One of the first martial arts drills we explore when you begin your training works on cultivating a fundamental skill underlying all of the movements and techniques.
Movement.
This drill is excellent because it scales up as you level up in your training, building on the following movement principal:
You and your training partner stand across from each other, about six feet or so in distance.
Far away enough that they have to take a step towards you to enter your space.
When your training partner is ready, they are going to step forward and try to grab you with a single hand.
Entering your space, you use your footwork to get off the angle of attack preventing the grab, while putting yourself in a safe movement space in that moment.
An attack comes in and you get out of the way.
No strikes, locks, throws, take-downs, or immobilizations.
Just get out of the way.
Fundamentals.
Something enters your personal space, start moving, get out of the way.
Get your body off the angle of attack.
One of the first lessons we want to start building in the nervous systems is to start moving and keep moving.
Don’t think.
Start moving.
This lessons scales as you go, moving from a simple grab to later punches and kicks, and finally dealing with multiple training partners.
There is also an element of self-defense found in it, as a moving target is always harder to hit.