Never had too much problems with people blocking my hits, but that must be because I've been using inverted attack directions since like forever. So I feel fine with my NCS.
Only problem i see there is the spamy 2h,you don't have a time to do right swing because 2h are so fast that they will hit you first.
What works for me against them is being patient. I realized they are indeed faster, so I act like a typical "guy with slow ass long hard hitting weapon" - held strikes, kicks, less feinting. Rightswing when I break distance, left swing when they come close, etc. Also 8 PS helps.*
*I mean duels without shield. With shield I'd prefer not to use kicks since they're so fast, better just hold my shield for some time while backpedalling.