hmm i couldnt say i hardly play in EU so i cant really make stereo types of it
my last gen was 1h long espada (21/15) i never really had a problem do to the fact i was rather spammy and back peddly as well
my tip would be to just keep your distance like 2-3 feat just enough out of their attack range(but not too far) and when you find an opening close in and strike
never move in straight lines always juke and zig zag never follow them, its instinct to chase something thats retreating(its a sign of weakness)so if you turn away unless their rather defensive they will follow,if not they will break off to fight someone else
i suppose i good example would be out boxing if your familiar with boxing
During my previous gen as a 1hander I've found out that going Urist style (with some modifications) on all those people with their generic danish great swords works best (ie. blockblockblock, when they're backpedaling: only chase to pretend you're going to fall for the inventible kick that's gonna follow only to strafe to the right side at the right time so you end up in their back when they're still immobile due to the kick they've just delivered.)
^this is great its not only for kickers its great crowd control they never expect you just to run forward through the mob itself and to hit the one with his guard down,and even if they do expect it with experience you can put yourself in positions where ugo through the crowd and strike the only one in position to hit you.during this process they do a lot of team wounding(if not killing eachother)
eventually you will learn to position yourself accordingly,please note this tactic works best with high ath imo 6 is minimum any lower your pushing it(im learning the hard way with my 4 ath build i survive a while but eventually the in circle me)
just try these as a last resort its just something you learn by trial and error u cant really force the situation(nor would you want to)