Close the gap

When getting open, the basic principle is that the defender gets as little time to react as possible. That’s why an attacker has to find his defender: when they both leave at the same spot, the attacker will always win the fight for a free position.

The attacker decides when he leaves, the defender can only react and is therefore at a disadvantage. This principle is called ‘close the gap’. The attacker closes the space between himself and the defender, so that the defender can not anticipate.