Royal Fencing Academy Coaches
Meet Head Coach and Owner TJ Safai
(Click Link Above to Learn More)
(Click Link Above to Learn More)
Assistant Coaches
Coach Robert Klebs:
Coach Robert is a D-rated Sabre and D-rated in Foil as well as an Assistant Moniteur de Sabre. He has been working with Coach TJ for many years and excels in coaching our youngest fencers. He also referees regional and national events. Coach Robert has graduated with his Bachelor's degree from the University of Maryland in the Summer of 2025. He teaches group classes and is available for private lessons. Coach Robert is SafeSport certified and is available for private lessons in foil and sabre.
Coach Robert is a D-rated Sabre and D-rated in Foil as well as an Assistant Moniteur de Sabre. He has been working with Coach TJ for many years and excels in coaching our youngest fencers. He also referees regional and national events. Coach Robert has graduated with his Bachelor's degree from the University of Maryland in the Summer of 2025. He teaches group classes and is available for private lessons. Coach Robert is SafeSport certified and is available for private lessons in foil and sabre.
Coach Gitty Moheban:
Coach Gitty is a foil fencer who competed in the 1972 Summer Olympics. In 1974 at the Asian Games, she won gold for team foil and bronze for individual foil. Coach Gitty is available for private lessons and loves imparting her amazing life experiences to her students. Coach Gitty is available for private lessons in foil.
Coach Gitty is a foil fencer who competed in the 1972 Summer Olympics. In 1974 at the Asian Games, she won gold for team foil and bronze for individual foil. Coach Gitty is available for private lessons and loves imparting her amazing life experiences to her students. Coach Gitty is available for private lessons in foil.
Coach Laura Trauth:
- Coach Laura Trauth is one of 49 Moniteurs de Sabre in the United States. She has been fencing sabre since 2017 and epee since 2020. She is a college professor with 30 years of experience teaching both college students and parallel-enrolled high school students, as well as students preparing for the SAT and PSAT. She has a PhD in European History and two Master's degrees in both Humanities and Geospatial Information Systems. Coach Laura is also a distance runner who ran her first marathon in 2024 and has completed numerous half marathons. She is working on her personal fitness instructor certification through the National Council on Strength and Fitness. Coach Laura also serves on the USA Fencing Coaches Association Course Accreditation Committee. Coach Laura loves helping students not only improve their fencing skills but also their overall fitness, critical thinking skills, and emotional resilience. She is working on her National Strength and Conditioning Personal Trainer certificate. Her current certifications include:
- Red Cross AED/CPR
- Red Cross First Aid for Coaches
- Coaching Kids and Coaching Girls, as well as annual SafeSport certifications.
- Kinesiology/Safe Fencing Certificate.
- Coaching Blind and Low Vision Fencers
- Concussion Prevention Training
Coach Terry Wynne:
- Coach Terry is an Assistant Moniteur de Sabre. He has been fencing sabre since 2017, and foil and epee since 2020. He has also done historical fencing since 2019 including sabre, rapier, small sword, and longsword. His goal in coaching is to create a lifelong passion for the art of swordsmanship in all students. Before Coach Terry began his thirty-year career with the Department of Defense, he was a secondary school teacher who taught physics and math. His philosophy is that the English School has one foot in modern fencing and one in historical fencing. Coach Terry has Master's degrees in Physics, Aerospace Engineering, and Strategic Studies, the latter earned through the Army War College in 2025. He is likewise SafeSport certified.