He is a four-time Olympian,[a][2] a five-time World team member and was the 1996 US Olympic Judo coach for the Atlanta Games.

Throughout his professional judo career, he spent much of his time training in Japan at Nihon University and the Tokyo Police Academy.

Despite all his travels, Swain continually returned San Jose where he trained under Yoshihiro Uchida, a pioneer for American judo.

Swain was honored as a pioneer for USA Judo alongside other athletes such as Evander Holyfield for boxing and Dan Gable for wrestling.

He grew the company to become a successful multimillion-dollar, international business at the heart of the martial arts equipment industry.