They are blazing fast at recovering from blocking.

So how do You defeat them?

(For me they are either attack allways or do nothing as they will kill me anyway, categories and nothing in the middle)

This is a long post, but I've kinda wanted to write about it, so here it is. :P

Sword duels are a bit wonky. Practice makes perfect for sure, but here's the things I've learned. Most of this stuff is theoretical. It's hard to know for sure which things are true.

The way I typically win fights is by staying just ouside their attack range on the left or right, doing a horizontal slash as they approach just close enough. You have to swing in one fast motion. Holding your sword out for more than a second, hoping they'll walk into its path, is usually met with a blank stare by the enemy.

Where you're standing seems to affect how often you hit, especially if you have them pushed back up right against the wall. Sometimes I'll stand right in front of them doing forward slashes non-stop, and it can work then.

You can use Backspace to block, (maybe there's a more convenient key). I think if you do this, they're less likely to block a counter attack, (by that I just mean attacking quickly afterward). The problem is, I can't seem to get the hang of it.

Doing a full slash, where you hold attack and down, followed by a forward strike, is unblockable. You have to be lucky to be able to pull it off without them moving out of the way, but it works like a charm if you can get them in front of you.

Sometimes you can dodge a swing, and I think that makes a counter attack more likely to hit, too.

This might sound weird, but I think if you walk left and right, kind of like head faking, from their left to right side a couple times, it throws them off, making them more vulnerable. You just have to not get slashed.

Anyway, sometimes you just have to suffer them blocking a lot, especially on Katana or higher difficulty. Especially if your swordplay is bad and theirs isn't.

The last thing I'll mention is that if you use the numpad, you have a lot more options. Like if you hold attack and press 7, it does a forward-and-to-the-left slash. No idea if this actually affects gameplay or if it just looks different.

Hopefully some of this helps.

I posted a small tip here:
http://www.gog.com/forum/sword_of_the_samurai/what_keys_do_what/post5

It seems totally random. Like, 90% of the time duels will be the easiest thing ever. Then one out of ten times the opponent will be this invincible machine that blocks everything and kills you in seconds. Doesn't matter who your opponent is either. Could be eldest duel brother, a daimyo, or some random assassin.

It really depends on how much time you want to take in fighting duels. You never have to move, let the enemy come to you and do side slashes. Eventually you'll beat the enemy and never take a hit because the slashes from either side are the fastest attack and it doesn't give the AI (such that it is) time to react. But this tactic can take forever.

I don't move from the center spot. When the enemy approaches I'll try to hit with the overhead attack, but timing is everything with that attack. The thrust attack doesn't require as much precision so maybe that's a better attack, however, if you get your timing right on the overhead you'll get 2 hits instead of one against the enemy. From there it really depends on how the enemy moves.

To me that's one of the best things about the duels. The enemy isn't predictable in that every duel has the same moves. Watch the enemy and if he is in close to you, side slash attacks. Many times you can get a hit in if you attack 4 or 5 times on one side and then switch to the other. If the enemy moves away, thrust at his movement. When he closes again, overhead attack.

I used to have trouble with the duels but once I worked out my technique I've never lost one yet. Even the duel against the three duelists in a row that uses one health bar for you for all the fights. Easy for me now and a good source of honour points. I can insult every lord and be sure to come out a winner no matter the result of the insult.

I bum rush them. I keep moving up and pushing them up while side slashing left and right. They won't have a chance to hit back. if you can get them pinned against the back wall as they retreat back they are done for and you can beat them down while they struggle to dodge. Even the best and fastest fighters fall to the bum rush + rapid side slashes technique. You can mix it up with an occasional downward slice but only if you are sure of yourself and he keeps blocking your side slashes. Otherwise stick to the bum rush and you'll never lose, even if you take one or two hits sometimes.

Hold the select button (enter by default) and tap left and right to do fast swings.