Marcello Lodetti graduated in 1959 from the Accademia Nazionale Magistrale (ANS) and started fencing at the age of 7 at the Mangiarotti fencing club in Milano, near the Giuseppe Verdi conservatory.
He then became a pupil of Giuseppe Mangiarotti, who had himself been a pupil of Renaud.
Giuseppe Mangiarotti passed on his fencing knowledge Giuseppe Mangiarotti passed on his fencing knowledge[1] ,enabling Marcello Lodetti to graduate on 31 May 1959, when his official career as a fencing master started.
But his true vocation was teaching.He was involved in training for the World Championships in 1959.
On that occasion he wrote the notes that became the basis for the official teaching manual published in 1970 of the Italian Fencing Federation's school (Scuola dello Sport-Fis).
With the fencing master Vincenzo Canizzo, who had taught Saccaro, Beonio Brocchieri and Pellegatta and had trained people like Pellegrino, Breda, Carpaneda and Delfino during joint training sessions of the Italian national team, Lodetti worked in Novara (1960–61).
Also for the first time (the second time was from 1973 to 1975–76) he worked at Busto Arsizio, where he taught the Pellegatta brothers (Bruno Achille and Massimo), Sergio Fabrizi, Carlo Dell'Acqua for the fencing association Pro Patria Scherma.
His relationship with Canizzo that was based on mutual admiration was further strengthened when they both found themselves working at the Mangiarotti school in Via Solferino where they formed a teaching team with the fencing masters Dario Mangiarotti and Ponzi.
Together with Elio Cucchiara and Lancia, he was the promoter and co-founder of the international summer centres for young people at Pievepelago and Zocca (1961 and 1963),.
Here, he met the Hungarian head instructors Balogh and Kevey who introduced him to the study of the sabre and also trained him in the use of this double-edged weapon.
The first Italian fencing masters teaching in the centres included Bassetti, Dante Galante, Lomele, Turrio, Livio Di Rosa, Augugliaro, Sommacal, Roberto, La Feltra, Bonato, his cousin Gianluigi Lodetti, La Mastra and Dario Mangiarotti.
From 1961 to 1967, Marcello Lodetti was the coach at the introductory fencing courses run by the Italian National Olympic Committee (Coni) in Milan together with the coach Bruna Colombetti.
In Pavia, from 1963 to 1965 he taught at Cus Pavia, where he trained Canevari, Ottini, Fantoni, and Francavilla (who was invited in 1964 to the world youth championships).
He was then with Felsinea until 1969.
In 1965, together with Giuseppe Mangiarotti he founded the first association of Italian fencing masters, which was the forerunner of today's AIMS.
In 1968 he started working at Mangiarotti Milano (1968–78), where he honed his craft to create champions like Gianfranco Mochi, Stefano Bellone, Ettore Bianchi and Sandro Resegotti.
From 1970 to 1980 he was called upon continuously by the Italian National Team for joint coaching of both adult and youth teams for the Universiadi (World University Games ), both adult and youth teams for the Universiadi (World University Games ), Olympics and World Championships.
His pupils included Angelo Mazzoni, Gil A.
Pezza and John Pezza.
For a complete list of the fencers this fencing master taught, see the book dedicated to him.Overall, his pupils have won more than 20 Italian awards in the Adult category in all three fencing disciplines (not counting lesser awards in the youth category and second, third and fourth category awards, and team awards, totalling about 90).
2 World titles in the Adults category, 1 silver and 2 bronze awards for team events.
1 Individual World Youth Title.
1 Individual World University Title 1 silver and 2 bronze team awards.
Other pupils whom he trained for years have made history in Italian fencing right up to now in innumerable contests at the Olympics, World Cups and World Championships (FIS yearbooks)At the 1972 Munich Olympics he coached the women's foil team, helping Antonella Ragno to win a gold medal.
In 1973 and 1977, at the Moscow and Sofia Universiadi (World University Games ) he was the only master fencer for all three disciplines.
He was also a coach at the World Youth Championships in 1974 in Istanbul and at the Adult World Championships in 1979 in Melbourne.
From 1972 to 1975 he was also the chief instructor at Busto Arsizio for a second term.
He was assisted by the master fencer Ponzi and one of his pupils was Gianni Muzio (to whom he entrusted the teaching after Muzio had become an instructor.
Lodetti also trained the Felli brothers, Sottrici, Vago, and Marco Malvezzi.
From 1978 to 1980 he continued to coach the national team at the federation's sites in Milan and Giardino Milano.
He was invited to his third Olympics in Moscow in 1980 but could not take part because they were boycotted by the Italian Olympic delegation, which at the last moment did not send military competitors and directors and accompanying staff.
In 1985-86 he was asked to direct Pro Vercelli Scherma.
This association was founded by the fencing master Visconti, who had been a pupil of Colombetti and had invented the anatomical hilt that is now used throughout the world.
After the conference at Milan University the volume was presented in November 2013 that contains the minutes of the conference.
"Manuale di Psicologia ad uso di istruttori, maestri e staff tecnico" Published by Maggioli Milano with afterword by Professor Giovanni Lodetti and Dr Alessandra Cova in 2014.Four conferences dedicated to him should be mentioned:
"Fratelli Sportivi D'Italia - Schermidori D'Italia"(Sporting Brothers of Italy – Fencers of Italy)
"Marcello Lodetti tradizione, azione rievoluzione" (Marcello Lodetti, re-evolution action)by the Candido Cannavò sport foundation and SISS (Italian Sensory Science Society).
"In ricordo del maestro Marcello Lodetti" (Remembering the fencing master Marcello Lodetti) organised by Federscherma (Italian Fencing Federation).
"1º Congresso Internazionale Psicologia Clinica delle sport"(First International Congress of Clinical Psychology of Sport).The First Master Fencer Lodetti International Trophy was set up in his memory in 2015 at the Milan Triennale.