Italo Santelli

Italo Santelli is considered the father of modern sabre fencing. He was schooled at the famed Italian Scuola Magistrale by Carlo Pessina and Giuseppe Radaelli. In 1896, Santelli was recruited to move to Budapest and teach the Hungarians sabre fencing. He is considered responsible for making that country the dominant nation in sabre fencing. He developed a new method with a more flexible wrist and more finger play to control the blade and hits. He coached numerous Olympic and international champions, among them Aladár Gerevich, and his own son, Giorgio Santelli.