In a sword fight there's probably not going to be an instant killing blow. Adrenaline, bad blade alignment, good opponent. Many factors mean that after blows occur and that it is possible to become a murderer well after you've died.

Other blows seem trivial in modern context but would be fatal. A hand hit, for example, won't actually kill you but it will make it difficult to stop the next attack. You can't hold a sword if you have no fingers, losing a weapon is not going to kill you, but what happens next will.

Hits can either cause mechanical failure or exsanguinate. Exsanguination takes longer to incapacitate and leaves you open to fatal blows well after your killing blow has landed. Many swordfights had the "winner" dying well after the duel had finished, through blood loss, infection, execution, etc. Some duels are about honour, others are simply More Martial than Art. Go for the hands

Some masters will take into account the dubious legal nature of duelling or sword fights and advocate against murder as killing your opponent can end with you disgraced at best, facing the noose at worst. So these are likely to have less fatal plays, designed to stop someone rather than kill- The styles become fancier rather than practical as murder becomes more and more frowned upon. There's room for error as failing to pull of a pretty move results in pain and embarrassment rather than death. These are all tendencies rather than universal fact.