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The Marin Fencing AcademyWorld Class FencingWorld Class Tradition |
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Maestro Stuart Philip Kaufman Maestro Stuart's first Certification/Diploma, was received in 1978, after a six month Study/Sabbatical in Milan, Italy, under the direct and private tutelage of his two Mentors: Dario and "Caviliere di Gran Croce (Knight of the Great Cross)", Edoardo Mangiarotti, at their Fencing Club: Il Circolo della Spada (Circle of the Sword); Mangiarotti; which was established in the mid-1900's by their father, Giuseppe Mangiarotti. About this technique, it was created by Giuseppe Mangiarotti as his augmentation to the old and 'Classical' Italian School of Fencing; which dates back hundreds of years, and was first devised and conceived by the Mangiarotti's father between the late 1800s and mid-1900s. Maestro Giuseppe began his formulation of his 'New In earning this first Diploma in 1978, from Circolo della Spada; Mangiarotti, and though today, Maestro Stuart Phillip Kaufman holds the sole distinction of being the only Maestro in the Western Hemisphere certified to teach "The Modern School of Italian Sword." Maestro Stuart's second Diploma was conferred upon him from "L'Accademia Nazionale DI Scherma (The Italian Academy of Arms)" or ANS, of Naples, Italy, after successfully completing his Three-Weapon Examinations on June 29th, 2003. By earning his formal title of "Maestro DI Scherma" in all 3-Weapons, Maestro Stuart Phillip Kaufman became the first American since Maestro William Gaugler in 1976, to pass the Italian Academy's exams in all 3-Weapons and be awarded his new title from that prestigious Institution. To meet this end, the Mentors provided Maestro Stuart with five of the Club's students (in Foil, Sabre and Epée), brought in expressly for his training (as their Club closes for the summer each June 15th-September 10th) and making it possible for Stuart to be able to prepare for two weeks prior to his leave to Naples, by giving lessons to these students with both of Mentors and Edoardo's daughter, Carola (in her new capacity as the current Director of their Club: IL Circolo della Spada; Mangiarotti) observing, correcting and critiquing Stuart's technique, as well as his Italian diction and terminology throughout each lesson; which would be one of the more important requirements of the upcoming examinations in Naples: the ability to give each lesson, in each Weapon, entirely in the Italian Language and using Italian Terminology. As we said, our Maestro passed with flying colors!
Maestro Stuart's third and newest Certification, titled: "The Diploma of Merit" is another from his Mentors (which now includes Edoardo's daughter, as Director of their School, as her signature accompanies that of her father, Edoardo and her Uncle, Dario), IL Circolo della Spada; Mangiarotti. This new document has a purpose, which is twofold. It states that Maestro Stuart can now continue to propagate the technique of "The Modern School of Italian Sword"; but to a much deeper extent. In this document, it is made clear that through all of his years devoted, successfully, to perfecting his understanding of their technique, which they refer to as: "Metodo Maestro Giuseppe Mangiarotti-Caposcuola della Federazione Italiana Scherma or translating as: "The Method of Giuseppe Mangiarotti-Caposcuola of the Italian Fencing Federation." In this context, Caposcuola translates as meaning: the Head School, but more literally, the basis or backbone behind all fencing taught through the Italian Fencing Federation for primarily Foil and Epee, for many years. By presenting Maestro Stuart with this Certificate of Merit, his Mentors are, in essence, "Passing to our Maestro, the Mangiarotti Flag", as it were, by making him one of the three Maestros in the world (along with Maestri Edoardo and Dario), certified to not only teach students in the school devised by their father, Giuseppe, but now, to also, in turn, certify seasoned/experienced Fencing Instructors to be able to continue the propagation of the "Modern School of Italian Sword", or the legacy of the Mangiarotti Family. To meet this end, it was discussed between the Mangiarottis and our Maestro, and agreed upon in Milan, after he returned from Naples with his newly achieved Diploma and its Title of "Maestro DI Scherma", that he could and would begin offering Coaching Clinics in this technique, to a limited number of experienced and seasoned Fencing Instructors. While wishing to pass on the technique, so that other Instructors can, in turn, pass it onto their students and reaching the desired goal of propagating the techniques for years to come; it is also clear that the numbers accepted to learn the technique must be limited to avoid the dilution of the technique; which could defeat the whole purpose of its propagation. While still in