Ah, but you all forget, fencing was not always a killing art. Many duels were fought to satisfaction - first blood. There a flick was somewhat viable, especially in the duelling weapon of epee. Cut the opponent's wrist and the duel might be settled.
Actually the electrification of the weapon made for a different kind of flick hits. Since the electric point gave the tip more weight, you can really flick it over the guard nicely. Now in foil, that doesn't matter so much since the target is limited to the torso - the vitals. In epee, flickers can be dispensed with by good stop thrusts, since the wind up for a flick, especially with the heavier epee, exposes the wrist. I can't say anything about electric saber since I've never played it. So while flicking is a problem with 'traditionalists' training to kill, it's not as much of a problem as point fighter taps, as I see it. When you have a sharp blade, you don't need that much power. You definately don't need knock-out power. Really, how much power does it take to shave?