I forgot about the windup animation, on review I think the windup animation is fine. Just popped into dark souls to compare and found a few ideas that could make it feel better:
Less delay between button press and damage dealt, more recovery time after. I'd rather land the hit and risk getting hit back than be unable to land a hit.
A small lunge forward during windup, to give the illusion of still being in control of your character (since you're probably running forwards when swinging anyway).
Starter enemies that are less likely to step back or move out of the way.
The improved shield control will also help the sword feel better.