To answer Mike's question:
There will be a cvar for the charge combo speed. Cvars are set through options menus or opening your configuration and adding a line, which can also be done directly through your consol. Cvars are settings like "mp_simplemelee 1" or "cl_dusttrails 0." Odds are there will be a cvar in 1.2 that looks like something along the lines of "mp_advchargetime 3" (Although I have no idea what the actual cvar will be, that will be listed in the readme when the beta is released), with the number 3 plugged in there because I believe that 3 seconds will be the default amount of time you'll be able to charge up a combonation before the combat begins. You could reduce that number to 2 or 1 to force people to slam out moves in a much shorter period of time, or extend it to give them more breathing room and make for longer battles.
There should be far more cvars than just that though once the team is finished with 1.2 , for things like the amount of time you are allowed to defend against attacks, to counter attacks, and other melee variables.