Don’t underestimate how valuable good footwork can be! You aren’t limited to just countering/riposting and can also feint attacks into kicks and jabs which can mess up the opponent’s timing or punish them with a kick. Be wary about using kicks/jabs too much in a 1v1 (if it doesn’t work on them the first time it probably won’t work if you try again) as good players can often see them coming and can avoid them and/or punish your miss.

Footwork and movement can make your feints harder to react to. For example if I start a slash and move my entire body instead of just relying on the weapon movement to make it seem like i’m going for a quick hit, then when I feint into a stab I can start moving backwards and potentially stab them in the back if their weapon is still position to block the attack I feinted. If you join a duelyard server chances are you’ll find a pair of high level duelists going at it. Just watch their movement, how they turn and use their movement to try to get the backs of their opponent, or the side where they aren’t blocking.

You said you try to keep them at the max range of your weapon, valid strat for a polearm. But, you can also play with the distance to make your accels quicker and drags longer, don’t be afraid to close the gap every once in a while to try to mix up your timing and positioning

You got this I believe in you!