Valid men vs not valid debana kote

by Russian Kendo Guide reader

The situation:

In shiai one person makes a valid men strike. At that moment his or her opponent makes not valid debana kote strike (by not valid I mean without zanshin or without some other required elements of datotsu).

Does the abortive attempt (debana kote) make men strike not so clear and so not valid (no one gets point) or should the men strike be counted in this case (first person gets point)?

Thank you in advance for your answer.

Answer: Thank you for your post. If men is a valid cut, then it should be valid. There should not be a reason not to be valid.

If they strike at the same time and both strikes are valid, then they may be cancelled out.  But if one is valid, it should be valid.
Hope this helps.