Yakuza like a dragon dodge mechanic?

Hi! I'm playing Yakuza: Like a dragon for the first time. Durign the tutorial, I swear I got instructions to hit "B" at the right time to dodge and reduce incoming damage or something. I can't seem to get the timing right (are the "spotlights" the indicators? Do I watch the animation?). I googled and online everywhere I look it says the game only has an rng mechanic for dodge and there's no active button pressing dodge. Did I misread something inin the tutorial?

Edit: holy moly guys, this community is awesome. Thank you for the quick and in-depth assistance!