M. Ramón Martínez. Photo courtesy of Association for Historical Fencing.

Ramón Martínez is a master of classical and historical fencing. He studied classical fencing with the late Maitre d'Armes Frederick Rohdes in New York City for ten years. Maitre Rohdes was one of the last fencing masters to teach fencing as a martial art. During that time Maestro Martínez became assistant and protégé of Maitre Rohdes and was the only one of his pupils permitted to teach with full authorization at the Rohdes Academy. In late 1982, shortly before his death, Maitre Rohdes conferred the rank of Fencing Master on Maestro Martínez.

Maestro Martínez has devoted over 36 years to the study, practice and teaching of classical and historical fencing. In addition to the training in historical fencing that he received during his training with Maitre Rohdes, he has also done and continues to conduct extensive research in historical fencing. Many of the most prominent masters of the past centuries left elaborate, highly detailed treatises of the systems and styles, which they taught. Maestro Martínez has spent years carefully and thoroughly researching these treatises in an effort to accurately reconstruct some of these varied systems. These ancient and historical forms are then taught as authentically as possible. His goal and responsibility is to teach, promote, and preserve these rare martial arts.

He is the world's preeminent authority on the Spanish school of fencing La Vedadera Destreza. Maestro Martinez has devoted over a quarter of a century to the research, reconstruction and resurrection of this unique system of swordsmanship. He has brought more international recognition and respect for the Spanish school than any other master and swordsman within the last one hundred and fifty years. Maestro Martinez is an inheritor of a "Living Tradition" generations old and a highly respected scholar of historical fencing. In association with Anthony De Longis and Palpable Hit Productions, Maestro Martinez has created two instructional DVDs for rapier fencing. One two volume set for the Spanish School La Verdadera Destreza: The True Art and Skill of Spanish Swordsmanship and another two volume set for the Italian School La Scherma Italiana: The Basics of Italian Rapier Fencing which have gained international attention becoming top sellers.

Maestro Martínez is the director of the Martinez Academy of Arms in New York City. He is the current president of the Association for Historical Fencing, founded to promote, preserve and revive classical and historical fencing. He is one of the founders of the International Masters at Arms Federation, as well as a fencing advisor to the Academy of European Medieval Martial Arts, and is associated with the Federazione Italiana Scherma Antica e Storica.

Maestro Martínez has made himself available for lectures, seminars, workshops demonstrations and presentations worldwide. He collaborated on the translation of Gran Simularo by Capo Ferro, published in 2004 by Greenhill Press. As president of the AHF he has been instrumental in the republication of fencing works by Dover Publications and has written the forewords for Old Sword Play, Cold Steel: The Art of Fencing with the Sabre and The Sword Through the Centuries all by Alfred Hutton. These republications also include Schools and Masters of Fencing: From the Middle Ages to the Eighteenth Century by Egerton Castle.