The reason it's set up this way is that the most common use case is to swing at what's in front of you, trying to move around that thing and hit its side. Is this not your experience?
Tip: If you turn a little bit while moving it actually changes which direction you're swinging. If you're moving in a circle around what you're facing it swings inward towards that, but if you're moving around something behind your back it swings in the opposite direction.