A Cut Above: What Makes a Sword Experience Trainer?

Behind every Sword Experience is more than a sword or a sequence. There is a shared commitment to helping people learn, challenge themselves, and grow.

At The Sword Experience (SXP), Adrian Paul and the training partners who support his approach bring together martial fundamentals and cinematic movement. Whether participants arrive with years of experience or are holding a practice sword for the first time, the goal is to give them a foundation they can understand and build upon.

But what makes someone a Sword Experience trainer? We asked longtime training partners Keith Jennings and Richard Ganey about their coaching backgrounds, why they joined SXP, and what they have learned along the way

Experience that serves the student

Keith Jennings combines two sides of his own training: he works as a full-time personal trainer and remains active in full-contact fighting with the Dog Brothers. He believes the commitment he asks of students should be visible in his own practice.

“I hold myself to a high standard with my own training, and my students recognize that.” — Keith Jennings

Keith wants to inspire students and guide them toward progressively more challenging training. His approach emphasizes conditioning, confidence, and finding a path to keep developing.

Richard Ganey brings more than 40 years of martial arts teaching experience, including running schools in multiple states and founding the first official Karate club at Walt Disney World Orlando. His background also includes more than 15 years in law enforcement and over a decade as a SWAT commander and instructor.

For Richard, teaching means explaining not only what a fundamental is but why it matters and how it works. His practical experience informs the way he makes complex ideas understandable to students.

Martial foundations through cinematic movement

SXP gives participants a way to explore martial principles through safe fight choreography. Keith points to footwork, recognizing angles of attack, and conditioning as lessons that run through the experience, even as the central focus remains creating and performing a sword sequence safely.

Richard initially approached SXP from a different direction. When first asked to assist at an event, he expected theatrical choreography. Instead, he saw Adrian finding an accessible way to communicate martial foundations to people without decades of technical training.

At first, their methods did not always align. Richard recalls having to set aside his own assumptions to appreciate what the filmic approach could offer.

“We both were heading for the same goal just approaching it from different vectors.” — Richard Ganey

Adrian’s numbered system of corresponding attacks and defenses particularly impressed Richard. The shared framework helps participants begin moving, responding, and exploring combinations sooner than the methods Richard traditionally used, which required more technical understanding at the outset.

The result is a distinctive balance: martial in concept, filmic in delivery. Participants work toward an exciting sequence while developing an understanding of the movement underneath it.

From the trainers: What makes their coaching a cut above?

Keith Jennings: discipline, progression, and individual attention

Why he joined SXP. Keith was a Highlander fan in high school and met Adrian at GenCon in 1995. When he learned Adrian was launching sword classes and planning to tour the United States, Keith submitted his résumé and helped secure a location for the first Chicago SXP event.

What he teaches. Keith brings a trainer’s focus on progressive challenges and physical fitness together with his combat experience. In SXP classes, he sees martial value in footwork, angles of attack, and movement with a partner, even when the immediate goal is safe choreography.

What he has learned. Watching Adrian teach groups with different skill and fitness levels over the past decade has made Keith more thoughtful about coaching. He points to keeping classes fun but focused and giving each person individual attention—lessons he applies in his own work.

Richard Ganey: fundamentals, adaptability, and lifelong learning

Why he joined SXP. Richard came to assist at an event expecting a theatrical exercise, but found a teaching method aligned with his own goal of making martial foundations understandable. Working with Adrian broadened how he thought about the relationship between traditional techniques and filmic movement.

What he teaches. Richard’s experience in martial arts and law enforcement informs an emphasis on the “why” behind a technique. He values clear explanations that give students a practical grasp of underlying principles, not just a sequence of moves to copy.

What he has learned. His time working with SXP participants has reinforced that teaching is an exchange: when instructors help others understand, they also discover new ways to explain and reconsider their own knowledge.

“I am more of a lifelong student than an instructor.” — Richard Ganey

Learning from Adrian and each other

Keith and Richard come from different backgrounds, but both describe learning through their involvement with SXP. Keith admires how Adrian balances energy, structure, and attention to the individual. Richard values an approach that lowers the barrier to beginning without abandoning meaningful martial concepts.

That openness matters. A training floor can bring together longtime martial artists, performers, Highlander fans, and complete beginners. An effective instructor has to meet each person where they are and help everyone share a language of movement.

A community that keeps growing

Keith has enjoyed watching SXP students grow in skill and confidence, along with getting to know fellow affiliate instructors. Richard has seen the experience expand into additional programs, the Online Academy, and podcasts—giving the community more ways to stay connected and keep learning.

The growth that matters most is personal: someone moving through a sequence with greater confidence, understanding a technique more clearly, or discovering a new reason to keep practicing. The trainers are part of what makes those moments possible.

More than one way to hold the sword

There is no single background that defines a Sword Experience trainer. Keith brings fitness, combat training, and a commitment to progress. Richard brings decades of martial arts instruction and a deep appreciation for fundamentals. Adrian brings an approach shaped by martial training and cinematic sword work.

What connects them is not identical technique. It is a shared willingness to teach, adapt, stay curious, and help people discover what they can do together.

Being a cut above is not only about how well you handle a sword. It is about what you help others discover when they pick one up.

Find your next Sword Experience

Whether you have trained for decades or have never held a sword before, there is a place to begin. Learn the system, meet the people behind it, and experience cinematic sword work with a training partner.

Explore upcoming events and the Sword Experience Online Academy at SwordXP.com

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