hurt, and he came close to pausing to let him catch his breath - but if it was an actual attacker he never even would have considered it, so he shook it off and hooked his leg behind John's. One last push and it was done - even though he did realize it would have to be much faster in a real-life situation.