Yeah, heavily relying on the L2 will get your burnt more often than not. I had to learn that early on.
That's what's been working for me on defense. As long as you're in the space, it'll throw his hand up in his face more often than not. I'll have to play again just to ensure that's what I'm doing. From memory it is
Normally I'm engulfed in the game, and I am so familiar with the controls, it's hard to say what I'm doing. I'll pay attention when I fire it up after while.