I have absolutely no problem whatsoever with this patch, and I'm not posting as a sarcastic cavalry player here. Really. I liek playing 1h/shield on foot, or 2h when on siege, because siege is so hard.
Anyway, the patch has gotten rid of those stupid fucking spin thrusts and the god damned 180 degree overhead strikes. Player positioning relative to your opponent has been buffed to the point of being not retarded. Mobility buff!
--Now it is a lot less difficult to dodge the overhead or thrust via horizontal movement, which is the more effective way to evade these two strikes, which attack the defender directly. Previously, this was retardedly difficult, and the best way to evade was to rely on forward/backward movement, which is retarded.
a) Direct your thrusts and overheads so that they go not where your opponent is now, but rather where he is going to be. Lead your swings a little.
b) Try to thrust/overhead somebody who is advancing toward you.
--It is also easier to dodge horizontal swings via horizontal movement, however, as the double appearance of the term "horizontal" suggests, you're still moving along the plane of attack and are thus still liable to get hit if your timing/distance is off. More specifically, if you don't move far enough in either direction. Example: my foe swings horizontally with the sword moving from my right to my left. I can now avoid that swing by moving in the same direction as the sword if I'm standing close enough to him/her.
a) This defense can be countered simply by fucking paying attention to where your opponent is fucking moving. Regarding horizontal swings: If he is moving to your right, swing into him (from right to left). Vice versa for the opposite direction.
b) If he is moving backwards to avoid your horizontal swings, then intercept his line of retreat with the horizontal swing so that he walks into it. In essence, you position yourself so that "a" can be applied. Flank around to the right or left, thusly reorienting everything, so that what was once a "backward"movement by your foe is now "to your right or left". Do "a".
This was a buff to "footwork". You now have to pay attention to where your opponent is moving. I know, it's horrible. It can be made easier by not being fucking stupid. Also, if you want, you can take efforts to control where and when your foe is moving by using terrain, teammates, and your own position relative to his/hers. I know, I know, some of you are just too bad at this game to do that. All I can say to that is nerf cav.