You can only carry so many weapons into battle, so make sure you have the right stuff equipped for the right scenarios (don't take lances into bandit hideouts, or short weapons with no reach on a huge cavalry charge).

If your enemy won't let you get an attack through, press E to kick or shield bash to break their defense.

Combat can be tricky to get the hang of for new players - you'll need to get used to seeing which way an enemy is preparing to strike and react accordingly to block - and keep yourself from getting overwhelmed whenever possible.

Sometimes if your speed is almost even, it will take forever to chase them down unless they're also looking for a fight - and waste valuable time, or let them regroup with others to bolster their numbers before turning to face you.

Before engaging an enemy when spotting them on the map - compare your speed to theirs.

Stock up on extra horses when possible - it'll increase your movement speed on the map if all of your units can ride between battles.Trying to do everything on your own will get very hard otherwise. Be sure to take on the main quest to speak to 10 nobles (aka the leaders of each faction), even after the tutorial has ended, as it will speed up your renown and notoriety by getting to know each of the factions, and you’ll be able to pick a faction to fight for all the quicker.

Nord mount and blade wiki