There are several exercises requiring a partner.
This exercise practices unsokou, and keeping a proper distance (maai) from an opponent. Both participants form a tegatana and take up a distance where they can keep a strong posture and are just within attack distance. Both partners may then move using unsokou - if one moves in, the other should move back to maintain the separation.
This exercise is a continuation of tegatana-awase (above), except that you are trying to predict and avoid an attack. One participant is selected as the attacker, and the tegatana-awase manouvering continues as before. However, at some point, the attacker will initiate an 'attack' - a stylised shoulder brought back to prepare for a punch. The defender immediately moves forward with their tegatana and pushes forward, spoiling the intended attack. The point of this exercise is to develop reactions and prediction, so that you can correctly time your attack to an opponents intentions.
When performing, the partner should initiate an attack, and your foot movements should be avoidance to the side or corners. The important point to note is that the position of the feet changes so that you have a strong posture with your feet pointing towards the attacker - not the straight lines that are formed in then normal footwork exersises.
Once the unsokou aviodance is learnt, the basic tai sabaki may be extended with defensive tegatana moves - not hard blocks, but defensive/covering movements with the hand/arms. This leads easily into several techniques later.
This is more of a free-style exercise where two or more opponents attack a defender. There are several rules when doing this exercise - listen carefully to find out whether you are practicing avoidance, or you are allowed to do defence techniques, and which ones. This is normally done with tanto attacks (or at high grades with bokken).
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