the discussion stage, the number expected to be allowed for possible candidates are between 20-30 Instructors (or 3 Clinics of 10 Candidates), within each year or 18 months. If this topic interests you, begin preparing your resumes and watching this site and the American Fencing and US Fencing Coaches' Association magazine, the Swordmaster, for further information on the Coaching Clinics planned to begin sometime this coming summer, 2005. For more info on these upcoming clinics, feel free to contact Maestro Stuart at: maestro@marinfencing.com The basis of this letter is a simple statement that those who attend and successfully complete any of these future coaching clinics held by our Maestro, while in no way a guarantee by L'Accademia to pass their examinations in Naples (which must be accomplished by each prospects own merits and abilities), as an Accademia-Certified Maestro, successfully completing our Maestro's Coaching Clinics WILL be viewed as a positive, first step in the preparations of those who do later apply (and are accepted) to take the Maestro Diploma Examinations in Naples. So these upcoming Coaching Clinics will not only be to pass on "The Modern School of Italian Sword," but can and will act as a Primer Course for later attendance at the Maestro's Examinations in Naples. To meet this end, the resurgence of more English-speaking Candidates going to Italy for their Titles, last July 2004, in conjunction with the assistance from Maestro Marco Romano, President of the Italian Academy, Maestro Stuart wrote the first-ever English Language Written-Portion of the Italian Academy's Maestro's Examinations. So now, all future English-speaking Candidates can take this portion of the Exams without need of either a Translator or the ability to read Italian fluently. In addition, last June, after members of the Executive Committee of the US Fencing Coaches' Assn asked our Maestro to become more proactive in this US Organization, Maestro Stuart was brought down to the USFCA's Annual General Meeting in San Antonio, Texas; where he was put into service as an Examiner/Proctor on the testing by the USFCA's Accreditation and Certification Committee, where our Maestro sat on the 3-Maestro Panel for the Practical Portion of US Instructors taking their examinations for the three levels of Titles: Moniteur, Prevot and Master. Maestro Stuart sat as an Examiner/Proctor on 6 Moniteur Exams, 4 Prevot and the only 2 Master Examinations; in addition to his presentation, to all of those in attendance at the AGM, of "The Modern School of Italian Sword" Technique of the Mangiarottis. In the February Issue of the Swordmaster, you can see our Maestro's article on the Procedures for going to Italy for the Maestro's Examinations. If we haven't yet arranged for a direct-link to this article, you can go to: www.USFCA.org, hit the link for The Swordmaster and you can read this article on-line. During the next month or so, our Maestro will be writing another article, this one on "The Modern School of Italian Sword"; with direct information contained which will explain the differences between it, "The Modern School" and the former, old "Classical Italian School of Fencing". Be watching our site for the hyper-links to these articles. Now, In Our Maestro's own words, how and why he got into Fencing and what it has done for the many facets of his life: I began fencing at 12 years of age (40 years ago), at the Bernard Horwich Jewish Community Center in Chicago, Illinois, later at the Leaning Tower YMCA and continued up until when I began High School at Chicago's Senn High School on Chicago's Far Northside. At this time in my youth, after going through a junior scientist phase, where my big kick was building and launching real Model Rockets with my twin-brother, I began hanging out with the wrong crowd and was suddenly becoming a problem child; both at school and at home. After a third incident (which, although only involved minor vandalism and general rowdiness, but actually involved Juvenile Officers of the Chicago Police Dept.), my parents threatened me with a choice of being shipped off to either a Military or a Court-ordered Reform School; they offered me a 3rd choice of joining the nearby Community Center and finding something to get me to turn myself around and remain at home. So, my first day at the community center, while walking past the Gym to go swimming, with my parent's words resonating in my head, to find something to get involved in, as my last chance, I heard the sound of blades crossing. So I stuck my head in the gym and immediately joined the class; as the only person in the class under 17 years of age. What else can I say, but that I found in that first day something that was to forever change my life? So I fenced there and at the Leaning Tower Y, for a combined 2 years, but once I got into Senn High School and found that fencing had been discontinued two