The hands offer the advantage, because they are farther along the 'chain', and thus the mind, which is amazing at adjustments if allowed, can recover from less than ideal swings before impact.
...for the reasons above, there will always be an advantage to hands control.
The Homunculus Concept is that of a human figure whose body parts are distorted in direct proportion to the amount of brain power devoted to their respective functions. View such a figure at: