Fighting mechanics

I have two fighting mechanics questions.

  1. in using the shield i’ve seen that when you parry with your shield you still get damage. That for me does not make sense, so i wanted to know if i am doing something wrong. If in reality parrying with the shield really means getting damage, then i really dont get the point of using it. Does the shield only mitigate damage? of how much? When i try parrying with bosses i get alot of damage anyways.

2 How does the balance mechanic work? i still haven’t grabbed it. Some mobs when i parry i remain on foot and with others they throw me off balance and would like to know when to expect this.

3 with the shield there is a move that should hit the enemy with the shield making him loose balance, but i tried more than once using it but doesn’t seem to work. I am sure that i am doing something wrong. Can someone explain excactly how the mechanic works?

Thank you