Michael Knazko

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• 'The importance of molinelli for offensive and defensive maneuvers in Barbasetti´s sabre fencing system'

  Equipment: Sabre, mask, glove, chest protector or good padded jacket. There will be a number of synthetic Sabres available on a first come first served basis.

• Biography

  Maître d’armes Michael Knazko, of the Barbasetti Military Sabre (since 1895) based in Prague, Czech Republic, is a sabre fencing instructor and the driving force behind his school´s signature events 'SabreSlash' and 'K.u.K. Military Fencing Tournament', both held in Prague each year, bringing together sabreurs for two days of skill-based learning, bouting and great fun, fulfilling the events´ motto: History, skills, friendship.

  Situated in Central Europe, Barbasetti Military Sabre (since 1895) is well placed to reach a wide and diverse audience. Their program is classical and historical, but they work with everyone, Olympic fencers, thespians and HEMA, and over the years have established connections and branches in Oregon in the USA and Taiwan, where Michael runs classical fencing summer workshops both in Taipei and at the National Cheng Kung University in Tainan.

  Michael is a lineal descendant of the Luigi Barbasetti sabre fencing tradition, but he also enjoys fencing foil and bayonet rifle, as well as practising traditional Chinese martial arts he has been teaching for the last three decades.

  Michael is also an expert pedagogue at the Sports, Rehabilitation and Movement Centre of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, where he teaches 19th century classical French foil and Italian sabre fencing.

  In order to enhance his understanding of the history and development of fencing Michael has also become a keen collector of antique practice sabres, original fencing books, photographs and medals which he uses for his research and teaching fencing. Practice sabres used in Michael´s fencing school and competitions are the result of Michael´s research of the antique practice sabres used in Prague at the end of the 19th century.

  Michael started with sabre fencing in the 1980´s at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague under the tutelage of Maître d’armes Pavel Plch. Later on he gained further experience and knowledge under the tutelage of Maître d’armes Jan Kostka and then for over a decade he followed Maître d’armes Leonid Křížek under whom he studied the Italian military sabre (Luigi Barbasetti lineage) and the bayonet rifle fencing. In 2023, under the guidance of Maître d’armes Leonid Křížek and Maître d’armes Josef Šolc, he earned the title of Maître d’armes of Barbasetti Military Sabre (since 1895).

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