years prior to my arrival, I was upset, but decided to go out for JV football; as my parents would not let me continue to go to the JCC fencing classes once my schoolwork load increased threefold. I came from a sports-oriented family. Well, as things happened, right in the middle of my sophomore year, my family became the first on the block whose parents got divorced (which in my neighborhood, at that time, was unheard of) and I subsequently found myself with more freedom than I had ever before experienced; and I found that I liked it…a lot! Also, by that time, I was beginning to get disenchanted with wrestling, as "Roughy" had to take sick leave for the year and the Asst. Coach and now Head Coach, Mr. Brownstein, himself, a member of one of the Olympic Wrestling Squads in the 1960s; just wasn't the same. It was also at the same time that a friend of mine from Senn had transferred to Private College Prep School in Downtown Chicago. His parents wanted him out of Senn; due to it being one of the first schools on Chicago's Northside to experience that era's court-enforced busing and forced integration of white-predominant schools and there began what was to be years of racial-based trouble, big-time trouble, on a daily basis. Luckily, I had made many African-American friends, but I was also walking a very thin tightrope, due to the attitudes of most white students and also friends of mine. I decided trouble was coming, so I had to get out of there before having to take sides; which had occurred once already and made me feel guilty over the incident for some time. When my friend going to the Prep School told me that they offered a Fencing Class for school P.E. credits, through a class being run at their sister College Campus, also Downtown, I made up my mind to go there: Central Y College Preparatory School. Now, I just had to find a way to get out of Senn High, as with my Mother and Father split-up, the cost of a Private School was definitely going to be an issue. But, I figured I would just have to find a job and I was sure my dad would kick-in towards tuition; but I had to get kicked out of Senn; as I knew there would be no way my dad would agree to my wanting to drop Wrestling; much less let me walk from a fully paid, free ride, via Scholarship, for College. Especially since I was already getting letters from Colleges about their schools, even though I still had 2 years of High School remaining. But, it being early 1969, it wasn't hard to get my wish. I just grew my hair, became sporadic in going to wrestling practice and began hanging with the 'wrong crowd' and I was soon notified that I was not going to be invited back into the Chicago Public School System, come the next September. When I told my dad that I had gotten kicked out of Senn High, but I had been accepted at Central Y, you could say that (seeing his vision of his living vicariously through my College wrestling go up in smoke) he was not pleased with me. And, as it was a private Prep School and cost by the class, per 10-week quarter, my dad let the door slam behind him while I heard his last words: "I'm only paying for one class, each quarter, so, young man, you, had better find a job and quickly!" Against his desire to do so, come September, my dad was forced to get me started financially, but he made it infinitely clear, that he expected that I was to pay him back for the 1st Quarter's four classes; less the one he had agreed to pay for. So after my first week, I was drastically trying to find a job; lest I face up to the fact that if I didn't, knowing my dad, he would, literally, take the cost of the Tuition ' Out of my Hide!' So, for the next few weeks, with only 4 weeks more before the next Quarter's Tuition would come due, I began asking everyone in every class, if they knew of any jobs for after school; since our classes got us out between 12:30-2:00pm everyday, with Friday off. To my amazement, from a guy in one of my classes, who had never even acknowledged I existed, he told me he had a job and they were hiring right now. When I asked what kind of work it was, he asked if I really cared, to which I replied that I did not and then he told me, the job was making Stained Glass Tiffany reproductions; at a place only a 5 minute bus ride from my new school. And even though I had no artistic ability, he just smiled and said that I would soon enough and he took me there that day after class and I started the next day. I was about to experience another of the many experiences in my life, which I can honestly attest to what I learned in Fencing. I was never an artist and to this day I couldn't draw if my life depended on it, but with Stained Glass, I could make roses that looked more like roses than real ones. Within a year, I had become an artist working in the medium of Stained Glass; and getting paid for it to boot! It was the Fencing, now that I had gotten back into it, that was