That's a good question. I believe it is always a mix: the fencers would surely have a clear understanding of the general overarching game-plan going into the bout, especially since at this high level, fencers and coaches would study their opponents in great detail. In between the points, the fencers would also have a chance to consciously decide on their next action. However, any improvisation during the action itself, such as deciding whether or not to commit into a stop-hit after a deep feint, has to come from feeling and instincts cultivated through years of training and competitive experience.

@@championsforgefencing6695 thanks for the reply, what do you think their thought process would be? Would it be more general tactics such as "attack and see what happens" or more detailed such as "my last hit was a beat attack, so he will be expecting that so change to direct attack"? I heard something once that some fencers have an initial plan then go into "reaction fencing" once it fails during that phrase

@@R4G1NG I honestly would not know for sure haha. But my thought on this is that most of the top level fencers would neither 'just attack and see' nor think too much about the exact action like 'last time was a beat attack so now change to direct attack". Because of the amount of training and experience they have, these fencers already know what actions work best for themselves in certain situations, and they also know what actions to change to if their actions fail. So they just need to focus on feeling the distance and timing in the bout. Occasionally you see them purposely taking a longer pause either by changing blade or tying shoelaces, that when you know they are consciously thinking about what actions to make in order to get out of a tough spot.