I can. In fact, real life maneuvering in contact sports tends to happen at a much faster pace than anything I've seen in an action melee game. That said, I agree. It's an annoying tactic- especially if you decide to use, say, a short sword against a poleaxe. However, maybe this is how things are meant to be- and that's the price we pay for choosing certain builds.
I'm not sure if it needs to be changed or not. The only solution is to play more carefully than your opponent. Which is fine with me, even though you really can't counter-attack- you're more useful in team battles, anyway.