Infighting: let the madness begin

While epeeists are noted for their control of distance and timing, sometimes things just fall apart. Whether the "falling apart" is intentional or accidental, it is critical that the fencer know exactly how to manage their situation now that distance has collapsed and the room for error vanishes. This is where Infighting and knowing how to do it comes in.
Note: this video is not intended as a coaching lesson but as an outline for exploring the video content on your own, with fellow epeeists, or with your coach. Interpretation, instruction, and articulation of actions may differ from coach to coach.
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[@davidthemens847]

@3:39 FotR: Any time an opponent comes in with a hard counter-sixte, close the distance and cede into prime. The opponent would never have the time to pull back the arm or disengage for a remise... Doing this though, if you don't close the distance, you risk them retaking control of the blade and gaining the inside point position. This isn't a huge risk if you have an opponent that is strongly committed to a fleche action, but if they are the type to try second intention or to stop mid-fleche, you're going to have a bad time unless you step into it. Similarly, the prime must only be a response to strong and forward pressure in sixte; going to prime directly, instead of ceding into it, risks the opponent just drawing you into a very vulnerable position. No matter the engagement, there is always a relatively simple and direct ceding action that can efficiently gain you either blade control or inside point position in an infighting situation; however, the manner of ceding is reversed when fencing an opposite handed opponent, so you'll want to avoid ceding as muscle memory. More than anything else, controlling the circumstances in which you enter an infighting situation will always be more effective than trying to respond already within one.