Once below vertical maneuvering speed you are limiting your options. If you are below vertical maneuvering speed without any altitude to convert to speed then you are out of options, except for one classic. And it is a great option.
You can still type on 200 "Nice Pick, you alt monkey"
This is the origin of the entire "leave my 1 v 1 alone" silliness. Guys who expect to fly down to the last knot of airspeed and then get a free pass to build energy back up before the next attacker.
Ultra slow maneuvering might win the fight you are in but you are extremely vulnerable to any follow on attackers and it only wins down on the deck because your attacker can't easily exit when he overshoots if he tries to go a couple turns with you.
Some of Agent 360's films are a good demonstration of baiting folks into a knife fight on the deck. He points his tail at them to lure them into a gun's pass and then uses lag displacement rolls to achieve rear quarter on the overshoot. Once rear quarter he flies as slow as possible to keep the bandit out front until he gets a shot on them.
It is fairly easy to counter. The easiest method is to just ignore them. That's my preferred method. If I see a Hurricane or Zero below 5 K I completely ignore it until someone else burns his energy down and then I go pure vertical on him for the kill shot. Speed is life when attacking. Some are better than others at playing bait. If you see a guy breaking hard 1000 yards out, he isn't confident in baiting you into an overshoot. When you see the break go nose high, invert and watch. Most folks are predictable and will repeat the same maneuver. The next pass you can predict the end point of his break and just point there and hold the trigger down. Most people use one of two break turns early in their flying, split S and barrel roll. I'm pretty sure the barrel roll is unintentional but that is what results when you pull the stick into a back corner. (Proper break turn technique is unload the airplane, max roll to angle of bank desired then pull). The barrel roller is probably fairly new. The split S guy has probably got a little experience but you can still pop him on the bottom of his split S.
If you see a guy in a low to moderate G turn, nose low as you attack...look out, he is setting you up. He is slowly getting his lift vector pointed at you while maintaining or even building energy. This gives you the most difficult shot, a high G, high deflection shot.
If you go for the shot plan a level high speed extension to defeat his lag roll to your rear quarter. He will still be rear quarter but out of guns range (we hope...speed is life here).
If you want to saddle up, convert to deep lag pursuit and watch for his next move.
If you want to do neither go nose high and watch.
Unrelated random thoughts.....
Always attack as close to pure vertical as you can on a hard turning aircraft. Your roll rate will defeat his hardest break turn. Be sure he is low Energy because the most common defense is for him to go pure vertical also and force a head on. If you see him pulling for the HO half or quarter roll and pull and get back upstairs.
Lag displacement rolls are an excellent defensive tool and you can convert to an offensive position if the bandit is a dummy. Flat scissors are a last ditch defensive move and if you use it, go in all the way because the bandit will get at least one snapshot and, if you are hesistant, multiple snapshots.
