Middle of War: Earth Shadow - aka Batman Mordor Knight 2

Sorry if I seem dense. Can B or Circle be tapped at any time? Do I need to vault over then tap it? Do I need to hold it to complete a drain? I wish the game told me more or let me practice in some way. I keep trying to tap in different ways, but the captain seems to just ignore it an then do a parry if I attack or a wild triple swing after an A or X prompt. I can’t seem to generate an opening.