Pinewood Fencing Academy

LINEAGE



Pinewood Fencing Academy offers you world class training passed directly from some of the greatest fencing masters of all time. Their highly technical sword skills were handed down to the Pinewood Fencing Academy by Maestro Paul Reyes.  Our winning fencing style has produced many great Olympic and national fencing champions. Now you too can learn the very best fencing in the Napa Valley at the Pinewood Fencing Academy.  Come join us at Pinewood and learn the same methods that have proven to be so successful in national and international competition. 

László Borsody

 

László Borsody (died 1941) was a Hungarian fencing master who is acknowledged in Hungary as being one of the greatest fencing masters of all time, the primary creator of the modern Hungarian style of saber fencing that led Hungary to a half century of superiority and gold medals at the World Championships and Olympics, and the teacher of many excellent Hungarian fencing masters whose influence has been felt throughout the world.

 

 

 

 

Csaba Elthes

 

Csaba Elthes was born in Budapest, Hungary (born March 10, 1912 – died November 8, 1995).

As a young man Elthes was trained by some of the best Hungarian sabre fencers of his day including László Borsody (see the Pinewood Fencing Academy lineage).

He was educated as a lawyer earning his law degree in 1936 at the University of Budapest.  

Elthes left Hungary during the 1956 uprising.   He came to the United States and was detained by immigration for sixty days. 

He realized that he would not be able to work as a lawyer in New York he decided to teach fencing. He quickly found a job at the school of Giorgio Santelli in N.Y. City.

Elthes also became a coach and fencing master at the New York Athletic Club and the New York Fencers Club in 1959. 

It was at the New York Athletic Club that Elthes taught his unique style of Hungarian fencing to Paul Reyes who was the founding maestro of the Pinewood Fencing Academy. 

Elthes taught a highly technical style of fencing that stressed balance and footwork. Blade movement was controlled with use of the fingers and wrist rather than the arm or shoulder.

His teaching method was harsh and disciplined. It was not unusual for him to strike a student with his sabre when the student was not concentrating or if he made a mistake. 

In teaching, he gave few verbal instructions preferring to cue the student to strike by exposing a potential target.  

Elthes also served as coach of the United States Olympic teams in 1964, 1968, 1972, 1976 and 1984. 

Csaba Elthes was inducted into the United States Fencing Association Hall of Fame in 1978.

Elthes was the sabre coach for U.S. Olympic fencing champion, Peter Westbrook (Olympic bronze medal in 1984).

Maestro Elthes died of a stroke on November 8, 1995.

 

 

 

 

Italo Santelli

 

Italo Santelli (born August 15, 1866 – died February 8, 1945) was an Italian fencing master.  He was born in La Spezia, Italy in 1866. In his youth he studied fencing at the famous Italian fencing academy Scuola Magistrale in Rome where he graduated in 1889.  

 

In 1896 the thirty year old fencing master moved to Budapest, Hungary and continued to refine and teach his fencing technique.  

 

In Hungary in 1897, Italo’s wife gave birth to a son Giorgio who learned fencing from his famous father and would later become a renowned fencing master as well.  In Hungary, Italo Santelli created and taught a new style of sabre fencing. The style was quick and emphasized the importance of defense and became known as the “modern style of Santelli”.  

 

In the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris, Santelli won 6th in foil and silver in sabre for the Italian fencing team.

 

At the 1924 Summer Olympics, a Hungarian judge made a controversial call in a fencing match between an Italian fencer and a French opponent. Tempers flared and on return to Italy the Italian team captain Adolfo Cotronei accused Italo Santelli of siding with the Hungarian judge.  Cotronei challenged Santelli to a duel.  Giorgio accepted the challenge for his father and won the duel with a riposte to Contronei’s face. 

 

Italo Santelli died on February 8, 1945 at age 78 in Livorno, Italy.   His son Giorgio immigrated to the United States and taught fencing in New York City in his own academy.  One of his notable students, Paul Reyes later became the founding maestro of the Pinewood FencingAcademy.

 

 

 

 

Giorgio Santelli

 

Giorgio Santelli (born November 25, 1897 – died October 8, 1985) was born in Budapest, Hungary to Italian parents. His father Italo Santelli was a famous fencing master and Giorgio’s first fencing teacher. 

Giorgio was a very successful competitor winning a gold medal in the team sabre competition in 1920. He also won the Austrian, Hungarian and Italian sabre championships. 

Santelli fought and won a famous duel with Adolfo Cotronei, arising out of an Olympic fencing dispute between Cotronei and Giorgio’s father, Italo Santelli. 

He immigrated to the United States in 1924 and taught at the New York Athletic Club before founding Salle Santelli in New York City. Giorgio was the United States National Fencing Coach for several decades. 

He was also the U.S. Olympic Coach in 1928, 1932, 1936, 1948 and 1952. 

In 1934 he started the United States Fencing Equipment Company which was renamed, George Santelli, Inc. in 1955. 

He was inducted into the USFA Hall of Fame in 1963.  

He was one of the teachers of Paul Reyes the founding maestro of the Pinewood Fencing Academy.  

Giorgio Santelli died on October 8, 1985 leaving behind a remarkable fencing legacy. 

 

 

 

 

Paul Reyes

 

Paul Reyes (April 13, 1924 - December 31, 2013) was very athletic and performed as an acrobat in the Circus. He then turned his athletic ability to the sport of fencing. He was a member of the 1963 United States Men’s Sabre Olympic fencing team. He fenced competitively for many years as a member of the Salle Santelli and New York Athletic Club fencing teams. When he retired from active fencing, he became an instructor and then achieved the level of fencing master or Maestro for mastering all three fencing weapons. Paul’s love of fencing continued up until the time of his death. He often said it “makes me feel alive.” 

 

 

 

 

Daniel E. Andrews III, M.D.

 

Together in 2008, Maestro Reyes and Doctor Andrews founded the Pinewood Fencing Academy.  In the beginning, Maestro Reyes taught all the fencing classes and private lessons.  Dr. Andrews assisted his teacher at every class.  Every week on Saturday, Dr. Andrews received a private lesson from his teacher including special instructions how to teach his unique style of fencing to others. Sadly, in 2013, Maestro Paul Reyes passed away.  He left his treasured art in the capable hands of Dr. Andrews and his other students. Dr. Andrews is now very pleased to pass on this very advanced and technical style of fencing to the next generation of students of the sword.