making me learn and excel with Stained Glass also; and I knew it! I can't remember the Fencing Instructor's name for the life of me, but I really started to get even better than I had been at my previous classes and at the same time, my work with the glass was also excelling. I told my new Fencing Instructor of this dual excelling I was experiencing and he told me something I was to always remember and later, after I began teaching fencing, something I was to emulate and relate to my students over and over and still do, to this day.What he told me was that in the "Italian School of Fencing"(which was also what both of my previous instructors taught, in my 1st classes, at 12 years of age), what I was learning, was not really fencing, but a "Concept". "This concept is going to allow me to turn you into something like an car's transmission", my Instructor continued. "I will teach you through fencing how to coordinate your Head and Hands to create a separate manifestation within your Human Framework. In one gear, you'll be fencing, you shift gears and you're working with your art in glass, shift again and you're doing school work, etc..." By learning this "Concept", Fencing is just a disguise of what you are truly learning: that being: the coordination of head, hands and other parts of your body to create a new and separate manifestation within the Human Framework; or as I say in the last line of my Thesis: "The Sword is just a pretext for something that can happen just as easily without it." Aside from the fact that through attending the Prep School, I was going to graduate High School over a half-year before my former class at Senn High, I was making good money (for that time, the late-60s and the 1st time really earning on my own) and I was closing in on advanced level in my fencing; while learning to work with Stained Glass. I, Stuart Phillip Kaufman, as Maestro of the Marin Fencing Academy, welcome you and/or your children to join us and allow us to convey this "Concept" and then let you enjoy, as you sit back and watch as it manifests itself within you or your children; to positive results. In advance, I thank you for taking the time to read this and I hope you find in its context, what it is you are looking for; be it for you or your children. Most importantly, we turn away no one who seriously desires to learn how to Fence; regardless of if your interest is for fun or competition. Whatever yours or your children's reason(s), we will do our best to accommodate what it is you/they are looking for; while at the same time teaching techniques (as have been taught for Centuries) that make clear to the practitioner, how to make the other goals, dreams or aspirations of their respective lives easily attainable. Sinceremente, THE MARIN FENCING ACADEMY Member-Finance Committee |
them), Maestro Stuart was tested on a daily basis. Over the course of the six-month period, training consisted of private one-on-one lessons with Maestro Edoardo, which were received each afternoon, private one-on-one sessions in the evenings with Maestro Dario, as well as their observations of the one-on-one lessons Stuart would give to their Junior Students each evening. In addition to lessons with the brothers and the lessons given to their students, under their watchful eyes, Stuart also had the great fortune to be able to participate in open bouting in the evenings with their competitive members; as well as to participate in some Italian Competitions as a member of the Mangiarotti Team(s). At that time, these members included then-current World Champion in Senior Epée, Carlo Bellone and the soon to be Junior Epée World Champion, Angelo Mazzoni, who would go on to win this title more than once and later go on to also become the Senior World Epée Champion, as well as a member of the recent 2004 Italian Olympic Epee Team.
Tecnico' during his tenure, in his position as Fencing Master to the Royal Court of Vittrio Emmanuelle, Italy's last King. His primary concern and aim, in devising his new method was to compensate for the ever-increasing speed…or "Tempo Schermistico" of Modern Italian Fencing. Although he began to devise and put this method into effect early in the 1900s, it wasn't until the 1930s, with the introduction of the first Electrical Scoring Apparatus (which by the way, the prototype of which, was also devised, tested, perfected and introduced to the Worldwide Fencing Community from out of the Mangiarotti School) that this problem of the rapid increase in the speed of fencing began to manifest itself in fencing as a whole. This was the new age of Competitive Fencing!
Naples, Italy where Stuart received his formal Diploma last June 29th, 2003. This letter from the President of the Academy was just awaiting the upcoming new guidelines recently established for all future English-Speaking Candidates going to Naples for their "Maestro DI Scherma" Diplomas and Titles.