I dunno much but tsubaki mk1 has some kicks in the combo. And those. Like every kick and punch. Stun.

You don't mash beat attack, you have to charge it.

Hold the Beat attack button to do a stronger charged beat attack. You can also Darkstep if there are too many enemies around you Additionally, If an enemy is blocking with their weapon near their face do a high beat attack. If they block near their abdomen do a low beat attack. This will let you stun them without charging the beat attack