There's a counter-attack function, maybe you haven't noticed it. You can also do some nice things with the shove button, like flip the enemy on the other side of the screen.
I noticed it, it's not a whole lot faster than a regular attack which admittedly could be far more useful against a human than the AI, since mind-games are what wins in games like these. I've been using the push and the dash in combination a lot, but my point is that even when one player is blocking a ton and missing strikes (and therefor getting fatigued according to description,) a counter attack doesn't do much against an enemy that just blocks it anyway lol.
Although I'm certain I'll be spending many many more hours exploring this
You can also actually pull them behind you with back+shove, so you can go in a corner and then switch places with them to trap them there, then maybe use the fatigue system to make them slower. The dodge button also works differently depending on up/down direction, it's like a block that protects you from 2 directions of attack in one stance, If you want some next level shenanigans.
I don't play against the AI, though, so I don't have much input regarding that.