@clarity i always thought of it as less an elite design sort of thing and more of a misconception that you have to hit the opponent's sword at exactly the right time during a precisely defined swinging animation when a lot of times it's more like the entire length of your blade is in the way of the entire length of theirs (or at least your half your blade is in the way of "your" half of theirs once leverage is accounted for) and a lot of parries are as much them getting your sword out of their face as you getting their sword out of yours