Technically speaking Ishida is beating stronger opponents continuously with tactics but I'd say that's more like the exception affirming the rule you stated.

However, in the end that very thing is the overbearing detail bothering me. Looking at Ichigo's recent fights one could easily even forget the dude should be decent at martial arts. But instead of Ichigo kicking the opponent or breaking their jaw with a left hook when swords are locked, it's always the other one, who, for all we know, has no formal martial arts background.

You'd think after all of Bleach international and domestic success Kubo would have enough money to buy food instead of collecting all the weird mushrooms from his backyard, resulting in his brain rotting and material like this being produced.