I am kind of torn between the competing ideas. I am inclined to side with the full defense argument, it is a tacticthat was used by Mohammed Ali (rope a dope) and Joe Frazier in different styles. But to preserve legitimacy for both sides I suggest that if you are in full defense you should continue to trash talk your opponent as an "attack" can be verbal as well as physical.
One could also see attacking as being in the set to work definition of the term.
Attack \At*tack"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Attacked; p. pr. & vb.
n. Attacking.] [F. attaquer, orig. another form of attacher
to attack: cf. It. attacare to fasten, attack. See Attach,
Tack a small nail.]
1. To fall upon with force; to assail, as with force and
arms; to assault. "Attack their lines." --Dryden.
[1913 Webster]
2. To assail with unfriendly speech or writing; to begin a
controversy with; to attempt to overthrow or bring into
disrepute, by criticism or satire; to censure; as, to
attack a man, or his opinions, in a pamphlet.
[1913 Webster]
3. To set to work upon, as upon a task or problem, or some
object of labor or investigation.
[1913 Webster]
4. To begin to affect; to begin to act upon, injuriously or
destructively; to begin to decompose or waste.
[1913 Webster]
If we are going to argue semantics let us at least try to agree on which sense of the terms we are arguing about. There are certainly more senses of the word than I have listed and what
is the definition of is anyway?

*Aside The kde dictionary application is quite useful even though it relies on public domain sources on the internet.