Today I was holding block for like 5 seconds, and dude still managed to hit me. I'm not sure does nerf to holding aply to blocks to?
Great Maul is fine, it suits my style pretty well. I'm used to hold attacks before I release them (which can be quite the issue against some shielders).
About your idea, well I support it but I think it's not ready for cRPG. For Melee it would be awesome actually, I hope they add stamina too.