How to play Sir Dan effectively?

I've been trying to rock Sir Dan for a while but I feel I can't grasp how he is meant to be played. I personally was a huge fan of Medieval as a kid and I'm trying to make him my character. The problem is, I feel so clunkly when I play him and I just can't seem to land any good combos or build AP quickly with him.

Anyone have any tips?

Additionally, does fighting without his shield provide any benefit whatsoever?

I button mash with him. I can not stand him at all. Him and Toro are my least favorite players. The only time I used him is in Arcade Mode for  a trophy.

I actually enjoy playing as him....you can use the (square) attack combos with him. theyre pretty effective and also the hand crawling grenade move is great to hit oncoming enemies. The hammer move is very effective. with Sir Daniel it's all about timing really and picking out the right moves at the right time. He won't play like Kratos (who is wayyyy toooo fast to begin with). Kratos' speed and power makes him OP but you can work around that. Toro is a bad character.

Whoa, Whoa, now hold the phone.

Though I do agree with most of the Sir Dan comments (Yes he may be a little bit underpowered but he is far from unplayable), I do not believe that Toro is a bad character at all--I actually main Toro. Normally I would go into detail as to how I play him and why I find him to be effective, but that would be totally off-topic. Then again, this topic on Sir Dan seems quite unpopular.

:/

To answer your questions that you asked..

1. Yes, the shield does have an affect, it doubles the amount of AP you generate from attacks. I was wondering that myself and decided to try all of his different attacks with the shield and without. For instance, the bone/axe throw move that he throws in a horizontal line generates 10 AP without the shield equipped. With the shield, it generates 20 AP. 

2. Most people that I see that are good with Sir Dan use a combination of Fire Breath, axe/bone throw, and his charge move all with the shield equipped. He also seems to be a favorite of a few people that have mastered him online, and is incredibly difficult to play against when he is played right. He has a higher than average melee range.

3. (Off-topic) Toro is a great character, and one of the best of the "small" ones to choose from. His curtain moves are where he shines, you can change your playstyle mid-fight easily. I use Toro, Ratchet, and most recently Sweet Tooth the most.

I meant I play Heihachi, not Ratchet. My brain is still on first few hours of gameplay.