She could tell his mind wasn't on the situation. He was focused more on her than on self-defense. On one hand, that could be a good thing, in that in a real situation, one never knew when an attack was coming. On the other thing, it was a bad thing because he wasn't at the point in his training in which he could instinctively react.
Surprisingly enough, he did react instinctively. But his reaction was ... strange. Even for Brave Stupid Boy. His eyes told her he was scanning the situation, and she could almost see lines of data scroll past his field of vision like coding on Barbara's computer screens. He deflected with his forearm well enough, then countered with a straight punch toward her face. One he panicked and pulled.
He somehow managed to wrench himself off-balance, and he stumbled backward. He looked as if he didn't recognize who was in control of his body.
"Not ready," she told him honestly, walking toward him. To clarify, she signed, [you're fighting your own instincts. When you defend yourself, you can't change your mind halfway through."]