Attack Continuity

Q1: I don’t understand this one because it looks to me like left pulls his sword back. Like he’s almost chambering. Isn’t that losing the priority?

A1/1: The correct way to execute a counterattack against compound attack is to stop the attacker during the feinting phase. Countering a compound attack in the final phase is the same as countering a simple attack. These video are slowed down and even a feint can seem as interruption. But in this case, attacker does one composed action and defender has not used proper time for a stop-hit.

A1/2: he starts moving with lifting back the weapon, and if the opponent was ready for this, and hit him during that lift, back, indeed that would be attack Right (left would not have prio) -- priority is tempo-related, and related to what you do with your tempo. 

here, in the first episode of that attack from left, Right retreats, and left really starts a compound attack with a feint. Right only counterattacks too late, and in that situation Left already has the priority

Right could have scored an attack, when left started his forward move, if right anticipated this, was stable on his feet, didnt retreat but counterattack while left was stepping forward while liftinhh the weapon. 

this would show the differece between reactive (looking to see what he does) and proactive (anticipation and preparation of situations).

and right could also have scored a counterattack if he didnt use the first episode, during the feint. it would probably jave looked like a step back, stop, and counterattack as he perceives that the attack is rather airy.

but since he retreated away and lifted his own weapn up like a reactive parry instead, he misssed these chances, when he actually counterattacked, he was already being attacked with a direct cut.

im watching the vid a couple more times to make sure im not saying something stupid. 

1. left here makes an action that can be called a feint-attack (for his intent at least) but with an extremely wide movement that causes him to lift back his weapon even with the feint (the technique of feints will need more coaching for many fencers...)
   however, right is still not counterattacking during the feint, he is retreating, and forfeiting his chance of taking priority even if the attacking technique is not great. when he ends up cutting, there is already a cut in his way from Left, and he is still reacting to lefts movement.

2. on a more general note, if we imagine that left performs a technically good feint-attack:

   • if Right managed to counterattack successfully during the feint (because he anticipates it, so he doesnt react with a parry), he would win this not because he has priority, but because the hit from the counterattack arrives before the attacker(with prio) starts the last phase of the attack, the cut that will actually hit.

   • even though compound attacks are committed, there is a change of line (or at least dynamics) between feints and cut, and if a counterattack arrives during the feint, we treat it as if that disrupted the next move, and invalidated the hit from the attack even if it eventually arrives -- late.

   • however, if the counterattack arrives when the final move has already started, we treat it as if the move already in motion could still arrive and be a valid threat, a bit like people think of the afterblow. 

   • but here the distinction is tied to whether you need to start a new move to hit your opponent (like change from feint to the line of the cut), or not, because its already on the final trajectory.

   • we often talk about it in terms of timing, but in fencing timing is tied to movement, so in order to be on time (eg. with a counterattack hit), we can referee it in relation to movement, like indescribed above. the time is always relative to the given opponents rhythm.